Acclimating squamosa

[Agu]

I received a squamosa about 3" long from Harbor Aquatics about two months ago. It had been held in a friends tank for a month prior to delivery and seemed healthy. Shortly after putting it into my tank (180 with two 400 eye and two VHO) it disconnected from the rock it came on and started to look really bad. Two croceas and a max were and are doing fine in the same tank. In desperation I finally moved it to my prop tank (40 breeder, dsb, 400w eye). Although this is a lower light clam (relatively speaking) it recovered under the intense light and is doing well.

I'd like to return it to the main tank but hesitate because of the lighting issue. To maintain similar lighting it would have to be halfway up the tank. Because it's not attached I'm afraid it would go for a tumble. In the prop tank it moved itself several times prior to finding a satisfactory location.

So, will a drop in lighting be hard on it ? Does one have to acclimate down? The light it'll receive already supports a max and crocea.

Agu

[JohnL]

Hi Agu,

IME (limited), with my T. maxima, it was not an issue. I lowered it about 15" to the sandbed and it is doing as well as ever. It's been there for about a year now. HTH.

[herefishiefishie]

Is there some way you could build a little "fence" or barrier around it to keep it from tumbling, until it anchors itself?

HTH

[Agu]

FWIW, I moved it three days ago, set it on the substrate, and it's doing fine. It opens a bit more but hasn't moved itself or shown other signs of discomfort with it's environment.

Agu

[OrionN]

I just put him under the light in your main tank in an area without too much water flow. He should be OK under a 400W MH.
Good luck.

[DJREEF]

Agu - I'm not sure who started all of this T. squamosa low light stuff, but they are wrong. I would like to officially squash this misinformation right here, and now. Every single squamosa I own, or have ever owned, liked it right up at the top, right beside my T maxes, bathing under the glow of their own personalized 250watt Iwasaki. In fact if thse guys don't get enough MH in their diet they crap out quick (the original lesson learned: don't believe everything you read about T squamosas being low-light clams). Good luck with yours, they are most awsome animals.

DJ

[Agu]

djreef,

Obviously I didn't buy into the low light clam stuff "40breeder,dsb, 400w eye" :cool: (it was off to the side though), the high light is what saved it imo. In the 180 it's on the dsb directly below another 400w eye bulb. It has moved itself a little bit and seems happy as a clam (ouch ;) ).

Agu

[Terra Ferma]

In an article, Knop describes the Squamosa as a LOWER light clam than some of the others, not a low light clam, per se. I think he said it could be kept under RO and live, but his theory on clams in general seems to be that they need lower spectrum MH to really thrive. Too boot, cultured Squamosa's are raised at a much shallower depth than they might be found at in nature...