Maxima Clam ????

[Fishbone13]

Anyone here have any experiance with Maxima Clams? Is there anything specific I need to do to maintain them? Are they easy to take care of ? Any special suppliments needed for the water? Lighting? You know the basic one million questions when you want to get someth'n that catches you're eye. Any info would be appreciated.

 

[Fishbone13]

Blood Red Fire Shrimp color fadeing?

posted fire shrimp question in wrong place

 

[iDream]

Saltwater Aquarium Clams for Marine Reef Aquariums: Maxima Clam, Blue - Aquacultured

IIRC Maxma's are the most light demanding clams

 

[hackteck]

Saltwater Aquarium Clams for Marine Reef Aquariums: Maxima Clam, Blue - Aquacultured

IIRC Maxma's are the most light demanding clams

they are if this is your first clam i would consider a tridacna or [SIZE=-2][/SIZE]deresa clam their much hardier and easier to care for

 

[iDream]

they are if this is your first clam i would consider a tridacna or deresa clam their much hardier and easier to care for

Tridacna are what all the clams we keep in the home aquarium are

 

[Mr. Crabs]

I have never had a Maxima, but I have had a Derasa. Very nice clam and they get BIG. I think the Maximas are the most demanding, as far as lighting and water quality.

I think you would need:

Good quality water in a well established tank (6-9 months minimum)
No pickers--they are irresistable to angels, eventually--and shrimps make me nervous
I would go with Metal Halide Lighting. I know that some will say T5 HO, PC, and Leds work fine, but I think MH works best for the Maximas

I have not had one, but I have worked with Aquaculturists who do, and these are just my opinions.

 

[Fishbone13]

Thanks guys, I have T-5 HO's so I think I'll look at the Tridacna's and see if anything pops out at me.

 

[Gregcoyote]

They are not all easy to keep. I worked with a public aquarium a bit and they had issues keeping them happy. My understanding is they can't have any predatory fish, excellent water conditions, good lighting and/or good filter feeding conditions. Anything touching their mantel will cause them to contract.

 

[hackteck]

Thanks guys, I have T-5 HO's so I think I'll look at the Tridacna's and see if anything pops out at me.

good choice ive been thinking of getting one in a couple months

 

[Redseamax]

I have one in a red sea max 130d that has t5 in it for about 2 years now. And it's doing vary well. So for people that say you cant have it with t5, it's just not true.

 

[Fishbone13]

I have one in a red sea max 130d that has t5 in it for about 2 years now. And it's doing vary well. So for people that say you cant have it with t5, it's just not true.

That sounds great. I really like how they pop out and are a great center piece for the tank. The only fish that may be a problem would be my multicolor angle but I'm not sure if it will pick at the clam or not. All the other fish are peaceful and I got a couple shrimp so this might be doable but I gotta do a little more research before I take the plunge. I want to make sure I have all the right conditions for it to thrive.

 

[ccCapt]

Thanks guys, I have T-5 HO's so I think I'll look at the Tridacna's and see if anything pops out at me.

All the "large" clams available for reef tanks are tridacna.sp, ie tridacna.maxima, tridacna.crocea, tridacna.derasa, etc.
Got Tridacna art

Here's my Maxima I've had about 6 yrs or so, It's kept under MH lighting.

 

[Gregcoyote]

That's cool, obviously you have clam happiness in your tank! What, if any special things do you do for the clam?

 

[Fishbone13]

That's awesome. But you said you have it under metal halide. I have T-5's so maybe I should wait for when I upgrade to a bigger tank to get the heavy duty equipment before I start get'n the tank critters I want. But that clam looks great. Question though. Under optimal conditions how long do they live? I know in there natural environments they can live for decades I was wonder'n how long in an aquarium set up can they live?

 

[Sarcothelia]

Maximas do best under halides but so long as you have a lot of T5s you could pull off a maxima. It'd take a lot of watts, but if it's 14k+ and 4 watts per gallon with the T5s I bet you'd be fine. Derasas are less demanding and some look equally beautiful.

 

[ccCapt]

That's cool, obviously you have clam happiness in your tank! What, if any special things do you do for the clam?

My tank is mostly SPS corals, so I need to keep up with regular water changes and make sure my calcium, alk and mag levels are optimun. I do dose on a regular basis.

That's awesome. But you said you have it under metal halide. I have T-5's so maybe I should wait for when I upgrade to a bigger tank to get the heavy duty equipment before I start get'n the tank critters I want. But that clam looks great. Question though. Under optimal conditions how long do they live? I know in there natural environments they can live for decades I was wonder'n how long in an aquarium set up can they live?

Maxima's are probably the most light demanding of the tridacna clams. There are others that will do quite well under less intense lighting. Squamosa and derasa don't need high intensity lighting. Check out the link to the Tridacna article I posted earlier.
Under the proper conditions, they should live longer then us. A local reefer friend of mine has had his Maxima around 20 yrs and it's still going strong.