Tridacna clams

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TigerBarbs

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Jul 21, 2011
Messages
1,212
Location
Florida
I really want one!! How hardy/hard to keep are they? What's the easiest species. Maxima is what I want because of the blue coloration. How big do they get? Is there a certain tank size they need? Are they completely photosynthetic?
 
The more brightly colored the clam, the more light it will need. A darker (gold color mantles etc) don't require as much light...but still need a good amount.
 
Depends on the depth of ur tank. Most sites recomemd mh lighing. If ur have a small tank then it should be good. They are big enoufjt that the navy used to call them man eaters and even developed a training exercise on how to cut its mantle to release ur self. I read that ok Wikipedia
 
I had a gold maxima in a 4 bulb that did ok for awhile. I probably wouldn't do it again if i had the same circumstances. I'd still recommend at least a 6+ bulb fixture for clams. A Maxima will get way too big for a 29g tank. You might want to try a crocea clam; a smaller cousin of the maxima if you end up upgrading/getting more lights.
 
A friend of mine has a maxima that is 25 years old is almost 20" across. It is huge. It's in a 100 g. And takes up almost half the tank. They get really big! It's under 4 t5s.
 
Make sure we are talking about same clams here. Maxima gets to be 8 inches or so max. T.gigas is the giant clam. Maxima are fairly hardy after about 2"inches and only require high light intensities. Good water quality is a must for them. They will still filter feed but it's not dependent on it. Metal halides, I feel, are a must have for success.
 
Bige said:
A friend of mine has a maxima that is 25 years old is almost 20" across. It is huge. It's in a 100 g. And takes up almost half the tank. They get really big! It's under 4 t5s.

Wow 25 years!!!!
 
They get huge in the ocean. But not as big un captivity. 20" is big and is love to see that. I read when they are under two inches u need to feed them a lot ohyto and such. After that light takes over. I usually always buy the smallest of whatever I'm getting cuz I love to watch it grow I would be proud of a 25 year old clam. That's cool
 
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