by AquaNerd | Nov 10, 2014 | Conservation, Science
Tridanca ningaloo by Acro Al Here’s some exciting news for us self-professed clam junkies. Acro Al, obviously a clam junky in his own right, has unveiled that he may have bred the newly discovered but yet to be officially named Tridacna ningaloo clam at his facility in Australia. Al, who has been breeding all sorts of clam species, broke the news with this photo via Facebook, and it’s exciting news not only for the aquarium community, but for the scientific community as well. This event may mark the first time the species has even been bred in captivity by AquaNerd | Apr 22, 2014 | Aquaculture, Eye Candy, Invertebrates, Sustainability
Thanks to the extremely focused efforts of one individual, the world of Tridacnid clams has been completely changed. We’ve been following the work of one Australian “super aquarist” who goes by the name Acro Al. He has been breeding clams at his home for quite some time now, sharing much of his journey with fellow hobbyists on social media. And because we’re total clam junkies, we’re totally excited about the fact that his babies are getting old enough to hit the market. What makes the news even more exciting is that this is the first time that fully cultured maxima clams have ever been offered in the aquarium trade! To let the market fully dictate the price, this first individual, which is a total looker by the way, was posted in an online auction with a minimum reserve set at $250. The price quickly rose to well over $400 for this 40mm individual, which interestingly is about to turn one year old. The clam is not availalbe to purchase by US hobbyists, as the permitting and paperwork hoopla is far too difficult to overcome at this point, but it’s still groundbreaking news for the hobby. First fully aquacultured Maxima clam IN THE WORLD! Species: Tridacna Maxima (Röding, 1798) Batch No. by AquaNerd | Dec 15, 2013 | Corals, Science
Blue Tridacna Maxima Clam I still vividly remember my first Tridacnid clam. It was a very nerve-racking time in my journey through the hobby, as I was just starting to dabble in the realm of corals and, like most hobbyists, I wanted to do things the right way the first time around. As I became a little more comfortable with corals, I was strangely drawn to the “giant” clams, prompting me to research the available species for a significant amount of time. From everything I read, clams appeared to present a unique challenge; animals that had all of the same requirements as SPS corals, but with a whole slew of diseases and parasites that could cause some mysterious and untimely death. Being a new coral keeper at the time, this was very scary for me, as thoughts of dosing and light requirements flooded my thought process. My fascination eventually overcame my fears and concerns, however, leading to my first clam purchase and a complete shattering of the notion that clams are difficult to care for. In fact, my experience was so positive that I filled my growing mixed reef with several species clam, oftentimes with each species being represented multiple times. Over the years, I continued to grow my clam collection, hoping to, at some point, house one of each species readily and even not-so-readily available in the aquarium trade. by AquaNerd | Dec 13, 2013 | Corals, Fish, Science
If you’re as into Tridacnid clams as much as we are, then you might want to pay attention. For the first time in 15 long years, T. maxima clams originating out of the Red Sea are being imported into the US. That’s been far too long in our book. Thankfully, the crew at Golden Coast for Fishing Sea Products, a company associated with RVS Fishworld, obtained all of the CITES permitting required to legally access and export the beautiful clams. They have already shipped 36 boxes of fish and clams to ACI Aquaculture, a Florida-based wholesaler, which we are told landed yesterday. The clams are downright beautiful, to say the least
