My Clam keeps falling down!

BMorgan

AC Members
Jul 17, 2007
268
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Northern California
I keep having trouble with my crocea clam falling over. I've tried putting him in the sand as this was recommended by the guy at my LFS but he keeps trying to move and therefore falling over. He is about 24" under a 150W MH with a bulb about 8 months old.

Do you think I should try putting him somewhere on the rocks or closer to the light? Any ideas? Thanks.

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I would think that if he is trying to move maybe he wants to go somewhere? Seriously though, maybe he wants to anchor himself somewhere different than where you want him to be. Natural instinct is amazing.

http://www.reefcorner.com/SpecimenSheets/crocea.htm
 
Since I like to put my critters in the same type of locations that I find them in, I've always put clams into the rock work but as you noted, untill they anchor themselves they tend to fall over and off the rocks. To solve that problem, I pick a nice place to where their bottom is touching rock on which to anchor and then I simply use super glue gel to glue one side of their shell to a rock, ensuring there is enough room between rocks to where the clam can open fully. By the time they break the glue, they usually have anchored by then.

Chuck
 
Croceas and maximas are the most light demanding of the tridacnid family... I would definetely move him up higher. 150w "should" be good enough, but clams do lose color if they're not getting as much light as they'd like.

I've never had a problem with a Crocea attaching itself on liverock... move it higher and you'll see better results!
 
With my clam I took 3 or 4 small rocks about the size of the clam its self, and made a little pit in the sand making sure the spot where it's foot is was touching one of the rocks. The other rocks were there to kind of hold him in place. After 4 or 5 days he was firmly attached to the small rock and I was then able to securely place him where ever I wanted (I kept him really high up on the rocks for lots of light). He would have been fine and stayed put even in the sand though.
 
With my clam I took 3 or 4 small rocks about the size of the clam its self, and made a little pit in the sand making sure the spot where it's foot is was touching one of the rocks. The other rocks were there to kind of hold him in place. After 4 or 5 days he was firmly attached to the small rock and I was then able to securely place him where ever I wanted (I kept him really high up on the rocks for lots of light). He would have been fine and stayed put even in the sand though.

This works well, especially if you ever have to move the clam or treat it for various maladies.
 
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