baby tridicna clam
 

hey,
i found some little ones at a LFS they were maybe 2-3 inches. Do they require special care due to the size?

thanks!

yes......small clams are extremely light dependent....place them on a small flat or cup shaped rock and place high in the tank(getting them to attach to a small rock will allow you to move then without cutting the "foot")

Hmmmmmmmmmm thanks Doug I didn't know that , probably why my little ones never made it .

I've read lots of articles where people initially keep these little ones in a container on the sand bed so that they can remove them for spot feeding with various suspensions.
I've never done this personally and most of my small ones have grown, but it may depend on nutrient levels in the tank. I've always run 400w mh, so lighting has never been an issue.

I have 2 maximas that are about 3" now and when I bought them they were just the size of a loonie. I had them sitting at the the bottom of my 24" deep tank on the sand bed and never spot fed or anything. I did put oyster eggs in the tank about once a week though. I'm surprised how big they are now. They never did receive that much light and they are in fact shaded by corals now and still seem to be growing very well.

You know, Dez, I think everything that you put into that tank will do well.
For the rest of us, not too much.

:lol:

small clams are extremely PHYTOPLANKTON dependant since their mantle is not yet large enough to provide all their food. So they need light and FOOD, and that food must be live phytoplankton.

DT live phyto is best but it is hard to keep very small clam alive. Their surviving rate is low.

how much did it take you to grow them to 3" size??

thanks