Clam ?

[stuccodude]

how often and how much do you feed your clam. mine is the size of a softball. thanks

[2crazyreefers]

I never directly feed my clams. Just good light and calcium.

[Roy G. Biv]

Mine pulls back if I try to feed it. I guess it just eats whatever it can get passing by.

[stuccodude]

mine pulled back too, i see this in normal, thanks

[ReefTECK]

With my clam I have made a feeding chamber out of a two liter coke bottle head. It has weights on the bottom of the chamber to make it land right side up over the clams body.

Attached to the bottle cap is a tube that attaches to a syringe full of phyto, or cyclopeeze dissolved in salt water. This way you can feed the clam without shooting it into his inhalent siphon and scaring him, forcing him to close and shoot water out of his exhalent siphon.

Many people do not believe that feeding clams is important or even nesseary, and I will be the first to admit, it's probably not for growth, and general health. But a clam can still grow and survive without developing mature sexual organs, and thus it is never suitable for breeding. Even if breeding is not your aim, surely the entire focus of our efforts is to aid our animals in completing their normal life cycles in our captive environments.

Of course sexually mature clams can make a hell of a mess out of a captive aquarium system. Although, I would consider it a fascinating and enriching event.

[mbbuna]

cyclops ezz is too big for clams to filter but besides that clams dont eat in one big meal. they slowly filter all day long so most of the food you target feeding to the clam is being rejected anyway.

clams can definitely reach full sexual maturity with out being target feed. growth rate and the development of sexual organ are two different thing and take place at two different times in the clams life. when clams start to develop eggs(female) there growth rate will slow and they use the energy once used for growth for reproduction.

[ReefTECK]

James Fatherree notes that in his research he has found documented cases of relatively small clams eating particles up to 240 micrometers. It is worth contesting that clams could possibly feed upon cyclopeeze which are about 600-800 micrometers, it certainly doesn't hurt to try with a big clam.

Furthermore, when noting the sexual development of gonads a lot more than can be summed up here is available to take into acount. You should do some reading if you want to get a comprehensive idea of what really goes into it.

Although it is worth noting that James Fatherree does note in his book "Giant Clams in the Sea and the Aquarium," (one of the most comprehensive guides to Tridacnids to date); "To sum this up, the data from these papers clearly show that clams of any size more than a couple of millimeters do not need and additional source of carbon when living under ideal environmental conditions."

[mbbuna]

Originally posted by ReefTECK


Furthermore, when noting the sexual development of gonads a lot more than can be summed up here is available to take into acount. You should do some reading if you want to get a comprehensive idea of what really goes into it.

ive done extensive reading and research on clams. i know how they work. if you like, PM me your e-mail and ill send you over my library of research papers.

James Fatherree notes that in his research he has found documented cases of relatively small clams eating particles up to 240 micrometers. It is worth contesting that clams could possibly feed upon cyclopeeze which are about 600-800 micrometers, it certainly doesn't hurt to try with a big clam.

the size of the clam doesnt change the physical ability of the clam in regards to the size of food it can eat.

your notes of what Fatherree found are not exactly correct. he notes Young 1936, Monsour 1946a&b as finding clam eat particulates primarily 14 micron and under. Richard & Salvat 1977 found fragments of zooplankton in the feces of a maxima.they collected zooplankton(when alive 240microns) and feed to a maxima, there is no size reference to the size of the clam feed and thats the only reference to clams filtering particulate at that large size. the most efficient size range(determined by gill structure) is 2micron to 50microns. so your 600micron to 800micron cyclops is way out of the ball park.

[ReefTECK]

I was suggesting some reading for stuccodude, sorry if you took offense mbbuna. I thought it was already evident by your name that you were a Tridacnid guy, and I believe I've seen alot of pictures in your collection. Good work sir!

Fatherree writes loosely, it's easy to understand one thing from his reading when he actually is being comparative and offering points from another. Your notation on this topic is enlightening. It was not clear to me that he was talking about anything other than digested particles.

He also notes the difference in the lungs between adult clams and young ones, as well as between gigas which has a set of two gills, whereas the others do not. I deducted that this meant that particulate feeding would be variable in size in relative to the age of a clam.

Best reguards,
Andy

[mbbuna]

Andy

my apology's to you i did think you were speaking to me however i wasn't offended. i just wanted to clarify and i also have a hard time not talking about clams

sending you a PM

Chris

[ReefTECK]

So does your name actually stand for mbalavuana? as in Tridacna mbalavuana aka Tridacna tevora? "The Devil Clam"

[01saleen]

I don't target feed, Ijust feed the tank rotifers, and live plankton twice a week, and all three of my clams just filter feed, they are all happy..

[mbbuna]

Originally posted by ReefTECK
So does your name actually stand for mbalavuana? as in Tridacna mbalavuana aka Tridacna tevora? "The Devil Clam"

nope when i first signed up here i wanted mbuna but it was taken so i added another b.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...=Google+Search

[gummi]

I never feed. They feed on light and photosynthesis.

I think phytoplankton is a great idea but it's not necessary...

[gman08016]

Thanks for the info.Mine never liked spot feeding will stop and see how it does.