My 2 clams (pics)

[kaserpick]

Hey all! Here's the pics; new one first, then old one.

My new Maxima:




My Crocea:


I used to have 5 clams in my 30 gallon, but after a devastating move, I lost 4 of them including an 8" Squamosa (that was my favorite). To be honest, it is a bit of a relief to not be going through calcium so much. I do miss my other clams though. Let me know what you think, in particular, about my clams!

[skinz78]

thats an awesome t max, where did you buy them and how much did they cost.

[kaserpick]

Thanks Skinz! I bought both of them from a LFS in my area. I bought the T. Crocea for $50 about a year ago, and I bought the T. Maxima for $50 as well this past Tuesday. My next clam that I want to get is a Squamy, but I'm debating due to the space requirement. Thanks for the reply!

[skinz78]

you scored on that clam for $50, I'm jealous.

[nietzsche]

wow that is a beauty

[kaserpick]

Thanks again guys! Yeah, at that price I just couldn't pass it up!

[a4twenty]

that maxima is freaky looking, nice score for $50

what lights are you running?

[kaserpick]

Reef Optix III w/ 150w Coralvue 14k HQI bulb and Blue Wave ballast.

Thanks a4twenty! I originally wanted a blue/green teardrop, but when I saw this one, I figured looked amazing to me! I love it! I'm thinking that I'll only get one more nice clam...maybe the teardrop?

[kaserpick]

When I re-designed the system, I made it to be viewed top-down more than side, especially since the tank is relatively wide, long and pretty shallow. The clams and sps "pop" more from the top. The crocea is right on top of the rock work, and the Maxima is on the sand.

[a4twenty]

you said it is a 30G but your sig. says 25G, how deep is the tank?

how long ago did you move the crocea to the top?

the reason i ask is that he appears to have a fair amount of white on his mantle, is this new or was it like this when he was lower in the tank?

[kaserpick]

Here's the story:
My tank is a 30 breeder, but I've modded it so it only has 25 gal of display w/ 5 gal. of Sump/Fuge in the back.

Before I bought that particular clam about a year ago, I read about the requirements to keep them (esp. T. Crocea since that was mainly the only clam I could find locally), but I did not read about how to pick your clam (consider snails, shell, mantle bleaching, signs of PM or gaping, etc.). This was my mistake. Here is a progression of the clam since I've had him:

First day:


Later (not sure how long I'd had him when this was taken, at least a few months):


Couple Weeks ago:


It seems that the bleaching has colored up over the year. Also, note the lighting is the same bulb and fixture in all pics. I changed the bulb just recently to the Coralvue 14k 150w (much better for him than the 20k I assumed). He was just moved to the rock in the beginning of November (always wanted him in the rocks, but had a hard time getting him to stay). Also, note that he has had over 2" of growth....just kidding!! I have noticed significant shell growth, but I haven't really kept track as well as I should. I would guess about a 1/2".

Let me know what you a4twenty! Thanks for the response and concerns.

[kaserpick]

As an added bonus, here's are some shots of the 4 clams I lost during the move/tank crash in October:

2 Croceas from Clamsdirect:


Squamosa from ReefScience:


Can't really find a decent picture of the last Crocea, but there's 3 out of 4. I miss 'em.

[mbbuna]

Originally posted by kaserpick
Here's the story:
My tank is a 30 breeder, but I've modded it so it only has 25 gal of display w/ 5 gal. of Sump/Fuge in the back.

Before I bought that particular clam about a year ago, I read about the requirements to keep them (esp. T. Crocea since that was mainly the only clam I could find locally), but I did not read about how to pick your clam (consider snails, shell, mantle bleaching, signs of PM or gaping, etc.). This was my mistake. Here is a progression of the clam since I've had him:

First day:




Couple Weeks ago:


It seems that the bleaching has colored up over the year.

in the first photo the light spots are not bleaching, they are a natral color pattern of the clam

[a4twenty]

maybe it's the flash or that your a lot closer to the clam in the other pics but his mantle looks whiter between the pattern. but if his color is looking better than before .... i was just worried that the move and upgraded light might have shocked him a bit.

[kaserpick]

I see what you're saying now; no, I'm pretty sure it's just cause I'm close up. Will he show other signs if he's shocked from the new bulb? Thanks for the heads-up a4twenty!

[kaserpick]

mmbuna: Is it OK that those spots have faded while the blue becomes more prominent? Does his pattern in the later pic look fine? Thanks for the help.

[mbbuna]

Originally posted by kaserpick
mmbuna: Is it OK that those spots have faded while the blue becomes more prominent? Does his pattern in the later pic look fine? Thanks for the help.

whats happening is the clam is dropping some of its natural protective pigments to allow more light to its zoox.

if it were my clam i would want it to look like it did in the first photo not the last

[kaserpick]

What could I do (placement or anything else) that would encourage the protective pigment to come back? There was a period where I had to take the clam out of the tank due to a bad move; he was under VHO lighting at a LFS even though I told the owner that it needed MH's. He was under that particular lighting for about 3 weeks. When I brought him back home, a bit of the blue had faded to purple. He's colored back up considerably since then.

Placement:
He's currently in the rock structure about 4" from the water surface, and the light is about 4" above the surface.

Lighting:
Up until about 2 weeks ago (maybe almost 3), he was on the sand (tank is 12" tall) and under a 150w Coralife 20k bulb. Now, he's under a 150w Coralvue 14k. Will this help him regain his original pigmentation? I don't have a huge bio-load on the tank (1 fish), but I'm feeding the tank regularly without a skimmer so there should be plenty in the water column to supply the zoox for sugar production (is that right?). I would really appreciate any advice you can give mbbuna! Thanks for the help so far.

[kaserpick]

Mbbuna: I also forgot to ask, do clams change color as they age (I wouldn't expect this over only a year)? To clarify, I mean in the wild would their color normally change? Thanks again!

[mbbuna]

Originally posted by kaserpick
What could I do (placement or anything else) that would encourage the protective pigment to come back? There was a period where I had to take the clam out of the tank due to a bad move; he was under VHO lighting at a LFS even though I told the owner that it needed MH's. He was under that particular lighting for about 3 weeks. When I brought him back home, a bit of the blue had faded to purple. He's colored back up considerably since then.

Placement:
He's currently in the rock structure about 4" from the water surface, and the light is about 4" above the surface.

Lighting:
Up until about 2 weeks ago (maybe almost 3), he was on the sand (tank is 12" tall) and under a 150w Coralife 20k bulb. Now, he's under a 150w Coralvue 14k. Will this help him regain his original pigmentation? I don't have a huge bio-load on the tank (1 fish), but I'm feeding the tank regularly without a skimmer so there should be plenty in the water column to supply the zoox for sugar production (is that right?). I would really appreciate any advice you can give mbbuna! Thanks for the help so far.

it sounds like your going in the right direction right now, give it some time

[kaserpick]

Thanks for the quick response; will do!

[mbbuna]

Originally posted by kaserpick
Mbbuna: I also forgot to ask, do clams change color as they age (I wouldn't expect this over only a year)? To clarify, I mean in the wild would their color normally change? Thanks again!

they may have very slight changes over time due to environmental changes but i doubt any changes in color would be noticeable to us.

you wont have a clam thats natural pigments are brown turn to blue one day. im kinda drawing a blank on how to explain what i want to say . the natural colors of a clam(protective pigments) are genetic, they cant change from say a green color to a red but the intensity of the color may intensify or dull. if you have a very brightly colored clam and reduce the intensity of the light, in time the clam will reduce its protective pigments(the bright colors) to allow more light to reach its zoox. zoox are brown so the clam will appear darker/browner

[kaserpick]

Makes sense to me; thanks for the explanation!