Are you feeding your clams???

bluetang · #1 11-09-2005, 02:25 AM

Are you feeding your clams??? If so, What??
I have two large clams. Both doing well but was wondering if it is benificial to feed them when they are 8+ inches large.

Ruth · #2 11-09-2005, 02:45 AM

I feed the tank phytofeast every day. I don't target the clams specifically but I understand that they benefit from it. I have 6 clams and all are doing well and growing - 4 croceas and 2 squamosas

Delphinus · #3 11-09-2005, 03:24 AM

I feed DT's .. about every 2-5 days, not terribly regular but whenever I think of it.

dirtyreefer · #4 11-09-2005, 03:50 AM

I think when they get that large, they rely mostly on sunlight as their food source. I only think it's really beneficial to feed them when they're quite small.

EmilyB · #5 11-09-2005, 05:38 AM

I've never fed my clams, however I have lots of fish and feed them.

bluetang · #6 11-09-2005, 05:14 PM

Thanks for your replys. What would you say is the best and most benificial product out there for feeding, that would target both corals and clams?

Thanks

Delphinus · #7 11-09-2005, 05:37 PM

To be honest, nothing fits that bill exactly. With some exceptions, corals feed more on zooplankton whereas clams feed on phytoplankton (but as mentioned as they get larger they depend less on feeding than they do on lighting).

If you dosed DT's (or other phyto type feed), the claim is that the infauna (zooplankton) in your tank will feed on that, thus fueling a population surge, thus there is more available to the things that feed on it.

But IMO/IME feeding phyto and zoo to a tank is a delicate thing. If overdone you can fuel massive nutrient surges in your tank.

Anyhow all I do for my tanks is feed a little DT's in the tank that has the clams in it, and then a little cyclop-eeze in all my tanks. I've noticed that even my acros will occasionally capture that stuff.

If you really wanted to go crazy there are things like oyster eggs, golden pearls, rotifers, live rotifers, the list goes on and on. Beneficial? Maybe. Mandatory? Not whatsoever. Risky? Possibly -- like I said, it's easy to overfuel your tank and make it a nutrient soup.