Clam feeding?

I have a blue maxima about 6" long and was wondering if it is beneficial to target feed it baby brine or if it even needs anything besides light

 

tridacnids don't require any spot feeding but spot feeding phyplankton will help the grow faster, be healthier and fight off problems better.

They do not eat artemia (baby brine shrimp) or anything else besides phytoplankton and bacteria.

 

Basically enough said, when they are smaller, under 3" they so much better with a supplementation of filter feeder food, but as they grow, they rely nearly entirely on light.

 

Urban legend disproved by science. They have the same amount of mantel at under 3" as they do above 3". Many clam farms don't feed anything

I work for the worlds largest producer of marine phytoplankton concentrates so it would be in my best interest to agree on this one, but I don't argue with scientist's that proved otherwise

 

are you saying clams in general or some specific species?

happen to have a link?

 

The thread is about tridacnids Not many, if any, other clams are photosynthetic.

 

I fed my maxima phyto for a while when it was under 2.5". I stopped because I blamed a cyano outbreak on the phyto. The clam has grown significantly since then on my sandbed under T5s. Maybe I just got lucky but IME the phyto isn't needed. I am feeding Rod's food and the juice gets distributed throughout the tank. Maybe it eats that.

 

As for the link you could do a google scholar search but I am afraid ATM I do not have access to my library to find the authors name of the paper. James Fatheree cites the work in hi clam book.

 

Most likely not. T. clams are very specific in what they eat.

 

+1 on no feeding. Tridacnas receive their nutrients via photosynthesis. Additional supplementation is not necessary, and they are most definitely NOT carnivorous. Clams in general do not require any type of target feeding, especially with a meaty product like artemia/brine/mysis/etc. A well established, well lit, stable environment is the best thing you can do for them.