placement of maxima clam

Discussion in 'ASAP' started by t4zalews, Feb 11, 2009.

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  1. t4zalews

    t4zalews Flamingo Tongue

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    I just picked up a maxima clam from liveaquaria. they keep their clams under 400W 20K halides. I have 2 150W 14K halides with 4 39W T5 actinics. It was shipped over night. I placed the clam half way up in the tank. Should I take him down to the sand in the beginning then rise him up? or should I just leave him where he is? he is fully open and responds to light. Just the colors are all dull.
     
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  3. PackLeader

    PackLeader Giant Squid

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    Maxima'a are rock-boring clams. Regardless as to where you want to move it, it needs to stay in the rock.
    I would say just leave it. They are capable of moving anyways, so if it's not happy, it will move to where it feels comfotable.
    How big is the clam?
     
  4. t4zalews

    t4zalews Flamingo Tongue

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    its 2 in., im not worried about the size, I'll start feeding it when it gets used to the tank. My concern is about the color of the little guy. He's really just like brownish colors. Shoudl be blue and purple. I'm thinking he's just stressed from shipping? hopefully, I moved him to the sand for the rest of the day, I'll put him back up if he looks better tomorrow.
     
  5. PackLeader

    PackLeader Giant Squid

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    Well, putting it in the sand definitley won't help it with stress. Like I said, they are a rock boring clam and need to be in the rocks.
    Did you actually go and pick it up or order it? It could also be that its just a dull colored maxima. I've seen some ugly ones out there. And liveaquaria is not WYSIWYG, unless you ordered it from diver's den?
     
  6. tigermike74

    tigermike74 Panda Puffer

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    400W 20000K bulb colors won't be matched by the T5 actinic lighting and the 14000K MH. Remember that what they send you is not always WYSIWYG. What they show online is usually a plain stock pic. If they had the clam under 300W 14000K MH and T5 actics, it would look the same as what you are seeing now. Another thing to consider is that maybe they sent you a golden maxima clam, which is brown in color.
     
  7. t4zalews

    t4zalews Flamingo Tongue

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    Yea I ordered it from Diver's Den. That's the only way I would buy corals/inverts/fish online is WYSIWYG. It's not on the sand, I placed him on a small flat rock that is under his foot, that was placed on the sand bed. Are you saying that giving high light would be better for it then trying to start off on the bottom. He was shipped from Wisconsin overnight, I live in Michigan. I guess that would be a normal time period. But then again, he would have to adapt to my tank. NOTE: I have two derasa's both 5 in. that are doing remarkably.
     
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  9. PackLeader

    PackLeader Giant Squid

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    Flat small rock will be fine. And it would all depend on how deep they had theirs in the tank with the lighting. I would think its getting less lighting now. And like mike said, the spectrum of the bulbs makes a huge difference. They could have plain old photoshop'd/edit the pic as well. Happens all the time.
    But right now at 2" lighting will have little to do with it. Try feeding it for a few days, a couple of times a day, and see what happens.
     
  10. t4zalews

    t4zalews Flamingo Tongue

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    So, should I move it back up to where it was so that it gets more light? The more I think about it, I don't have powerful enough lights to bleach it, do I? I'll pick up some DT's tomorrow and start feeding it.
     
  11. GuitarMan89

    GuitarMan89 Giant Squid

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    Clams are one of those organisms that will take as much light as you can throw at it, particularly the crocea and maxima. (of course there are limits naturally). Im thinking too that if it is a brownish color, it may be a golden maxima. I haven't really heard of clams changing colors like that, but I could be wrong. Maybe they messed up and sent the wrong one.
     
  12. Daniel072

    Daniel072 Giant Squid

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    It's really hard to light shock a clam. I have my crocea about 10 inches below a 175 watt iwasaki and it is loving life.
     
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2009