Tridacna clams

[sucram]

I bought a Tridacna deresa clam about two weeks ago and it seems to be doing fine. I have it resting in the sand at the bottom of the tank under 4x96 watt PC's in a 90 gallon tank. I was told that my lights should be enough, but are there any signs I should be looking for if they're not? I heard there were no real signs of them doing poorly until they die. Is this true? I add phytoplankton every other day... anything else I should be doing?
Thanks.

 

[sucram]

I add phytoplankton because they are filter feeders... right? I know they get most of their food photosynthetically, but they also filter feed. My main question should have been whether people keep these without the aid of metal halides. My clam is about 4 inches.
It seems to be turning itself towards the window of my place. This poses a few questions... is it getting enough light, or do I need more wattage. Can they orient themselves in sand as opposed to a rocky surface or is it merely setteling in the sand.
Thanks.

 

[jay1]

Tridacnid calms have a few tell tail signs of poor health: 1.) The mantle will be come more brown in color, and then white blotches may appear, and then they die! 2.) "Holes may occur in the mantle opening. 3) The mantle may not extend far from the shell.
If your clam is not brightly colored, it is likely not getting enough light! I have mine at the top of a 55 gal tank lit by #2 175 watt MH and #2 flourescent bulbs. I did have the clam on the bottom of the tank, but his color was slowly fading. He seems to love the top of the tank.

 

[bradburycf]

Your lights should be plenty. You might want to keep it towards the top of your tank instead though.

 

[treble]

There is no proven facts that support phytoplankton feeding. A couple reserchers I read about experienced no good with adding phytoplankton. They suggested possibly a slurry of scallops, shrimps, stuff like that blended in a blender. But i'm not sure if that was confirmed to help the clam or not. Good luck a Dresa should do fine under those lights and prefer the sand over rocks. Look out for little snails on the side of the clam shell.

 

[ed r]

I feel that feeding phytoplankton is critical for small clams less than 3" in size. They do not get enough nourishment from the intense light alone. As they get larger, the photosynthetic algae in their mantel increases and is able to provide better for them. Occasional phytoplankton is still probably welcomed by the clams.
I would be interested in reading scientific data from those "researchers" who claim that phytoplankton is not a food source for Tridacna clams. Certainly some of the respected online vendors that raise and sell clams for a living would be very interested in learning that. I could maybe pass it along to them?

 

[fishymissy]

I did alot of research before I bought my clam and read the advice of people who import and even raise these clams. All of them advise feeding small clams, and as Ed has said, large ones are "thought" to be able to survive on their zoollanthe alone, although I have read conflicting reports on that. As Dr. Shimek has said, these animals do not lose their gut as they grow which suggests they still need to feed. A "slurry" of squid, and/or fish would be a very inappropriate food for these animals which do require their food to be of a certain size.
DT's is an excellent food source for all filter feeders and since it is a live food, it will not foul your water.
Because a 90g is a deep tank, I would be concerned that not enough light is reaching the clam. Putting it on the rockwork is an excellent idea. And yes, they can orientate themselves quite well.
Most people will recommend MH for long term survival. I have heard of someone keeping clams for years under VHO but I have no idea if it's true or not.
Right now I have a small 2 1/2" maxima in my 20g under PC's and NO's. I already have a MH fixture but I am going to wait and change over my 90g to put the clam in. Another project!
HTH

 

[treble]

Well I guess I was wronge..... <a href="http://www.dtplankton.com/new_page_1.htm" target="_blank">http://www.dtplankton.com/new_page_1.htm</a>
It is benifical for the larval stage of clams. Sorry I was mistaken...I did read though that it didn't help but I guess the person was wronge, sorry.