Crocea Clam in 1" of sand?

[mattsilvester]

Hi All,

I've done some reading and come up with a few things.

I've made cradle for the crocea clam by pressing it into some milliput, then removing the milliput to dry. The I put the cradle in a bowl and rested the clam into it, so the it can attach itself.

I like the appearance of clams resting on the sand. I read with great interested in http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-10/jf/index.php that once the clam is attached then I can "..... can always wait for it to attach to whatever you put it onto, then bury that piece. It’s not a problem to bury a rock, or whatever else it attaches to, just under the surface by covering it with a bit of sand or gravel. However, you shouldn’t overdo it in such a way that the bottom part of a clam is down in the sand...".

The cradle that I've made is flat bottomed, about 1/2" thick. My sand is 1 - 1.5" deep (max). The clam is about 5" from tip to tip, and about 3.5-4" at it's "tallest". So, would it be appropriate to bury the cradle on the tank base and then back fill (so it would be buried about 1" in the sand.

Thanks in advance.

[MondoBongo]

you shouldn't be putting a crocea in the sand bed, they're rock dwellers.

the clam will want to be as high up in the rocks as possible, in the absolutely strongest lighting it can get.

the positioning they're talking about is putting sand around a crocea clam that is high up in the rock work, not the sand bed.

Finally, we get to placement. I think it’s best to place any species on the same sort of substrate that you’d find it living on in its natural habitat, and croceas are never found on sand. I’ve never found one living on rubble, either; they live on (in) hard substrates only. So, a crocea should be placed on a solid substrate, if at all possible, where it can attach itself firmly to one spot as it would do in the wild. A flat piece of live rock or coral skeleton works very well, but a piece of tile can also be used. It may take anywhere from a few hours up to a couple of weeks, but a healthy clam will usually attach itself with at least a few byssal threads, or maybe many. I’m not suggesting that you absolutely must to do this by any means, but I do recommend it.

i've observed with my crocea that even 6 inches of versicle height can make a huge difference in the amount of light it receives, and the subsequent health of the clam. when mine was mid depth in my tank it did not do well, was constantly jumping off, and was not forming correct growth areas. moving it up to the highest point in the tank solved this problem. the net change was only about 6 inches of height, but it made a world of difference in the health of the clam.

i'm running some powerful LEDs too, around the top end of their utilization. so lighting strength is not an issue.

[mattsilvester]

Originally Posted by MondoBongo

you shouldn't be putting a crocea in the sand bed, they're rock dwellers.

the clam will want to be as high up in the rocks as possible, in the absolutely strongest lighting it can get.

the positioning they're talking about is putting sand around a crocea clam that is high up in the rock work, not the sand bed.



i've observed with my crocea that even 6 inches of versicle height can make a huge difference in the amount of light it receives, and the subsequent health of the clam. when mine was mid depth in my tank it did not do well, was constantly jumping off, and was not forming correct growth areas. moving it up to the highest point in the tank solved this problem. the net change was only about 6 inches of height, but it made a world of difference in the health of the clam.

i'm running some powerful LEDs too, around the top end of their utilization. so lighting strength is not an issue.

Thanks for your reply, and all well noted. I thought that the advice was a bit contradictory (rock dweller, in sand) but now I understand. Thanks.

So I will build a "nest" in the rockwork, as you suggest.

Trusting it is still good to allow a week or so for the the clam attached to the cradle that I have made?

Many thanks.

[MondoBongo]

The clam may or may not attach depending on placement. I find them much more apt to attach when they're happy with where they're at. So you may try placing it in the cradle in its final location and waiting to see. It can be either quick or prolonged, depending on the circumstance.

[mattsilvester]

Well, tomorrow will be one week since I put them on / in the intended cradle in the bowl..... so I will gently "test" and if they are attached then I can start thinking about permanent placement.

I think I have been bitten by the crocea clam bug - and want to make a crocea dominated display tank..... just about to start a seperate thread.

Thanks :-)