Got a clam question? We've got you covered right here.

[minus9]

Can I host a gigas clam in my 120 high? If so how long, and the tank dimensions are as follows 48 inch by 24 inch by 24 inch.

In nature they growth 3”-4” a year, so I would expect the the lower end of that in our tanks.

 

[minus9]

I've Been jumping around this thread. Can anyone weigh in on nitrates? My nitrates sit around 9 ppm, phos ≤ .1 Seems the nitrate/phos situation is the only thing on the list that jumps out to me. Would this be of concern when choosing a clam?

A measure of both at minimum works and more isn’t an issue at all. I personally like PO4 around 0.1 and at least 1ppm of nitrate. Clams will never suffer because of nutrient levels being high (within reason) but will most likely suffer from zero or near zero. Remember, clams are not corals, but complex animals with a stomach, heart, gills, etc. They can utilize nutrients differently compared to corals.

 

[EgotisticObeseChihuahua]

In nature they growth 3”-4” a year, so I would expect the the lower end of that in our tanks.

Ok thanks!

 

[OrionN]

I've Been jumping around this thread. Can anyone weigh in on nitrates? My nitrates sit around 9 ppm, phos ≤ .1 Seems the nitrate/phos situation is the only thing on the list that jumps out to me. Would this be of concern when choosing a clam?

I never test for nitrates in my tank so sorry I don’t know.
normally if you have a deep sand bed that is in reasonable good shape nitrates should be near 0 all the time. My clams are doing great.

 

[nothing_fancy]

A measure of both at minimum works and more isn’t an issue at all. I personally like PO4 around 0.1 and at least 1ppm of nitrate. Clams will never suffer because of nutrient levels being high (within reason) but will most likely suffer from zero or near zero. Remember, clams are not corals, but complex animals with a stomach, heart, gills, etc. They can utilize nutrients differently compared to corals.

Thanks, yes I saw at the top of the thread that 0 nitrates was recommended, easy for me to get to 0 nitrates if I wanted to but over the years my corals appear to do better in higher nitrates which seems to be the trend for most people

 

[minus9]

Thanks, yes I saw at the top of the thread that 0 nitrates was recommended, easy for me to get to 0 nitrates if I wanted to but over the years my corals appear to do better in higher nitrates which seems to be the trend for most people

I’m not sure who recommended zero nitrate, but I couldn’t disagree more. Clams need nitrogen, so whether that comes from the surrounding water, particulates, fish poo, etc, there needs to be a source of nitrogen. I simply feed my fish multiple times a day and move on. Whether it’s 1ppm or 10ppm, it doesn’t matter, but I see where people can confuse nitrate and nitrogen, and think they have zero.

 

[OrionN]

In the wild, the nitrate level is near 0, at least not really detectable with our test kits, and the clams do very well in the wild. Because of this reason, I don't think that our clams have to have Nitrates at. I know that in the past, whenever I test, my tank water read at or near 0 on nitrates. I don't expect any different if I go buy a Nitrates test kit and test it. My clams are doing very well and growing fast. I am sorry but since I don't test for nitrates, I can't say for certain that my nitrates is at or near 0 at this time.

 

[minus9]

In the wild, the nitrate level is near 0, at least not really detectable with our test kits, and the clams do very well in the wild. Because of this reason, I don't think that our clams have to have Nitrates at. I know that in the past, whenever I test, my tank water read at or near 0 on nitrates. I don't expect any different if I go buy a Nitrates test kit and test it. My clams are doing very well and growing fast. I am sorry but since I don't test for nitrates, I can't say for certain that my nitrates is at or near 0 at this time.

I agree, it's ammonium from fish and particulates from others that the clams feed on. And on a reef, nutrients/food gets utilized very quickly, so there is no real residual nitrate to be found. But I totally agree with you. This is for others who don't understand where (nitrate/nitrogen) comes from on the reef. As long as our tanks have input of nitrogen, we're good. I think people get confused about import/export of food and residual nutrients. Nitrate and phosphate only tell a part of the story and their numbers are somewhat misleading in regards to coral/animal/system health.
For others playing along, just feed your fish and give you clams plenty of quality light.

 

[PicosNanosNUp]

Has anybody ever seen or heard of keeping clams and sea horses together? I’ve looked around and haven’t seen anything saying they are/aren’t compatible.

 

[OrionN]

Seahorse requires low flow, low energy tank. I am not sure how they do with the high light required reef. Usually high light come with high current which I think Seahorse cannot tank.
if you have high light and low current I think I they do well together.

 

[PicosNanosNUp]

Seahorse requires low flow, low energy tank. I am not sure how they do with the high light required reef. Usually high light come with high current which I think Seahorse cannot tank.
if you have high light and low current I think I they do well together.

Yeah I don’t have anything set up yet. Was just a crazy thought that popped in my head and been trying to see if it was possible. Saw an article that said it’s not so much flow that sea horses can’t take but turbulence in flow. So got me to thinking clams, sea horses and possibly gorgonias to finish it off.

 

[reefkeep]

Just read through 25 pages, I’m still struggling to figure out what’s going on with my clam. The clam below is 3 months old, out of the box she was retracted on one side but accouple of weeks ago appears healed. Then last week she started to decline, I’ve inspected many times, I did find 2 snails on her, scrubbed with a tooth brush, inspected again this morning and nothing new. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I’ve not seen anyone picking on the clam but the snails do often drive over it.

160 Gallon, 3 ecoTech Radions G6s, skimmer running 12 hours a day, Matt 1200, UV light


Alk 8.5
Calc 452
sal 1025
mag 1340
nitrate 2.5 (trying to increase but it’s slow going)
phospates 0.01

Feeding 2 cubes a day, sheet of nori and drive by pellets.

 

[minus9]

Just read through 25 pages, I’m still struggling to figure out what’s going on with my clam. The clam below is 3 months old, out of the box she was retracted on one side but accouple of weeks ago appears healed. Then last week she started to decline, I’ve inspected many times, I did find 2 snails on her, scrubbed with a tooth brush, inspected again this morning and nothing new. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I’ve not seen anyone picking on the clam but the snails do often drive over it.

160 Gallon, 3 ecoTech Radions G6s, skimmer running 12 hours a day, Matt 1200, UV light


Alk 8.5
Calc 452
sal 1025
mag 1340
nitrate 2.5 (trying to increase but it’s slow going)
phospates 0.01

Feeding 2 cubes a day, sheet of nori and drive by pellets.

What snails did you find? Pyramids? It looks like it’s been growing at a steady pace. If it were pyramids, you wood most likely see growth slow down or stop altogether. Any new additions to the tank recently?

 

[OrionN]

It looks like one of the fish is pecking at it, a lot. If you don't correct the problem quickly, this clam will not survive.

 

[MrGisonni]

i have a current usa marine orbit 48" led lighting on a 72 gallon bow front reef...is that light strong enough for a clam??

Maybe maybe a derasa up high under the lights. The problem is that they like on the sand.

 

[MrGisonni]

I hear that clams help take ammonia and nitrites out of the reef aquarium. If this is true, can you help with an idea of how much they take out?

There are scientific articles discussing clams removing organic nutrients from their surroundings. I think there are some breeders that actually dose organics to promote growth.

 

[MrGisonni]

My maxima has been thriving in about 200 par and nitrates over 20ppm for 2 years now. So there's that. FWIW

 

[MrGisonni]

Giant Clams for Beginners: Beautiful, Hardy & Beneficial

Cultured giant clams are a great choice not only for the beginner reef aquarist, but even for the most advanced reef aquarists, offering beauty, biological benefits as well as biological diversity, if provided the proper conditions.

www.liveaquaria.com

 

[Matt Bravo]

I really want to get a clam but I’m not sure which is tolerant. (Im running mainly LPS in my tank but I have a Monti that just started to encrust.) what clam would you guys think is both cheap and the easiest to care for?

 

[MrGisonni]

Post in thread 'Tridacna clams and nitrates' https://reefs.com/forum/general-discussion/239294-tridacna-clams-nitrates.htmlpost-1961096