View Full Version : superglue the clams?
i have two clams (t. maxima and t. squamosa) and i just cannot get them to attach anywhere. i have pc lights, so they really need to be on the rockwork and not on the sandbed. can i superglue them onto the rocks? i'm just really desperate to get them attached. thanks
fourhand2
NO! Clams move when they are not happy. You need to let them move. You wouldn't superglue an anemone to a rock, so please don't to it to a clam.
yeah, but sometimes animals are not happy in the best situations for their health (ex. people not quitting smoking). i'd rather the clam be healthy than happy... anyway, clams dont have brains per se so they can't express emotions. so, anybody else think i can, or do you all say no?
fourhand2
Palmetto
07/27/2002, 05:56 PM
NO.
I am a little concerned that he is not attaching anywhere to begin with. I always have to be careful when moving them, healthy ones put the grips down pretty quickly most of the time. How much PC lighting do you have, by the way?
Can you find a cupped shape piece of rubble that you can position up high? I have a Squamosa under VHO that I persuaded to grab on really high by giving him a place he felt comfortable.
Originally posted by fourhand2
i'd rather the clam be healthy than happy
Umm, this comment is silly. As with any livestock in your tank, happy and healthy go hand in hand ESPECIALLY with clams. Clams move when they are unhappy with the conditions where they are located.. they are trying to find that right spot where they can be healthy.
You are not god and cannot dictate where a clam will live by merely supergluing it to a rock. You are committing the clam to death.. not a healthy and happy environment.
Project Reef
07/27/2002, 06:31 PM
At first I thought this was a joke, but you are actually serious.
No bro, you don't want to super glue a clam. lol
Just place it on the sand bed, and let it be. If you want you can bury some rubble rock pieces in the sand, and place him right on top of the spot where the rubble rock is buried under.
He will extend his 'foot' and attach by himself.
Why do you think a clam MUST attach anyway? That's misinformation.
no, i'm not joking, hehe :) the problem is that they do put their feet down and attach temporarily, but then the jump off. im not too concerned about the squamosa, but the maxima is a little less tolerant of less intense light, correct? the lights are one 55w actinic pc and one 55w 10,000k daylight pc. they're both small clams (the squamosa is about 2" across and the maxima about 1" across). it's a 20 gallon tank (i think 15 inches deep), so where should the maxima be positioned? is the sandbed ok for it? sorry for my ignorance, but there's just not a lot about clams to read out there. thanks
fourhand2
Project Reef
07/28/2002, 01:01 PM
You need to upgrade your lighting, that's the problem. Throw a single 250watt halide in the center and you'll be much happier. The cost is approximatly 100-200 for the entire set-up.
Keep the maximas on the sandbed as well. There is a good chance of the dying an 'accidental' death if you keep the clam on the rock work and it keeps falling off. Sand bed is the very BEST spot for clam placement.
There is actually a lot to read on clams, but continue to browse this board, bring up old searches and ask questions whenever you feel you don't quite understand something.
Good luck.
hmm, im really considering making a diy hood and ripping apart my jbj fixture and then retrofitting its parts and a halide bulb into it. i'll keeping my eye out on the buying/selling forum for a MH retrokit. thanks for the help and i'll definately keep looking through this forum. thanks again.
fourhand2
Palmetto
07/28/2002, 04:22 PM
I would hate to see you rip apart an enclosed, fan cooled aluminum hood to stick it into a DIY. I don't think a 24" DIY will be able to house a MH and two 55watt PCs on a 20-gallon tank without boiling the water, unless you are running a sump (which would be unusual on a 20!)
A 55-gallon tank would not cost too much, would it? Just add more tanks!
Keeping the temperature acceptable on a 20-gallon with a halide in a DIY hood will not be easy. Your JBJ is great for the 20- 5.5 watts per gallon on a short tank is great for most things. It's just not very good for a clam, other than a Squamosa perhaps.
I am sure none of this sounds very good right now, but I would not rip apart a $200+ hood to fabricate something that might not work.
kevinpo
07/28/2002, 09:15 PM
1" & 2" clams receive very little of their energy requirements from light. They will need to be fed each day. IME 3.5" clams can survive without supplemental feedings but then require MH for good health. If you do a search in this forum on clam feeding you will come up with a wealth of information.
Regards,
Kevin
Palmetto
07/29/2002, 04:20 AM
Very good point, Kevin.
4H,
You may be able to raise them just fine for awhile at that size, then move them into a bigger tank with a halide setup. I didn't catch that the maxima was that small. I still feed my larger clams too, though.
The squamosa will probably be fine with the amount of light that you have, especially if you feed him well. They are not quite as light-demanding as the blue-mantled Croceas and maximas.
BTW, do you have any kind of skimmer on that 20 Gallon?
brian111
07/30/2002, 03:51 PM
This must be a joke?
u1alift
07/30/2002, 04:19 PM
Not having clams in my tank, and not knowing about them but these post made me laugh.
But on a serious note how and what would you feed a clam? Every clam I have ever seen in a tank closes up when aproached.
Just wondering
Ed
Mad Scientist
07/30/2002, 09:27 PM
Some people remove their clams and put them in a bowl with DTs to feed them, others target feed w/ a baster or soda bottle (over the clam), still others (like me) just dump a bunch of greenwater in the tank everyday and let the clams filter it out.
I'm a big fan of heavily feeding clams of all sizes, while the big guys may not need it to survive, IMO it helps them thrive (and grow like crazy). :D
sorry everyone.. i've been out of town and i didn't realize this thread was still hanging around. no, this is not a joke... anyway, unfortunately the maxima seems to have met its demise while i was on vacation. i came home to a shriveled little maxima. it's not dead (exactly) yet, so i am still treating it like a live clam. i actually think my peppermint shrimp attacked it as it's shown interest in it in the past. so, i am being a little headstrong about my future DIY hood. i have my mind set on it and if i screw up, im the one that loses.. at least it wont cost the life of an organism.. as for the skimmer, it's a CPR bakpak2. i feel like even though my tank is small, it still needs everything that is required to run a large tank.. yeah, so it has 5.5 watts per gallon, but if a clam needs, say, 200 watts to live, then it doesn't matter how many watts i have per gallon. thanks for the input everyone.. because of project reef i have my mind set on a 250w MH. so, if it gets too hot, i'll just get a chiller before next summer ;)
fourhand2
vBulletin® v3.8.4, Copyright ©2000-2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.