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Tridacna Clam Care Squamosa or Maxima

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Tridacna Squamosa or Maxima Clams!

Would love to add one to my nano tank but I wanted to hear some stories from other reefers in their experience. Are they able to tolerate slightly shifts in ph or nitrate? Has anyone ever purchased from clam mania? Really was tempted to purchase some at the show but its better to know what I'm getting into first and see if my tank is suitable.
 
Reef beef said it best

Clams suck at life

Big tanks, or lots of food, and they still might die. The ones in nature that live the longest are wedged in a rock that prevents them from moving
 
H2OPlayar said:
Reef beef said it best

Clams suck at life

Big tanks, or lots of food, and they still might die. The ones in nature that live the longest are wedged in a rock that prevents them from moving
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I always want the livestock that are difficult to keep smh.. Ideally would love to borrow the par meter to check where I am at :)
 
I tried my luck with a small maxima a month ago. Doing good so far. Grown quite a bit in a month. I didn’t pay any special attention to it. No feeding .

Par is around 250’ish I think. Haven’t measure in a while
 
I love clams, but they can be frustrating. I’ve had them a few times over the years and for extended periods, but none currently.

They can use tremendous amounts of Alk/Ca and not necessarily at a continuous rate, so you really have to stay on top of testing and dosing. Mostly for this reason they are not recommended for nano tanks. In larger tanks it smooths it out more instead of having spikes and drops. Me personally, no way I would put one in a 14g tank.

Their care requirements regarding Alk/Ca/Mg/trace, pH, PAR, are similar to high-end SPS. But it’s like adding a full colony of SPS, not a frag, consumption-wise.

They can be doing great with good growth for a couple months, a year, a couple years, and then just die one day for no obvious reason. That’s the frustrating part.

Depending on species, some really seem to prefer being wedged deep in rock crevices as Michael mentioned, which is harder to do in a reef tank.

Also remember their mantle colors are directional. Stunning from above- like how they are displayed in frag tanks and how tall people like me look down in their tank :) - but more drab from the side where most people look.

There was a period of time for a few years recently where clams from one or more major wholesalers would usually die within a month or so of getting in your tank no matter what you did. There was a lot of speculation about that but I’m not aware of what came of that.
 
Here’s mine from biota.
 

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JVU said:
I love clams, but they can be frustrating. I’ve had them a few times over the years and for extended periods, but none currently.

They can use tremendous amounts of Alk/Ca and not necessarily at a continuous rate, so you really have to stay on top of testing and dosing. Mostly for this reason they are not recommended for nano tanks. In larger tanks it smooths it out more instead of having spikes and drops. Me personally, no way I would put one in a 14g tank.

Their care requirements regarding Alk/Ca/Mg/trace, pH, PAR, are similar to high-end SPS. But it’s like adding a full colony of SPS, not a frag, consumption-wise.

They can be doing great with good growth for a couple months, a year, a couple years, and then just die one day for no obvious reason. That’s the frustrating part.

Depending on species, some really seem to prefer being wedged deep in rock crevices as Michael mentioned, which is harder to do in a reef tank.

Also remember their mantle colors are directional. Stunning from above- like how they are displayed in frag tanks and how tall people like me look down in their tank :) - but more drab from the side where most people look.

There was a period of time for a few years recently where clams from one or more major wholesalers would usually die within a month or so of getting in your tank no matter what you did. There was a lot of speculation about that but I’m not aware of what came of that.
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Realistically, probably best for the specimen not to be placed in a small tank long term.. and less headache for me to stay away haha. Thank you for sharing! Learned a lot from this!
 
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JVU said:
I love clams, but they can be frustrating. I’ve had them a few times over the years and for extended periods, but none currently.

They can use tremendous amounts of Alk/Ca and not necessarily at a continuous rate, so you really have to stay on top of testing and dosing. Mostly for this reason they are not recommended for nano tanks. In larger tanks it smooths it out more instead of having spikes and drops. Me personally, no way I would put one in a 14g tank.

Their care requirements regarding Alk/Ca/Mg/trace, pH, PAR, are similar to high-end SPS. But it’s like adding a full colony of SPS, not a frag, consumption-wise.

They can be doing great with good growth for a couple months, a year, a couple years, and then just die one day for no obvious reason. That’s the frustrating part.

Depending on species, some really seem to prefer being wedged deep in rock crevices as Michael mentioned, which is harder to do in a reef tank.

Also remember their mantle colors are directional. Stunning from above- like how they are displayed in frag tanks and how tall people like me look down in their tank :) - but more drab from the side where most people look.

There was a period of time for a few years recently where clams from one or more major wholesalers would usually die within a month or so of getting in your tank no matter what you did. There was a lot of speculation about that but I’m not aware of what came of that.
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I totally concur.
I was going to say the same.
 
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Klems said:
I go this one from a CFM a few years ago, about 5-6 in now. In a 50gView attachment 42381
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I just picked one up from CFM, Mine is about 3 inches. Waiting to get a clam holder in. I had it on the lower rock but it either moved or a snail/urchin knocked it over into the sand. I'm currently waiting for a clam holder to come in so i put it temporarily in the sand. Is feeding it phyto really going to be necessary? I do feed the rest of the corals reef roids once a week and I've read mixed things about whether reef roids works for clams. Some say yes, some say no. I know once they get bigger feeding isn't necessary just stable tank conditions and light.
 
joshness said:
I just picked one up from CFM, Mine is about 3 inches. Waiting to get a clam holder in. I had it on the lower rock but it either moved or a snail/urchin knocked it over into the sand. I'm currently waiting for a clam holder to come in so i put it temporarily in the sand. Is feeding it phyto really going to be necessary? I do feed the rest of the corals reef roids once a week and I've read mixed things about whether reef roids works for clams. Some say yes, some say no. I know once they get bigger feeding isn't necessary just stable tank conditions and light.
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James Fatherree is the tridacna master and says no need to feed. But maximas and croceas need rocks to attach byssal filaments for sure.
 
dochou said:
Are these clams still doing well? @Apon
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Its been about 3 years ago for that. Before covid. I sold my little ones off, when I got the big deresa clam (12 inches) back from Rolf who bought bought it from a group buy from me at 3 inches years ago. Not sure about others that bought them, but I heard some died after a year.
 
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