New Squamosa Clam

[ryan72]

I just bought a little 2.25" or squamosa clam for $22.00 to put in my classroom's reef. I acclimated it slowly today and put some flat rocks under the sand where I put him. He is about 22" or so from the lights (2X250 10K MH + 4x55W 03 PCs). A donor sent me some Kent Pytoplex (i think thats the name) and some Marine snow. Are these good foods to spot feed the new little guy? The the first clam in the reef tank. We are soon goind to be learning about mollusks and though a cool little clam would spark some more student's interests. Any help on care would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ryan
Ferndale High School

[zhenya]

I just bought a little 2.25" or squamosa clam for $22.00 to put in my classroom's reef. I acclimated it slowly today and put some flat rocks under the sand where I put him. He is about 22" or so from the lights (2X250 10K MH + 4x55W 03 PCs). A donor sent me some Kent Pytoplex (i think thats the name) and some Marine snow. Are these good foods to spot feed the new little guy? The the first clam in the reef tank. We are soon goind to be learning about mollusks and though a cool little clam would spark some more student's interests. Any help on care would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ryan
Ferndale High School

Hi Ryan,

I think Kent's phytoplex could be OK but I'd ditch the Marine Snow. There was a study done on some of it awhile back and it showed that it was 99% or so water. Good food for a tridacnid clam would be some live phytoplankton like DT's product. It's available almost everywhere online and some LFS carry it as well.
Good luck with the clam.

[Bamm Bamm]

When clams are that small they are relying more on food than than on light so you will definately want to target feed(you can cutt eh bottom off a 2liter of soda and enclose that around the clam open the top and feed some DT's phyto in there.. I use the KENT also But from what I've read. All the Phyto is dead in the KENT's and the DT's is supposedly alive. There's lots of info online about feeding them and such.. Good Luck!!! I just lost a 1.5-2" maxima.. Still not sure why..