New clams

[Minh Nguyen]

Here are the 8 new clams I jut got from
http://www.palmettoreefs.com/
They are farm raised clams from ORA.
These clams are very healthy. I borrow the camera so I have to take them before they are fully expanded. The colorations are very unique. I love them. These pictures does not do them any justice, but here they are:
Minh Nguyen

 

[Anonymous]

I love them.

8O

Nice clams!

Louey

 

[esmithiii]

Nice!

Ernie

 

[SPC]

Beautiful Minh!!
I have a question for you, how do you make sure you are feeding this many clams enough food, or do you even feed them directly?
Steve

 

[Minh Nguyen]

Beautiful Minh!!
I have a question for you, how do you make sure you are feeding this many clams enough food, or do you even feed them directly?
Steve

Steve,
I don't feed my clams directly. I just feed the tank. I don't use DT. They seem to do well. The smaller ones are 2 inche clams. I had a problem with the clam disease for the whole last year. I lost a few clams and finally found a way to cure this problem before loosing my Gigas and the rest of them. The clams are all healthy and growing again, so I got a few more. Before the clams disease infected my tank, I have not have a clam died in over 2 years.
It was really stupid the way my tank contracted the disease. I was trying to save a friend's clam. I though it as dying from poor water condition instead of a clam infection. I won't do anything like that again.
Of 16 clams, I lost 7 including some of my very best Maxima. Four from the disease and three because some one stole them from me.
This is the reason I am starting to look for the very best Maxima again for my tank.
I am very happy with the 8 I got this time. A few more and I will stop adding more clams to my tank.
Minh

Minh

 

[Lynn]

I think they're gorgeous!!

 

[CAPT PETE]

AWESOME!!!!!!!

 

[Minh Nguyen]

Here is some more picture:

 

[reefland]

Minh,

Awesome looking.

 

[esmithiii]

Minh- How did some one steal them from you??!? Also, what did you do to treat the sick clams?

Ernie

 

[Minh Nguyen]

Minh- How did some one steal them from you??!? Also, what did you do to treat the sick clams?

Ernie

All my clams were sick. They got infected from a diseased clam. This is the slower kind of infection. The Mantel look pinched. The smaller or weaker clams can last about 6-8 weeks while my 18 inches Gigas was in a bad shape for almost 1 year. After doing much search I decided to fresh water dipped some of the clams. They improved but will get re-infected once I got them back to the tank. I have a very good friend who keeps SPS but no clams. I know from my tank that this infection does not bother corals. I talked to him and decided, with his agreement, to dipped my 3 best clams, and send them to his tank. They did well and totally recovered.
Unfortunately, my friend got family problems and got devoiced. He has to leave the state quickly. He got another friend of his to come by take the tanks down and take everything. He gave me email and phone number for me to arrange pick up of my clams. When I contacted this person, he denied of ever obtain any clams. So I lost three of my best clams (two very beautiful ultra Maxima and beautiful B&W Maxima)
My tanks still with a clam diseased. After tried and dipped the smaller clams several times. They recovered but will get infected again; I decided to dipped all the clams including my Gigas. I was very hesitance because I know that Gigas are very sensitive to salinity change, not like Maxima or Crocea.
Finally I bite the bullet and dipped every single one of my clams. This took care of the problem. None of my clams died from the last water dipped, including my Gigas.
Now all the clams are healthy again and growing again. My Gigas did not grow for 1 year. Last month he added another cm to his shell already. All my smaller clams also show growth scales.
I now looing to replace my best Maxima and Crocea.
Minh

 

[Anonymous]

minh,

those clams are beautiful.
when dipping your clams did you adjust ph before hand? also, after dipping did you place them in the same tank right away?

i had a couple die a few years ago (only had a couple ) and they went as you described, slowly pinching. i wonder if dipping would have worked.

i now have a solitary maxima but would love to accumulate a few more, i would love to have yours

Palmetto, after seeing some of your clams, i am convinced you have the shiznid. 8)

 

[Minh Nguyen]

Podman,
I did not adjust or test for pH. I do have a container for fresh RO water in my stand (same temperture). I just get the water out and put the clams in it for 1/2 hr, then back into the tank. My clams recovered in 2 days. Once I didded all my clams at the same time, the infection resolved.
I notice that the infection spread by proximity. It does not spread by water movement. I really did not have any choice in put them in Quarantine tank. It is much harder to set up quarantine tank for clams (rather than fish)
Minh

 

[Anonymous]

i thought i would show mine.

not as nice as yours, but nice none the less.

 

[Minh Nguyen]

i thought i would show mine.

not as nice as yours, but nice none the less.

v
Very beautiful and well expanded Maxima.
Minh

 

[texman]

I wish I could have known your solution to the disease about 1 year ago. I lost 15 clams including a bright blue spotted squamosa (12"), a blue derasa, and many nice maxima and crocea, all one at a time, from the same disease which you described. At the time, I put up a post, but everybody kept asking me what my pH was and lighting was. Nobody, including any of the vendors that I spoke to, could help me. I was looking for all sorts of larger organisms like snails and worms, but never found any. I tried to add some clams about 6 months ago, but the same thing happened again. Must have gotten another bad clam. Anyway, I do have some nice clams now, and am planning on adding more. Do you think that dipping the clams for 1/2 hr before adding them to my tank is a good idea. If your dipping idea works, you should suggest this to some of the clam vendors (or this board). Maybe that will help to eradicate the disease, or at least stop it from spreading.

 

[Lynn]

Minh, I've been trying to find that book "Giant Clams" to see if I can keep one. Maybe I can just ask you? Can I keep anysort of trid clam under four 660 VHO's??
thanx

 

[Minh Nguyen]

.......I lost 15 clams including a bright blue spotted squamosa (12"), a blue derasa, and many nice maxima and crocea, all one at a time, from the same disease which you described.........
Do you think that dipping the clams for 1/2 hr before adding them to my tank is a good idea. If your dipping idea works, you should suggest this to some of the clam vendors (or this board). Maybe that will help to eradicate the disease, or at least stop it from spreading.

I am sorry you lost your clams. I am looking for a special Squamosa and so far not able to get a blue or orange spotted one yet. Loosing a 12 inches blue spotted Squamosa got to hurt.
I got the idea of fresh water dip after talking to Dick Perrin at Tropicorium. He dipped his clams to control disease. He told me that one time he forgot a tray of 1.5-2 inches Maxima in the fresh water over night. They were stressed but none of them died. I really have to do something because my clams were dying. I know that it is not the water or usual clams diseases. I read lots on clams and have being very successful at keeping clams for years. I read online boards and read many responses to question people have on clams and realize that no one really know how to treat this problem. I found that ½ hr dipping take care of the problem. I find that all clams (Gigas, Derrasa, Squamosa, Maxima and Crocea) tolerate this with out problem as long as they are not too far-gone. I have not tried to dip them on arrival yet. I was reasonably sure that the clams from ORA (Darren at Palmetto Reefs arranged for the clams to be send directly to me from ORA) would be disease free, so I did not dipped them. I am very careful in order clams Online after my disaster.
Because I am successful at treating my clams, I have advice other people of how I treat my clams. Some reported success while other failure. There is more than one disease out there that kills our clams. I would really be careful in adding new clams to a healthy tank. Unfortunately, quarantine for clams is not as easy as quarantine for fish.

Minh Nguyen

 

[texman]

I have some new clams coming next week, and I think that I will try the dipping technique for prophylaxis before adding them to the tank. Let me just confirm with you that you have never had a healthy clam die after being in temperature equalized RO water for 1/2 hour (30 minutes). Of course, I would not hold you responsible if something did happen to my clams - I am just making sure that I got the dipping time and technique correct.

 

[Minh Nguyen]

Minh, I've been trying to find that book "Giant Clams" to see if I can keep one. Maybe I can just ask you? Can I keep anysort of trid clam under four 660 VHO's??
thanx

Lynn,
I would not buy the Giant clams book first. You can read essentially everthing in there online. I would do this first then get the book if you want.
Follow this link and read "On the half shell' series by Daniel Knop:
http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm ... efault.asp
Other information on clams can be found here:
http://www.clamsdirect.homestead.com/fi ... index.html
660 W VHO over a 180 g tank is not a lot of light. I have a total of 2900 W MH over my system. My power bill really bite.
I would avoid T. crocea and T. maxima. You may want to try T. derasa or T. squamosa
Many people recommended no clams unless you have some MH because of the point source of light. You can get high intensity if you bring the clams closer to the MH, while it is not as true regarding VHO or PC lights.
Good luck,
Minh Nguyen