clams

[seamonkey2]

ok, so I think I asked before, but here is a follow up

I was doing some reading over RC and some people were using clams, the kind they sell in HEB little necks, for added natural filtration, so I think I posted here and some people responded they did not sell live clams in HEB...blah blah blah, well this past weekend, I got a couple of dozen clams any way, worse case they are not live and my fish will eat them, after all they ate all of my other EXPENSIVE flame and electric scallops, so if they ate this ones no big loss there :D

so I got home and put them in the tank, and hour or so later I saw the clams digging themselfs in the sand, so they were alive..hmmm...what a surprise!!!

2 clams were too slow and the fish ate them, I had expected this, so no biggie, I got the shells out, but about a dozen are burried in the sand now :)

I know they are not pleasing to the eye, but is good filtration for my tank

so I see how this goes, has anybody done this in the past?

Jose

[TXKev]

I was reading that thread on RC also and thinking about trying it out. I don't think my fish will bother them, they don't bother my crocea or Squamosa. I may buy a few and throw them in my sump or fuge. Let us know how they do.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Headless_donkey]

One of my friends has 20 clams in his sump. He swears by it. Now we have HEB clam fuges, Xenia fuges, seahorse fuges, whats next?

[erick]

Clams/mussels etc.. are ALIVE when purchased from HEB..... If they are dead already, then you cannot eat them!!! Even if they are on ice, that does not mean that they are dead. When cooking clams/mussels, if you see one that is open, and you tap the shell and it does not close, then it is dead, and not good to eat! HEB has handouts that state this explicitly. Now, having said that.... I hope that you realize that littleneck clams come from colder waters, not tropical ones like reef tanks... Which can mean that you MIGHT have clams that die in your tank (due to an improper climate)and you might never know they died. Does this mean that they will die, no, its just a possibility <_< I am cautious with my tanks, as I have spent alot of time and money getting them to simulate a reef environment. I have heard of this procedure before, but I am skeptical, as I dont want things expiring in my tank, spiking ammonia/nitrite/nitrates, etc... I would use caution and common sense in this matter, and at least keep a close eye on what is happening to the clams..... IMO, hope this helps muddy the waters for you (not really, hope everything works out...) ...erick...

[Bill S]

See the other clam post. These clams SHOULD survive our reef temps. It is not unusual for the bay temps to get to 80 degrees in the summer. However - and I just thought of this - these are estuary clams - they typically are NOT found in full salinity seawater. The high salt content may kill them off.

Erick is exactly right about clams/mussels. They typically have a slightly open shell, that MUST close when agitated. If the shell is tightly closed, do NOT feed it to your fish, or consume them. I've collected and eaten about 10 billion clams and mussels - and our test is to squeeze the shells and make sure you get a reaction from them. Otherwise, throw away. BTW, FRESH mussels (not from HEB) are about the best eating seafood in the world. Every summer when I go and visit my parents, there's always a bucket of fresh mussels in the fridge. They last about 48 hours. After that, they may be alive, but go downhill very quickly. Personally, I prefer raw clams to raw oysters. Much easier to shuck too - just slide a knife in them.

[seamonkey2]

ok fist of all---Bill you have eaten your life time quota of clams(10 billion) :P :lol

second my tanks have never reached 79 degrees, I keep both tanks at 75 degrees year round, just my personal preference

headless donkey, I/we all like to try different things and see what works better for me/us, on the horse thing, some people dont want to set up another tank for them so to the modified sump they go, this is common.

Erick, I know HEB sells live clams, I have been around for a day or two, and have eaten my fare share of sea food(but not like Bill :D ) in few different countries, so... I dont remember if it was you the one that made the original comment about HEB selling only dead clams, but to whom ever made that comment, He/She was very wrong, I ignored that comment.

all of us in the hobby/addiction, have spend some money, some of us more than others, and some of us have made very costly mistakes, I personally, like to do things my way, I do a lot of research and then I do what I do to my tank, I dont expect people to do what I do, nor to try what I have done, I have fish in my tank that should not be together living happy, I dont run a skimmer, rearly do water changes, and so on and so on, is my system and it has worked flawlesly for me for a while, I have even managed to keep pipe fish and seahorses fat and healthy, so... I do keep an eye on my tanks, but thanks for the comments, remember, if we are to afraid to try things, we would never acomplish anything, you are welcome to stop by and talk fish any time.

anyways, Bill stop eaten clams/mussels and others seafoods, no wonder there is a shortage :P

so far so good, they have burried themselfs and the fish seem to be trying to find the tasty morsels, my picasso is a pig, he swifts sands looking for the clams, if he scores good for him, bad for the clams :)

Jose

[brewercm]

I had noticed when I tried to keep clams before with a picasso I had (before getting rid of him) he would do the same with the sand until he could attack the clam at the foot instead of trying the mantle. Once that was done and the clam was dead he'd have fun with the rest.

[Bill S]

OK, Jose, I'll fess up. It's only 5 billiion... Most of the time when I go up to visit, my brother buys me a gross of little neck clams - that I manage to consume either raw or steamed.

BTW, this is not the only thing from up north that I've noticed in the hobby. Saltwaterfishdotcom sells "sand sifting crabs". These are what we called "Sand Crabs" or "Sand Fleas". You can collect them by the hundreds.

[seamonkey2]

Cliff, this is one of 2 reasons, why I am trying the HEB clams aproach, LOL, sounds funny, I like my fish more than anything else, and a 40 or 50 dollars clams, or even a 18 dollar flame or electric scallop, is way too expensive of snack for me to give my fish, believe me, I HAD over a dozen flame scallops in my 240g, now I got 24 shells and a not so guilty looking fish <_<

thanks for the clarification Bill, 5 billion seems to be a more reasonable number :roll

when I was a kid, I used sand fleas as bait, used to dig them out of the sand with my hands, it always felt funny having them crawling over your hands :blink

Jose

[erick]

Seamonkey, I admire your perseverance and your dedication to your fish/livestock. You are correct, that if we dont try new things, then we would not accomplish much. Having said that, I prefer to follow scientifically proven/research driven methods, that are reliable and have traceable facts. I in no way meant to implicate that you should run your tank in any particular way, and I am sorry for any confusion. IMO, when dealing with life (of any form) that it is a matter of morals (my own) in giving the organisms a life that is free from stress, both physical and psychological. Having an aquarium in reality means that all of the life in your aquarium came from an open environment that is specific to each animal (even aquacultured species). As we put them into the confined space of an aquarium, we are (in reality) putting additional stress on these animals, and that is the reason for so many aquariums going awry. I wish you well in your endeavors, and if you could make some notes, possibly using the scientific method, you too could make the advances that many others have made in this hobby/passion of ours. Good Luck....Erick....

[Richard]

Now we have HEB clam fuges, Xenia fuges, seahorse fuges, whats next?


My next setup will be loosely based on Steve Tyree's Environmental Gradient method.
http://www.dynamicecomorphology.com/

For me it seems that trying different methods is my hobby :wacko

[erick]

oops

[erick]

Hmmm, interesting, might have to do some more reading here :unsure Gets one thinking, low flow, low light, save $$, please keep us informed as to your progress in this matter. I might just have to try this theory out on one of my smaller tanks, maybe at school....