How does my crocea look?

[Natterjak]

Picked up this 4" crocea last Thursday - he's on a piece of rock near the sandbed (28" tall tank, 250w MH).

http://www.chaoticzoo.com/stuff/crocea.jpg

He pretty much opened up right away, and he closes up a little bit when the lights go out. I don't know if he's got too much flow where he is, the mantle moves a bit, but it isn't flapping wildly. The only thing is that the mantle is pointing upwards a bit, rather than being folder over onto the shell. I'm not sure if this is normal or not.

At 4", do I still need to feed it? I've been dosing phyto just in case. I know crocea's like light, so I've thought about moving it higher up, but I'd rather keep it where it is if it seems happy.

[Scuba Dog]

How deep is the sand bed? The clam might be located at grey zone for being enoung light or two little hard to say at that depth...But I have kept some twenty inches below the surface, and I know of some that have kept them at 24 to 25 inches below the surface...hopefully someone will chime in on that subject...I think the clam, is large enough not to feed it phyto...but im sure it will still feed off it.....I dont feed my three to four inch clams and I have had them for a year now...I thinkthe surent is fine...if your worried you can position some rocks to give it a current break....

Oh I love the deep rich blue color excelent find!

[Natterjak]

Sand bed is about 2" deep, and the rock it's on is probably about another 1". What should I look for to see if it's not happy?

[Scuba Dog]

Thats the problem..its hard to tell when they arnt happy...most clams under insufficent light slowly starve to death with any signs and symptoms..but your lighting is sufficent...if you have any major concerns you can move it up a few more inches..

[Richard DeChamplain]

Is that a cleaner shrimps antennae on the back of that clam? If it is watch out can be a sign of impending death. Clams release some clue that they're dying that shrimp can pick up on and they showup first. Often people think the shrimp kill the clam ussually not the case.

[Natterjak]

Yes, that's a cleaner shrimp, but that's his usual spot to hang out, even before I put the clam in there. He hasn't shown any interest in the clam yet, he's hanging upside down on the rock behind the clam in that picture.

I'll keep an eye on it though, thanks for the tip. :)