Smaller Clam wanted - Page 2

theres money to be made in clam farming?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jstdv8 

theres money to be made in clam farming?

Oh yes, if you can be successful in it. It takes about 3-4 years before one is at a size that anyone wants to purchase them at (3" or more) so it is a long process, but home raised clams can easily bring along a price tag of $50+ for a 3" clam, depending on color. I raised a lot of maximas (only blue ones) under PC lighting, so I was getting almost $100 for a 3" clam each time. The initial cost can be overwhelming, since you need 8" or larger specimens for the best results. There are very few people that raise clams, so if you are one, you can basically charge whatever you want. People, surprisingly, will pay more for a home raised clam/fish over a cheaper store clam/fish.

so do they actually mate? Or you just buy them small and sell them large?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jstdv8 

so do they actually mate? Or you just buy them small and sell them large?

I have successfully had them mate

That's awesome! I wanna try now, what's the hard part?

http://www.ctsa.org/upload/publication/CTSA_143631672855187292852.pdf

http://www.liquid-medium.com/

Those go into a little more detail and is cumbersome to read unless you really want to do this and then I recommend reading everything you can get your hands on, so I'll "dumb it down" lol.

Some of the big things that make it difficult are when initial fertilization. If a clam is stressed, it will release sperm, this can trigger all other clams to release their gametes falsely. This can quickly destroy water quality and be a disaster. It doesn't take much to stress a clam either. I had one for awhile that would release every other day, I had to get rid of it. It's easy to get a clam to release sperm, getting them to release eggs can be an issue, luckily I had mature clams that had been successfully bred by someone else before me, and I paid dearly for them. The next issue is that they don't lay eggs. The sperm and eggs must meet in the open water, so this creates a much trickier fertilization process than say clownfish that lay eggs and then fertilize them.  Then you need to get them, that's always fun. They will not attach to anything for 7-10 days and they are TINY so this is probably one of the hardest parts, keeping water flow, but not enough to loose the babies. Then comes the issue of feeding them zoozanthellae, trying to find good strains can be a nightmare depending on where you live.

Hope that helps a little. That's just the starting point.

If I ever do get back into it, I'll start again with Maxima clams, they're the only ones I've ever bred successfully and then I'm going to try hybrids (Maximas crossed with Crocea) as you can get some really crazy colors that way. There is a man in my reef club that just started crossing and I am really watching closely to see where things go.

so how do they do it in the ocean with all the current and everything?

Seems like an egg and a sperm would never hook up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jstdv8 

so how do they do it in the ocean with all the current and everything?

Seems like an egg and a sperm would never hook up.

That's why they form clam gardens. Also, they release a lot. It's the same way  tangs spawn, etc.

so when you8 do it you have several clams in there to make a garden too?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jstdv8 

so when you8 do it you have several clams in there to make a garden too?

I had 5-8 at any given time that were at least 6" a piece. I wish I hadn't sold them all off.

That's awesome. I have a sudden urge to make a clam farm in my fish room. Sounds like it might be a pain though and I'm sure you need really good light

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jstdv8 

That's awesome. I have a sudden urge to make a clam farm in my fish room. Sounds like it might be a pain though and I'm sure you need really good light

It's expensive to start out.

I actually raised my babies under PC's, still not really sure how I accomplished that, but it worked and brought a bigger price tag with it when I sold them. The adults were all under halides and T5's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BTLDreef 

I'll make an attempt to get it back on track, LOL.

 

 

Clams only grow 1" per year under perfect conditions, so if you were to buy a 3" clam, you'd be fine for quite some time. Yes, clams can grow under T5's, even PC's if it's done correctly, but the general rule is high lighting (metal halides) for best results. A lot depends on what type of clam you want. Derasa's require slightly less lighting than a Maxima will. Derasa's also like the sand, while maxima's prefer rockwork (although they can go in the sand if they're attached to rock).

Good info BTLD I may save this somewere on my computer for future use!
 

This clam farming is also pretty interesting!

Did you ever raise a clam form egg to the pint you can sell it?

Yes, that's what I used to do.