[mastaJ]

Hey all...just about to order my 2nd set of critters, however the first thing my eyes goto are the "6 sandbed clams(New!! These are great sandbed stirrers)" in the supersize special...WHAT ARE THEY? I assume they are benificial but do I want those or the ministars??? (i was going to get the ministars ) Take a look!

[mastaJ]

Or should I just get both??

[saltjunkie]

Anybody? I would like to know also????

[organicreefer]

if gerald says they are good ,thats good enough for me .time for another order

[ranaman]

I wonder if it might be a Tellin, there are 9 species native to hawaii.The only other burrowing bivalves native to hawaii are cockles which are represented by 3 species. They could be baby manila steamer clams from one of the aquaculture falcilities in the NELHA area. The native clams might settle out of the water that is supplied by NELHA. See http://www.nelha.org/aqua.html

[mastaJ]

Ranaman that was a little over my head...but, THANX!!! So, has anyone had them before???

[organicreefer]

well im sure at least one of you guys has already ,but i mailed gerald to get more info on the clams,so im sure well know soon enough.

[Jake]

I sent Gerald an email in regards to this thread. The email and reply are below-

Aloha Jake,

Thank you for your inquiry about new SandBedtm clams.

We'll be adding information on SandBed clams to our ipsf.com website in the
next few days. In the meantime, here is some background on them.

They are captive-bred, tropical sand clams of the genus Tapes, which
actively burrow into the sand and move about by means of a strong muscular
foot. They are about 15 mm (3/4 inch) long, and they feed on plankton and
detritus by means of their incurrent siphon, which protrudes slightly from
the sand. They have smooth, attractive shells with variable color patterns.
In reef tanks and refugia their potential benefits include stirring (and
therefore aerating) the top layer of the sand bed as well as naturally
filtering the seawater by consuming suspended detrital particles in the 5-20
micron size range.

We know of no other invertebrates currently available to the marine aquarium
trade that offer this particular combination of beneficial characteristics
and functions. Of course, the addition of these burrowing clams to the living
sand bed increases the diversity of life forms there and as such can be
expected to contribute to the overall stablility of the captive reef system.

Gerald Heslinga
Indo-Pacific Sea Farms


In a message dated 7/30/01 9:58:52 AM, you wrote:
<<There is a thread a Reefland asking what the sand bed clams are and how
they stir the sand. I was wondering if you could post some details aboutthem
or email me the details and I would be glad to post it on Reefland and Reefs.org to
get the word out about them.

Regards

Jake Maki

[ranaman]

You might save some money and buy some live manilia clams from a seafood store. Have some for a tank and dinner too for 20 bucks. Tapes philippanirum are produced at a couple of hatcheries at NELHA. See http://www.taylorshellfish.com/clams.html

[icemark]

ranaman,

Don't Tapes philippanirum, grow to about 1 1/2"? That is double the size of the Tapes from IPSF.

Also most of the ones available here in the states have been reared in a coldwater enviroment, like Washington or Northern CA. Grown in 50 degree water might have a bit of an effect on the clam when you put it into 80 degrees.

But I like the idea, cheap food clams as sand bed stirrers... $3 a lb instead of $20. Maybe this is something I need to look into

[ranaman]

There are at least two clam production farms at NELHA. These aren't small operations although Cynotech an algae producer seems to have the biggest lease area. The place was all closed when I stopped there since it was July 4th and I was on the way to the airport. The hatcheries produce seed clams for clam farms worldwide. Since NELHA has both surface and deepwater seawater available you can have any temparture water you desire. The baby clams may well grow faster in 75-78 degree water. There is a chance someone is working with a warm water Tapes sp. but Hawaii is so strict about non native stuff I would be surprised if they let them in. I just have a gut feeling that these are just seed Tapes philippanirum. After dealing with ocean rider I think their are some people in Kona that don't like you knowing what exact species you are dealing with. Carol still hasn't stated what species her seahorses are. Here is another clam link at Nelha. http://www.coastseafoods.com/kona.html They do seem to raise a few clams

[ravenmore]

I ran the idea of tapes philippanirum in a home tank past Dr. Shimek. I specifically mentioned the concerns about tank temps. I'll let you know what he says.....

I'm with Icemark, $3/lb is just too good to pass up. I think a pound would even be too many. Might have to pass 'em out to my friends....

-Mike

[ridetheducati]

Would any local seafood place have these "Tapes"?

Could this hobby be heading in a more frugal direction?

HD sand -- $4/lbs
Tapes -- $3/lbs
Patience -- Priceless

[Aframomum]

Hi guys,
not to ruffle any 'fins' out there, but I am wondering if these particular clams would starve in a captive reef tank just as a flame scallop normally does? IPSF stated that they live off of plankton in the 5-20 micron range. And detritus? Is that enough to sustain them? And how many can be housed in one tank without causing a strain on the food population for the corals and other plankton feeding animals? Just a few thoughts I had when reading this post. I had thought that we were adding refugiums to increase the plankton population for the good of the corals, are we now possibly adding another creature whose food source is solely the same as corals, thereby causing more competition for food in our tanks? I am really not meaning for this to sound too harsh, I am just being cautious and asking questions when a new animal is being introduced into the reef market,
Mark

[mastaJ]

WOW, there are alot of responses all of a sudden, cool! Thanx for mailing gerald, JAKE Aframomum - you do have a good point... I guess they would do alot better in a bigger tank than I'm putting them in... I hope this thread continues so everyone can find out more info about them!!!

[ranaman]

Good question if they would find enough food but you should be able to feed them algae paste or DT's. Unlike flame scallops their diet is well worked out. An internet search should give some details of the algae needed. Just dug out my Hoover book, he states that gathering Japanese littleneck clams was popular in Kanehoe Bay untill the beds were destroyed in 1969 by over harvesting and siltation. The scientific name he gives for this clam is Venerupis philippinarum. When I ran a search for this name it was given as a synonym for Tapes philippanirum. So the real question is are we dealing with a catilina goby that can only tolerate heat for a short time, or a koi carp that can overwinter in up state NY, but will do as well in a backyard pool in Miami. IPSF may very well breed the local clams, so they might be more hardy in a tropical tank.
A seafood store that stocks live seafood should be able to get Manilia clams since they come from the same place as Dungeness crabs.

[organicreefer]

afromomum,rest assured there is no shortage of detritus in my tank,and probly anyone elses, that has fish.also dont forget that dsb's arent just for reef tanks,i even have a dsb in my african cichlid tank.

[fishguy_8]

Ok i'll dive in here....i was wondering wouldnt these guys benefit in a FO tank w/ larger fish i.e. lionfish etc..... as the lions rep. states they are bbbbbbbbbbig fecal suppliers so wouldnt these two be a good pair? the lion eats, deficates and then the "sandbed clams" eat the *insert fish's name here* feces and prospers while cleaning the tank and aerating the soil? seems like to me these guys would work EXCELLENT in a tank w/ fish that are known for being "sloppy." because i think afromomum poses a good point about filtering out more of the stuff which could be going to your coral. these clams seem like a "big fish" owners dream. not to mention they'd spice the tank up a bit. if these guys are deemed safe to a small tank i may get some for my 7g bow. let me know what you guys find out about these clams.
Jon

[organicreefer]

exactly what im thinking jon.as you may remember i have a new 110 fowlr and dsb(still havent got fish ....4 months and counting still undecided )

[mastaJ]

Exactly Jon, thats what my other post was trying to say...I'm ordering my critters for a 15g and it will only have a couple of small fish in there so, I was thinking they would be more suitable in a big tank w/more detritus...