ipsf, sandbed clams

[kaskiles]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone was using the sandbed clams (or equivalent) like ipsf is selling on their website?
http://www.ipsf.com/sandbedclams.html

Have they caused any problems in your tank?
No lighting required?
Do they really only get to 5/8 of an inch long?
Do you think they need a deeper sand bed to be happy?
Are these things sold under a different name from other suppliers?

I was thinking about getting six of them to live down in my refugium (which is what they advertise them for), where I'll have about 1 inch of mud/sand mix.

Thanks!

 

[JimC]

I have them. No problems with them. Had them a couple months. Same size still.

 

[Entacmaea]

I had some, they went into the sand and I never saw them again...so can't really comment. I'm assuming like other mollusks they are filter feeders, so they might be hard to keep alive in our tanks. They aren't photosymthetic like tridacnids. Their function in the sand bed might be that they stir it it a little, but some of the other items in their mix n. match might be better. Their detrivores are nice because they are captive raised...

 

[brandonberry]

I have not had much luck keeping non-photosynthetic clams in the past, however I have had some Atlantic thorny oysters (actually scallops) now for about 6 months and they seem to be doing well. I feel like they would have starved by now if they were going to. My best advice would be to read some of the articles about flame scallops and do the things that others have done to make them live. While not impossible, it may take a little extra effort. From the various clams I have tryed, it seems that the ones that come from clearer reef environments are much easier to keep than mollusks that come from silty estuarine environments like oysters, bay scallops, quahog clams, etc.

 

[camaroracer214]

you could always throw some into a fuge and see what happens. somehow, i got a hitch hiking clam, although not a tridacnid clam , that has attached itself to the inside wall of the return section of my refugium. it's a filter feeder and has been in there for quite some time with no problems.

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds like Manila clam or littleneck clam or its relatives (Tapes philippinarum, T. japonica, etc). I can get live Manila clam in store for about $2/lb, but they are huge (1.5 to 2 inch) and usually does not live long (the store don't pay much attention to its livestock that going to be throw into wok or pot) in my tank.