new squamosa otw, care?

Ordered a ORA gold squamosa clam from saltwaterfish.com for $40. Should be here thursday.

I already have an 8" derasa clam that is doing great! And has tons of new shell growth on the sand bed in my tank.

So i am wondering where should i position this squamosa? The site says it should be around 1.5". So this thing will be tiny compaired to my monster derasa.

Also should i brush it? like with a tooth brush or something? whats this all about?

I know to check for piramid snails. Anything else i should look for? No QT, and would hate to miss something and have it get to my other clam.

THanks for info guys!

 

The only thing I can think of is checking the shell and base of clam for pyramid snails, which you already know.

 

That's what the brushing is for...to remove any unseen egg masses.

T. squamosa is a substrate dweller, so that's the best place for it, IMHO, IME. They don't really secrete byssal threads like T. crocea and T. maxima, but rather rely on their weight to hold them down.

I recommend feeding the tank a quality live phyto product such as Phyto 2 about 2-3 times a week if you're not doing so. Don't use Nannochloropsis, as it's not very digestable due to its thick cell wall (Tetraselmis or Isocrysis is much better and have better nutritional profiles).

 

I read an article in i believe it was Coral magazine, it said basically that everyone is wrong about clams under 2" needing to be fed. It said that the light is all they need. Why is it so widely thought that they should be fed?

 

I've always fed my clams...they have fully-developed GI tracts, and IME, they seem to do better with feedings. I could ask why peeps feed photosynthetic corals, which DON'T have the same type of GI tract (not trying to be snotty, just making a point...honest!).

The old "reason" for feeding baby clams was it was theorized that they don't have the mantle mass to support them via photosynthesis alone, which has since been debunked.

Not that I'm an expert, but I was a moderator on Barry Neigut's clam forum for a few years, however back then, bowl feeding baby clams was indeed recommended. My recommendation on feeding is from personal experience, and it's cool to see the clams feeding.

 

I've never understood actually feeding corals either, nor do I understand feeding clams. If they catch a nugget or two of food in the passing that's great but it's not necessary. I know ORA doesn't recommend feeding their clams at all and that is straight from the breeder's mouth. This quote can be found directly on ORA's site "Some aquarists supplement feed with commercial phytoplankton cultures. Tridacna clams do filter feed on this type of plankton, but do not depend on it." Here is where this quote can be found: Aquacultured Tridacna Clams | ORA | Oceans, Reefs & Aquariums

 

I love ORA clams. They just seem to be more hardy than the rest of them. Anything aquacultured makes me smile. There is a guy on this site who's name is "stylaster". He is working on breeding clams. Maybe you could talk to him about the care for them.

 

ORA maricultures clams and then ships the small ones from various small island farms to their facility here for sorting and distribution. I know this after being in contact with a few people their about Tridacna Gigas.

Anyway, I would make a pop bottle feeder and hit them up a few times. Most importantly though, give it a secure location. Those little clams get stressed and die from falling over and stuff.