First Clam

[Reefland]

Hi All!

We are pretty excited; yesterday we picked up our very first clam. The T. Maxima was purchased on 1-19-03 and after 2 days, appears to be doing very well. I took a picture of it tonight that I wanted to share with everyone. It just so happened that when I snapped the pic, our black ocellaris clowns were hovering over it.



The one question I have is in regards to the beige spots on it. I think they are not a sign of problems since there is blue spots on them. This is ok right?

Regards,

[Minh Nguyen]

Originally posted by Reefland
Hi All!

....
The one question I have is in regards to the beige spots on it. I think they are not a sign of problems since there is blue spots on them. This is ok right?

Regards,

That's just the coloration of the clam.
However, I would put the clam face up.

[SueT]

Scott, no, that is not a problem. It is just a part of the color of the clam. Personally, I love clams with this tan/gold mix in the mantle. Most of my maxima's have it to some extent and my crocea's do too. Very pretty clam you have there.

my 180 ecosystem sps/clam tank:
http://berlinmethod.com/suet/
my 120 ecosystem sps tank:
http://suetruett.homestead.com/home.html

[Ninong]

Scott,

Beautiful clam and beautiful clownfish! Did you use a flash for that picture?

As everyone else has already pointed out, the tan/gold coloration is perfectly fine. The only thing you would have to be concerned about would be spots with no coloration at all. That would indicate a lack of zooxanthellae, similar to coral bleaching.

Good luck!

[Reefland]

Minh Nguyen,
The clam does look like it is "on it's side" in the picture but it is facing up. I was standing over top of the clam when I took the picture so I may have been slightly behind it giving it the appearance of it being more on it's side. The clam is right where I placed it so I guess that is a good sign that the clam is happy right?

SueT,
Thanks for the compliment. I really liked the beige patterns in it and the way they looked with the blue. See below for another pic.

Ninong,
Thanks for the information. If white was observed and the clam was bleaching like a coral, would it be for the same reasons as a coral? The picture was taken with our Kodak CX4200 Digital Camera, no flash, no exposure setting, in it's "Close Up" mode. This is really a decent camera that I would recommend to anyone looking for an inexpensive, easy to use camera.

I should add that the only light used in any of our pictures is from the 250w 10k DE AB fixture.

Here is a side shot of the clam:


Thanks again,

[Ninong]

Scott,

That is really a nice picture. It looked so bright I was wondering if you had used a flash.

To answer your question about clam mantle bleaching, there are different kinds of "bleaching" and several different causes. Daniel Knop covers this on pages 79 through 94 of Giant Clams. I don't think the question can be answered fully without touching all of the bases that he covered, which would require a very lengthy answer indeed. If you already have his book, refer to that section, if not, you really should get it because it is an excellent source without getting too technical.

[Reefland]

The Knop book is not yet in my collection but will be soon. I have read and re-read all of his articles on the Internet "On the Half Shell" and if the books is as good of a read I know I will enjoy it when I do get it.

I actually have a hard time getting some pictures of the tank because of the light but I am sure I am not the only one. When I try to get pictures of corals near the surface the light reflection off of the rocks make it difficult. I have learned that you take several pictures of what you want to capture and a few of them turn out great!

It was funny that the clowns got in the picture. They very rarely leave the right side of the tank but as soon as I turned the pumps off they started to wander a bit. It just so happens they were over the clam the second I took the picture and there was no blur because they were on the move! What great personalities they have. They are nearly eating from Michelle's hand.

Regards,

[Reinhold]

That's a beautiful clam. You also have a really clean sand bed.

[Barry N.]

Nice clam Great shot of him.

Yes as Ninong states that book is a great addition to your library.


Barry