Keeping Clams

[Rob]

the other thing to remember is that in a tank liek yours you haev so much current, that thy "target feeding or cloud" will get dispursed VERY quickly, so you would have to tun off all your pumps for this to be anywhere near affective.

besides, just adding it to the tank will allow everythign to benifit from it...
just my 2 cents..

[gwen_o_lyn]

I am feeding phyto DTs

I will need to turn off the pumps when I target feed I guess... mine is under 4" so everyone is saying to target feed it for awhile. I can't take the clam out- the rock is all attached in one piece.

Thanks

[8251Reefer]

After really feeding my tank phyto my Gigas grew 1/8 in a week. I also added a phoban reactor at the same time running Rowaphos . IMO only small clams (under 3") need to be target fed. For mine I just put the Phyto directly in the water column and he seems to be happy and growing, Just remember to turn your skimmers and pumps off or you are wasting your time and money.

[8251Reefer]

You don't need to target feed Gwen just dose your tank with phyto a little more often. He will be fine at 4"...Give him some time to get situated, acclimated and unstessed out and he/she/it will be just fine...

[JustDavidP]

Inhalant Siphon is the larger, vertical opening nearest the bottom of the clam.

The exhalant siphon, is the protruding 'tube' closest to the top of the clam's mantle.



In a clam that is LESS THAN 3", I would feed DT's and do so by building a "diving bell" type feeder. Use a 2 liter bottle and cut the bottom off. Drill a hole in the cap, large enough to put flexible tubing in. Simply place the bottle on the clam like a "hut" and pump phyto with a bulb syringe or something, into the tube. The water will stain green. Leave the bottle in place, over the clam for a period of time until the water begins, or does, in fact clear up. Then simply remove the bottle. This way, you don't have to worry about turning off pumps and/or skimmers.

If you don't use this method, and instead "feed the whole tank", that is fine too. The only problem I see there is if you don't have any other filter feeders who will handle the 'uptake' of this phtyo and it could cause loss of water quality. ESPECIALLY if you are not feeding a live phyto product.

Also, if you are "feeding the tank", do NOT target feed your clams by pushing phyto toward their inhalant siphon. It's a waste of time. Clams are built to process foods AT THEIR OWN leisure. Just watch, if you push phyto towards the inhalant siphon you will actually see the clam "cough". They need to be able to parse out the particulate matter size. By PUSHING them to eat, it's akin to stuffing a whole hot dog in your kids mouth. They will reject it. Let them take the phyto in their own time, and they will get the most out of it. This is why I, personally, like putting them in a greenwater soup and let them slowly filter the water.

I do NOT like moving clams. So, for me, putting them in a bowl is NOT an option. They most certainly DO stress from being moved around. When a clam is in place in your system, leave it be!

If a clam is over 3 1/2 inches or so, there really is no need to feed it. They will get enough free floating foods in the water to augment the photosynthetic feeding provided by the symbiotic relationship with the zooxanthellae they host within the channels of their fleshy mantles. Also, simply cleaning film algae off of your glass will put enough into the water column. When I cleaned my tanks, my clams would perk right up and start to pump water vigorously!

Dave

[gwen_o_lyn]

Thank-you so much David- great information.
I was indeed watching my clam cough the food up! Poor thing. I think my clam is big enough to fend on its own, however, I am curious how you are measuring the clam. So your clam is a staight line drawn with a horseshoe on top- do I measure the mantle from end to end around the horseshoe, or straight across from tip to tip in a straight line? I'm not gonna physically measure the clam per say, but I just wanna know what part of the clam you are using to eye the measurement.

I am having a nutrient export issue and when I feed the clam, the HA is fueled and GROWS!! ahhh. So if I don't have to feed the tank/clam, then that will help me get an edge on that. Maybe once a month throw some food in there?

Also unfortunately the rock I bought for the nano came with bubble algae- I would like to get an emerald crab to eliminate that problem. Someone told me the emerald will eat the clam, is that true? The emerald would only be temp until the problem is corrected, and then go into the 72g.

Critters in the 12g
crocea clam
2 astreas
25 hermits for the HA
11 sps frags
5 softie frags
1 lps frag

[JustDavidP]

I measure clams in a straight line, from one (furthest point) side of the shell, straight through to the other side. So, basically, it's like putting atop a ruler and looking at the measurement of its longest parts. I don't measure in a curve, or, include that horseshoe straight lines....

Honestly, I'd try using the bottle method for feeding and do it ONLY if you really have to. Your clam is probably quite capable of feeding itself both on waterborne foods and by using the lighting. It IS a nano, with good lighting, that should be sufficient. But if you want to or have to feed, and pollution is a problem, use the bottle method and use the phyto sparingly. Honestly, a good, live phyto product should cause little or no problems in your system. As a matter of fact, live phyto can help absorb amonia and therefore can help detoxify the water. Steven Pro and I were just discussing this same topic this week. He too feels that live phyto can be and often is "part" of our biological filtration.

Emerald crabs eating clams?? Never experienced it or heard of it myself, but that doen't mean that a rogue mythrax crab HASN'T eaten or pestered a clam. I had over 6 emeralds in my 75G reef with 6 clams. Never once did they cause a problem. Emerald crabs WILL pick algae from the scutes of the clam and may bother them in that manner, but again, I brushed my clams shells and kept them free of algae and sponge growth. This keeps tangs, blennys and other "grazing" fish and such from being enticed towards the clams. Sure, accidents happen. If your clam is covered in algae and a crab is pruning it, it may nip its mantle by accident.

Dave

[gwen_o_lyn]

What do you use to brush the sides of the clam with? That's a good idea.

And from your experience, it seems that an emerald would be ok especially if it's only short term. I know those suckers can be mean and would only buy one for this reason.

Are phyto DTs live phyto?

[JustDavidP]

I used a medium bristle, child's toothbrush. It works great and has a smallish head so you can get into the nooks and crannies.

There are many reasons for doing this. One of which is algae growth. In some cases, you could get a 'boring sponge' that may look innocuous, but is actively digging a hole (not really digging, but eroding) through the clam's shell. If YOU want to figure out which sponge on the clam is good and which is bad, more power to you. I opted to keep all sponge and algae growth off of my clams. Just be careful not to brush the "fleshy" parts of the clam. You could cut it and open it to infection or predation.

If I had valonia in my tank, even if it were FULL of nothing but clams, I'd put in some emerald mythrax crabs. I am NOT a fan of the bigger, red, or brown varieties, but I have NEVER had a problem with an emerald crab. Honestly, if you did have problems, you'd see it, and in a nano, you could fish him out quite easily if need be. Otherwise, I'd not even look at it as a temporary fix, emeralds have ALWAYS been part of my systems and have been great citizens and a powerful part of the clean up crew. The ONLY tank I didn't put them in was my seahorse tank. Only because the ponies sometimes grow algae on their back and tails, and it is just an open invitation for an accident.

Yes, DT's are packaged live. BUT...don't always arrive at the consumer "live". If your bottle smells sweet, and salty, like fresh seaweed or like a clean ocean, it is live. IF it smells very sulphur like, or like rotten eggs, or just plain otherwise "nasty", it could have "passed its prime". Also, remember to shake your bottles up from time to time whether or not you use it. Keeping the cells suspended is better for their shelf life. Once they settle into a thick muck, they begin to die.

Dave


Dave

[Rob]

i have kept emeralds also, and never had any issues with them, but have never kept them with clams.

the DTs as Dave stated is live.. but he brings up a good point... when you are in the store getting it, open it and smell it.. at $15 a bottle, you need to make sure you are getting what you are paying for. if you plan on adding it to your larger tank, then home culture might a good option to look at (will be doing a show on this very soon). and since its essential free after startup costs, you can grow as much or as little as you need.

[gwen_o_lyn]

Well I guess the DTs I just bought are dead- the bottle mentions that they will smell bad and they do. The expiration date is sometime in June.

As far as the emerald- I don't care for them. The one I had was always messing with my feather duster and then it died a little later- I do blame the emerald.

I have seen my hermits crawling on the side of the clam pickin algae. I'll try and take care of that.

Thanks for all your help!!

[JustDavidP]

Gwen...have someone else smell the DT's too. It will have some smell to it that SOME find offensive (I'm one of those weirdos who likes low tide ) but evenif offensive to you, may not mean it's dead. It's really hard to explain, but it should have a crisp, biting, yet sweet smell to it. If it smells like rotten eggs, or worse, you may be right.

Dave

[gwen_o_lyn]

yeah it smells like rotten eggs- really really bad. It's prolly dead.

[Rob]

yes, its likely dead.. i would replace it...
and again.. and important thing to keeping phyto (both purchased and self cultured) is you have to shake the bottle up every day to two.. letting it sit stagnant will cause you issues with it staying fresh.