Dr. Ron= Ron Shimek
you are pulling things from this article
DT'S PLANKTON FARM - Natural Reef Diet Oyster Eggs & Live Marine Phytoplankton
specifically from this paragraph
Natural selection acts to minimize unnecessary costs. If clams from Tridacna or Hippopus species didn’t need to feed, the feeding structures would be eliminated. There are a number of clams that live totally on the byproducts of symbiotic bacteria living on their gills. These clams are totally gutless. The fact that every Tridacna and Hippopus individual has a good and functional feeding apparatus ABSOLUTELY PROVES that they need to feed.
this is your statement
Tridacnid clams Are filter feeding animals that have a fully Functional digestive system!! So it stands to reason that they must feed on something,
this article was written FOR Dt's as a sales tool for phytoplankton and is full of crap
you are confusing the fact that they have a fully functioning digestive system with the need to filter feed. the zoox that lives in there mantle produce glucose that feed the clam. the clam still NEEDS a digestive system to process this. the clam still NEEDS a digestive system to expel waste.the clam still NEEDS this to collect new zoox. clams will also periodically eat the zoox themselves, they do this in there digestive system.
saying that clams(at any size)can fully support them selves on light isnt saying they dont need there digestive system or even that they dont filter some food from the water. as long as there is dissolved organic material(not particulate) in the water and appropriate light for the zoox to feed on (and in turn feed the clam)the clam will be fine.
ive been keeping clams for 8 years and have done extensive research on them for the last 5. you should check out this book
Liquid Medium
i dont appreciate the profanity and i think the attitude is comming from you
