Cleaner Clam Question???

[mn1467]

what do you mean by "spit"

 

[bergamer]

if you try it, you will know what I mean
all of a sudden the water will be nice and clean in your cup, then the next second you will see a squirt and the water will be nasty
then it is alright to put in your tank
as i said b4, my friend has had the same clams he bought at teh supermarket for years
mine have been in my tank for months
just eating away at nitrates- and if I recall the rule of thumb is 1 clam for every 5 gallons

 

[bergamer]

im on los angeles and fish markets are everywhere!
that is one I picked up at a local fish market
the SWF one is buried somewhere

 

[thirdchaos]

I saw this thread and went out and bought a few. They were pre-packaged and refridgerated. They sell them based on weight so i got 7 good sized clams for about $8. Only two of them spit last night so i just put them all in my tank and overnight they had all moved around the tank. Thanks for the tip!
matt

 

[francis]

:scared: Oh my gosh! i just hope the guy who sells that clam i saw last month is still there! gotta run right now! tnx for the great tip!:happyfish

 

[francis]

Originally posted by bergamer
if you try it, you will know what I mean
all of a sudden the water will be nice and clean in your cup, then the next second you will see a squirt and the water will be nasty
then it is alright to put in your tank
as i said b4, my friend has had the same clams he bought at teh supermarket for years
mine have been in my tank for months
just eating away at nitrates- and if I recall the rule of thumb is 1 clam for every 5 gallons
So, i have to put a water in a cup & put all the clams. What kind of water should i use?:joy:

 

[francis]

What will happen if clams are too many in a tank?

 

[jacknjill]

this is very interesting. in the cup, do you put them in freshwater or saltwater?

 

[bergamer]

i take a cup of tank water
and I just bought another 10 only 2 spit
and offcourse if they moved in your tank they are alive!!
but I always just make sure they spit- makes me feel better
and if you put too many, the good result is that you will have no nitrates, the bad result is that the little clams will starve to death- bc they eat nitrates-
I do not know if they eat plankton- I cant imagine that they don't
but from what I understand the rule is each cleaner clam for every 5 gallons of water in the tank

 

[kimkissyfish]

OK, OK
So, now that mine are MIA... will they move all around OR bury themselves and stay put?? Oh an dhow deep do they go? I took an object and pushed it into the sand to see if I could find them. I just cant. =( It is really aggrivating me..
Thanks, Kim

 

[sammiefish]

i am wondering what you mean by "they eat nitrates"...
do they metabolize nitrate or "eat" detritus that accumulates that will cause the formation of nitrate?
Also, any thoughts on using cleaner clams in a plenum DSB reef tank?

 

[bergamer]

the clams will just bury themselves and you wont see them again, which is good bc they are not that pretty. all you will see are are what appears to be 2 small shells sticking out oof the sand. But these small looking shells are actually intake and expulsion
"i am wondering what you mean by "they eat nitrates"...
do they metabolize nitrate or "eat" detritus that accumulates that will cause the formation of nitrate?"
- I am actually not sure, but it is my understanding that they actually metabilize nitrates, as they are filter feeders.

 

[francis]

Now, that's an information!!!:cheer:

 

[iamcrazy]

does anyone know the name in food terms?? ...i just bought some little necks and i dont really wanan drop a potentially delicious dinner in my tank

 

[mn1467]

Just to let everybody know I went out and bought some little necks last night they all spit and now are in my tank two of them already buried themselves in the sand bed really cool

 

[kdfrosty]

Almost everyone here is from a location on a coast somewhere. What about a landlocked guy like myself? If I go to the butcher at my local grocery, and buy clams that are on ice, they might spit?!

 

[sammiefish]

so... what the heck do these things do... did someone say after they are buried in the sand they stick up a siphon and an outlet and just filter the water? Can you see the siphon..?

 

[mn1467]

Yes the two that buried themselves are sticking out a siphon out of the sand really cool looking I will try and post a pic tonight. And the clams that I bought were on ICE.

 

[ninjamini]

What about when these things meet there death? Is anyone concirned that they will just rot lost in the sand and cause a big amonium spike?

 

[schadiest1]

these clams will siphon water all day and when they spit, they are getting rid of waste. when they siphon the water, they collect nitrates and use them for food. if you are even in doubt that your clam is alive, just pick it up and lightly try to pry it open, if it is locked shut, still alive and good to go! if they bury themselves in the sand, it's only because they want to, it's really cool how they do it too. Thanks for the tip on the supermarket clams.... i hope swf.com doesn't get too mad!