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FAQs about Bivalve Mollusk Foods/Feeding/Nutrition
Related Articles: Tridacnids,
Bivalves, Mollusks,
Related FAQs: Bivalves
1, Bivalves 2,
Bivalve Identification, Bivalve
Behavior, Bivalve Compatibility,
Bivalve Selection, Bivalve Systems,
Bivalve Disease, Bivalve Reproduction,
Tridacnids, Tridacnid Clam Business, Tridacnid
Identification, Tridacnid Selection,
Tridacnid Compatibility, Tridacnid
Systems, Tridacnid Lighting,
Tridacnid Placement, Tridacnid
Feeding, Tridacnid Disease,
Tridacnid Reproduction, Flame
Scallops, Other life presence may
well add or subtract from food availability. | 
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Flame Scallop Closing in a Disjointed Manner, sel., fdg. 12/19/08
Greetings, Wet Web Media Crew!
<<Howdy Justin!>>
Thank you for a
site that is wonderfully packed with delicious information.
<<Am in
agreement… A superb collaborative effort…>>
After finding the site, I
must say that I have been aptly humbled with the knowledge that you all
have. Thank you!
<<Ahhh, thank *you* for the kind words…>>
My wife
and I started a saltwater aquarium nearly a year ago, and have had a
relatively successful husbandry story (with the exception of falling
into the pitfall of trusting our local fish store(s)).
<<Mmm… Many do
provide valuable advice and service, but sadly there are those few…>>
Sadly, I did not find this site until after we had chosen to purchase a
pair of large flame scallops.
<<Ahh yes… Certainly one of those
organisms best left in the ocean. Exquisite animals with a huge appeal
for sure. But unfortunately they also have a very, very, very (have I
expressed *very?*�) dismal survival rate in captive settings>>
Despite the LFS' repeated assertions that the scallops are easy to care
for in a tank as established as mine,
<<Pure bunk>>
I would have
not purchased them based on everything I have read here.
<<Ah, I
see>>
We purchased them a couple of months ago. My tank is a 29 long,
with a 5 gallon 'fuge.
<<Aw mate and the LFS was/is aware of the size
of this system? Were this tank three times the size, and the refugium
six times the size, I still wouldn't give the scallops much of a chance
of surviving more than a few months. It is indeed sad and disturbing
that your LFS would promote such and animal as this for a system of this
size>>
Protein skimmer (of which the brand is escaping me at the
moment, but it was one of the few that were listed as good in one of the
articles at this site). 3" deep sand bed, 15-20 pounds of live rock in
the main tank, and a 4" deep sand bed in the 'fuge.
<<Very good>>
Various power heads with foam inserts
<<Unless you are cleaning these
a couple times a week, I would remove the foam inserts. Aside from
accumulating detritus, they may well be trapping food organisms the
scallops would welcome>>
on the intakes causing a chaotic water
pattern in the tank. Various types of Caulerpa are growing happily in
the 'fuge and some in the display tank.
<<Mmmm… Do consider these
alga will *compete* just as any other reef organism. Best to stick to a
single species… Or better yet, switch to a more *user-friendly*
macro-algae like Chaetomorpha>>
The tank's levels are reporting
normal. Ammonia, NO2, NO3 all trace.
<<Trace? Ammonia and NO2 should
be zero, zip, nada…>>
pH 8.3, Specific gravity is 1.026, Temperature
is 78F with a variance of 1-2 degrees. I buffer the KH, which reads at
10. Both of the bivalves have found a nice hiding spot and have attached
themselves right next to each other, on a sizable piece of live rock.
This is particularly good, because the water flow is mild there, and the
various foods I feed them tend to stay there for a good half an hour
before diluting in the tank.
<<…? This seems too stagnant to me,
better to increase flow a bit. Keep in mind that good water flow is the
only means these organisms have of shedding wastes/metabolites and of
acquiring oxygen and dissolved nutrients>>
One of the scallops is
open fairly constantly and responding to movement, light and other
animals that may come near it. It *appears* to be eating and producing
waste, though I cannot confirm if it is actual waste, or just the
pseudo-waste, rejected food and mucus combination.
<<Most often with
these animals it is the latter. Providing *suitable* foods is very
difficult>>
I feed them a concoction of Cyclop-Eeze, zooplankton and
phytoplankton...blended.
<<And all too large and likely rejected. No
doubt these organisms are starving… Your system and refugium are much
too small to offer any chance for the scallops>>
And now, the
problem. The second bivalve has stopped closing its shell properly; it
appears to close slightly askew.
<<The end is near>>
The offset is
roughly a millimeter in size.
<<I think it likely this animal is
already dead and the joint muscle is deteriorating rapidly>>
We've
seen evidence of what appeared to be a bristleworm (we ID' it from the
various pictures here) crawling out of the back of the clam,
<<Then
it is dying for sure… The worm is just *cleaning up*>>
though it dug
its way between a rock and the sand before we could get a good look at
it. We have not seen it since.
<<The worm is not the issue here>>
This bivalve still presses its mantle out, but it does not seem able to
open its shell well any longer.
<<A simple matter of time now>>
I
take opportunities when I see its mantle out, to carefully and slowly
suspend the food around them.
<<A waste of time/foodstuffs my
friend>>
Having read what is available on this site regarding flame
scallops, I am certain the most likely cause is starving to death,
<<Yes>>
which makes me very sad.
<<But hopefully a learning
experience too>>
I am guessing that the one that is not doing well
was at the LFS longer and had starved longer.
<<Maybe… But either
way, the other won't be far behind>>
However, I was given pause after
reading that they tend to live 2 to 3 years naturally, and that a 3"
diameter flame scallop is considered to be older (and female). Of
course, I would be elated to think that the problems I am seeing are due
to it being at the end of its life cycle and that our husbandry has kept
them healthy and happy... but I know better, now.
<<Ah… Good… We
often tend to try to rationalize situations to our advantage. I'm happy
to see that you realize the scallop has likely NOT lived a healthy and
happy lifetime>>
And now, my questions... I apologize for the lengthy
read.
<<No worries>>
Is it possible that the bivalve that is not
closing/opening properly is dying of old age?
<<Always possible… But
what does your heart and mind tell you?>>
Do bristle worms (the
aggressive types) attack bivalves, and could it have damaged the muscle
that allows the bivalve to open and close properly? (I have read the
various pages here on worms, and did not feel like I had a good feeling
if they do.)
<<Again, always possible… But I think this is more
likely a case of a beneficial detritivore performing its job>>
Thank
you very much for your time and patience.
<<A pleasure to share>>
It is a blessing to have such a wonderful group of people that answer
questions like this.
<<Bob has indeed compiled a stellar group of
volunteers. And thank you again for the kind words>>
We are excited
to love our animals and give them as long and comfortable a lifetime as
is possible.
<<Then I am confident from this point on you will
research your livestock before purchasing>>
Sincerely (from a snow
covered Seattle, WA),
Justin
<<Best regards from sunny and 75F
South Carolina (though I did live a few years in Bellevue at what seems
a lifetime ago). Eric Russell>>
Re: Flame Scallop Closing in a Disjointed Manner � 12/20/08
Greetings and thank you for the reply, Mr. Russell!
<<Quite welcome
Justin… And please, call me Eric>>
The main lesson learned was to do
far more research than trusting the LFS.
<<Even with a good
LFS/other's advice available, the onus is still on you to do the
reading/research and use your own good judgment to make a decision>>
Incidentally, they did know about my setup and were the main suppliers
of all of my gear.
<<I see… Is disappointing…>>
I chatted with
them a bit about flame and electric scallops, and they had no clue that
they almost always starve to death in captivity.
<<Mmm…>>
Needless
to say, our purchases will be made only after reviewing this and other
reputable sites with a lot of input from well learned people such as
yourselves.
<<Ah yes, your research needs to be among a variety of
sources. Very good…>>
I was a bit unclear on the water flow comment
(where you mentioned the stagnation).
<<My apologies for the lack of
clarity. What I was getting at is that if you are administering foods
such as Cyclops-Eeze and these small bit are not being swept away, then
there is a lack of necessary water movement around the scallops>>
What I meant to express was that I turn off the power heads during
feeding to allow the food to have the opportunity to get as close to or
inside, the scallop before dispersing it quickly amongst the rest of the
tank.
<<Ah! Okay… I misunderstood>>
I typically give it about 30
minutes, then turn the heads back on and allow current to do its work.
<<Okay, excellent… Though as stated in my previous reply the prepared
foods are mostly too large for the scallops, though *blending* as you
stated you do may help reduce particulate size somewhat. These
filter-feeding organisms consume nanoplankton, which is best supplied by
a very large and very mature system stocked with a dearth of
food-competing organisms and supported by a very large and very mature
plankton producing refugium. And even then their survival is iffy>>
Foam inserts removed. I should have known that they would trap good
things... (sigh!)
<<Ah yes… Consider the insets were performing the
same function as your filter-feeding organisms. But to the *detriment*
of the system…>>
I will endeavor to find and switch to Chaetomorpha.
Thank you ever so much for the suggestion!
<<Quite welcome… Some
authors may argue that the Caulerpa is more efficient at scavenging. But
the Chaetomorpha will do a fine job of this, and is more *user friendly*
and, it seems these days, more politically correct>>
Are the foods
too big even after going through a blender?
<<Most likely is, yes…
But I don't want to discourage you from trying to feed these animals.
Though the best thing here would be to return them to the LFS (with an
explanation why) for a store credit, if they would take them>>
I
thought I had read somewhere on the site that putting them through the
blender broke them down to less than 40 nanometers?
<<Maybe so… But
the dismal survival rate of these organisms, with most all perishing of
starvation, would seem to suggest that this process is still less than
adequate.. Agreed?>>
I could just be dreaming it, though, in my
desire to not condemn them to death by starvation.
<<You're not
dreaming (blending foods has been recommended in at least a few
responses re these critters), but your scallops are most assuredly
starving>>
I now know, and have learned a valuable lesson...
research, research, research!
<<Yay!>>
Regardless, I will fight my
hardest to try to help these little ladies!
<<I wish you luck… But
the reality is that this will be a losing battle>>
I'm sad to learn a
lesson at the expense of another organism's life. Sorry, thinking "out
loud" (so to speak).
<<No worries mate. And don't beat yourself up
too badly. We've all made such mistakes… What matters now is what we
take away from it>>
Perhaps I should take them back to the LFS, I
feel horrible for killing them.
<<Indeed… Perhaps they will learn to
not carry what they cannot sell/what people won't buy>>
I do
appreciate your input and your willingness to share.
<<Is my
pleasure>>
It is very much appreciated and is truly a relief to get
to chat with you.
<<That's why I am/we are here my friend>>
Many,
many thanks!
<<Always welcome>>
Justin - hoping you're enjoying
the 75 degrees :)
<<Ah yes! Is only expected to reach 73F today, but
I guess we'll make do [big grin]. EricR>>
Stony Brook phytoplankton study, and Clam nutr. f' 07/20/2008
Hello crew, Bob et al,
Dennis Tagrin sent me this link to a study
done on phytoplankton. I do think it's worth reading, adding to the
FAQs/other info on phytoplankton feeding.
http://somas.stonybrook.edu/~MADL/pubspdf/Emma-clamgrowth.pdf
Best,
Sara M.
<Real good. Will post/share. BobF>
Thorny Oyster, feeding 5/29/08
Hey Anthony!
<Unfortunately Antoine is more than busy with his 'zine, other projects.
BobF here>
I was just carousing your site and I ran across this
article (copied below).
I just wanted to let you know that I have
successfully kept a thorny oyster in my aquarium for right at a year. It
still opens to feed all day and appearing from the mantle, it seems to
be healthy. I feed DT's Phytoplankton about 2-3 times a week. I also run
my sump a little dirty. I just wanted to share with you my success
story. Let's just hope I am not premature in my celebrating!
Thanks
and God Bless,
Brolin Evans
<Thank you for this input. Bob Fenner>
Oh No! Another Flame Scallop Question! Fdg., beh. 3/16/07
Hi Guys and Gals,
<Marti>
I have been reading (a lot) over the
past year and a half, before finally starting my salt water tank in
January. Included in the reading list was The Conscientious Marine
Aquarist (of course!) and Aquarium Corals by Borneman, among many
others. I have also spent many (happy) hours researching specific topics
on your wonderful web site.
OK, enough with the praises, now on to
my question. After my aquarium had been running with live sand and live
rock for about two months, I was given a Flame Scallop as a "present". I
never would have bought one, or even patronized a LFS that sells them.
But there he is, sitting in my tank. I have been feeding him a mixture
of DT's live phytoplankton and Cyclop-eeze (per recommendations I found
on this site) with a turkey baster, leaving the filter and powerhead off
for 1/2 hour while doing so. My question is, How do you know if they
are eating?
<Mmm... principally behavior/appearances... that the
animals stays open, colored... and alive>
Do they move their jaws
(shell) up and down?
<Sometimes... in reaction to shadows, animal
movement near by>
Do they suck in all their tentacles like little
hungry hands?
<Mmm, no>
Please pardon me for sounding so stupid,
but I really appreciate all the helpful advice you have given everyone,
and I know you can answer a "simple" question like this.
Best
Regards,
Marti
<Adding a good sized refugium... in addition to
your current feeding efforts... is about "it". Bob Fenner>
Feeding polyps, anemones, and clams
Hello, I just purchased 70
pounds of beautiful live Fiji rock. I placed it in my uncycled aquarium
to help it cycle. One rock is covered in green polyps with orange
centers, a vast number of them have turned white but there is a few that
have opened up. Will there be some die off then will they grow back? <<
Sounds like both. If they are turning white, I'm assuming they are
bleaching. Although polyps don't lose all their color when they
bleach. Anyway, with proper conditions they will of course grow back
and continue to spread. >> Also I have what looks like some sort of
anemone. Its about 2 inches wide, white with neon green tips, do you
have any idea what kind this could be? << No, lots of anemones out
there. I'll say some sort of flower anemone. >> I will have a digital
camera within the week so I'll sends some pictures. I have a few oysters
or clams on the rock to what do I feed them? << Lots of phytoplankton.
>> They open and close and spit of stuff so I know there alive.
thanks a lot
<< Blundell >> Flame scallop (Lima)
clarification 11/6/04
Great site.... I read your FAQ's on the
flame scallop (I understand *now* that they are a tough species to
keep). I have a question or clarification. Having previously kept FW for
years, including some attempts at breeding guppies, I have a large
supply of brine shrimp eggs in the refrigerator. I didn't quite
understand if you thought BBS needed to be blended or not...
<no my
friend. Blending is to reduce particle size in phytoplankton cultures
and bottled food supplements. Baby brine shrimps are fine as whole
foods>
here's what I do now (prior to the addition of the scallop).
<hmmm... you do know too that the flame scallop eats little or no baby
brine shrimp? They principally eat nanoplankton - hence the reason most
starve to death in aquaria in well under 2 years time (months really)>
Every week or two at lights out, I remove the filter pad and put a very
small amount (couple hundred probably) of eggs in my 10g micro reef. The
next day, most of the eggs that haven't been eaten by the Domino Damsel
or Percula hatch out.
<decapsulated eggs? Hopefully>
It takes a
couple of days for the filter feeders and fish
to track down the
rest, but it seems to make everyone happy.
I was wondering if, in
addition to a phyto supplement, if you think the eggs/hatched baby brine
shrimp would be eaten by the scallop.
<I am sure they will not>
On a similar note, in your opinion would the scallop be better in a high
or mid-low flow area (powerhead on them maybe?).
<higher flow is
better>
Thanks! Sincerely, Mark Ristine
<kindly, Anthony>
All the Way to Alaska - Hitchhiker
Good Evening from Alaska,
<cheers, mate>
I got me a great live rock the other day. I was
attracted to it because it had an empty bi-valve shell open on (very
pretty), had two attached closed shells on it and it was covered with
coralline algae. So, about a week later, after my Frogspawn kept getting
knocked over, I went to perch it back against the shell rock and noticed
that the shells moved, and the reason my Frogspawn kept falling. Based
on my own previous experience of harvesting oysters and clams in Hood
Canal, WA, it seems to me these are oysters. The closest I can find on
your site is this: Spondylus violacescens. Apparently the rock came from
Fiji.
<interesting>
So, I feed with DT's about 3 times per week,
and with frozen Invert Food about 2 times per week. Since I noticed the
little critters, I have been target feeding them also when I feed the
rest of my corals.
<you were (or at least may have been) lucky to get
no worse hitchhikers for lack of QT for this rock. Yikes! Please heed
this strictly my friend... QT all new livestock, rock, fishes, corals,
etc. (anything wet!) faithfully for 4+ weeks to prevent the risk of
introducing disease, parasites, predators, etc>
46 gal, established
tank. The largest fish in here is Briny, the Bi-color Blenny. Frogspawn
is my most "elegant" coral, with mostly mushrooms, green star polyps and
some clove polyps.
Is my current feeding going to accommodate these
critters, or should I target feed daily?
<hard to say... I'd feel
better with live cultures of rotifers and/or phyto. But DTs is a fine
product. Consider a refugium too>
Do I need to consider mashing up
some seafood for it?
<not likely... particle size will still be too
large. Such filter-feeders favor nanoplankton>
Thanks so much
(again). Sher H.
<kindly, Anthony> Electric scallops
Have read all info on bivalves on your site.. am ashamed to admit I
bought an Electric scallop and THEN decided to worry about the care and
feeding. After reading about dirty water...bivalves like that, turn off
your skimmer... it takes away the things that bivalves like .. I
wondered if you could feed the bivalves skimmer scum?? Maybe this is a
dumb question? Thanks!!
<It is. Bob Fenner> Re:
What can you do... (Daily Email image from WWM)
Nice photo.
Question, I just received some Acro's from Fiji, and one head has two
quarter sized oysters/clams imbedded in the head. Do I need to feed
them?
Are they photosynthetic?
<Likely not photosynthetic... and
wouldn't do much to feed them... other foods... flake, phytoplankton if
you feed it, will get to them... as well as materials produced
endogenously in your system. If enough, they will live. Bob Fenner>
Thanks Bob,
Todd What is it?
Hello; How are you?
<hungry and sleepy but still happy. Thanks for asking... I hope you are
well too:) >
I was wondering if you could help me identify something
on my live rock.
<I can and will or I'll make up something very
convincing>
I have a 29 gallon tank, with 25 lbs of live rock. It is
hard to describe in words but I will try. Last night, my emerald crab
was eating stuff off the top of one of the live rocks. As I watched him
move around, he touched the top most part of the rock with his claw. (it
is kind of a pointed section on top of the rock.) When he touched this
part, it sank down into the rest of the rock. When this happened,
it
scared him, and he ran down off the rock. After about a minute the
pointed section rose back up to where it was before he touched it. Is
this some type of bi-valve such as a clam or oyster.
<Where is the
rock from? If Atlantic, reference the Turkey Wing (Arca zebra) ... quite
common>
It just looks like the rest of the rock to me, and I had no
idea there was something living there. After searching my tank, I found
a couple other places where the rock is moving. (I guess another reason
to call it live rock!!!)
<bingo... hand that man a stinky Kewpie
doll>
If they are bi-valves, will they survive by adding phyto
plankton to the water?
<yes... but bottled phyto must be whisked in a
blender before every use to reduce particle size or it is hardly useful.
Hmmm... don't read that on all the bottles do you :) Research shows...>
Thanks for all your help (both now and my past questions), Kevin
<best regards, Anthony> Re: Arca zebra
Thanks Anthony,
on the speedy reply.
<my great pleasure>
What you wrote was right
along my thinking.
<are you sure that you just aren't feeling gassy
instead?>
These guys really aren't going to like burst of water from
a turkey baster. They close up when a shadow passes.
<exactly>
Not that I blame them.
<yep... the shadow or unnatural and "large"
burst of water indicate a potential predator>
I have a degree in
biology (wanted to be a marine biologist...sometimes life just doesn't
work out)
<I understand... and Mariah Carrey wanted to be a singer>
so I figured that phytoplankton would be my best bet.
<agreed>
Right now I have a bloom of diatom algae so they are probably ok for
now.
<helpful>
Naturally, I'd like to rid myself of the algal
bloom and then will have to actually feed them. These guys are pretty
cool and I'd hate to lose them, especially since that end will probably
wipe out my tank.
<indeed a significant mass to be rotting suddenly>
I plan on adding a refugium to my setup anyway, so I'm glad that you
think this will help.
<very much so with the right plants... do
avoid Caulerpa for this purpose at least>
But, in the meantime, I may
buy some phyto and blenderize it. I'm looking forward to you being at
That Fish Place in Lancaster, PA later this month. Perhaps we'll get any
opportunity to chat there.
<Looking forward to it!>
Thanks again,
Mike
<with kind regards, Anthony> Arca zebra- Turkey Wing
Bivalve
Hello to whomever is answering mail today,
<cheers>
I've read over the mollusk/bivalve section and various FAQs but I can't
find anything on the maintenance of Arca zebra.
<like most
aposymbiotic reef animals they are very challenging in captivity in most
tanks due to their obligate filter feeding habits>
I have four of
them that hitched a ride with my live rock.
<yes... commonly
imported on rock from the Atlantic>
Should I feed them via a turkey
baster arrangement or will they get along by filtering the water in the
tank as is?
<neither. Target feeding is too large (particle size)
and too frightful (they will pull in before accept the unnatural burst
of water). They also will not survive without feeding although many live
in reef tanks for even a year or more unassisted (most however do not).
They feed on nanoplankton and perhaps mostly phytoplankton. Aquaria that
grow a lot of microalgae (plagued tanks) can usually keep these animals
well! (spores, epiphytic material floating around, etc). You can help
this animal by having a seagrass refugium or other type of phyto
reactor. Bottled phyto products are only suitable if you run them
through an electric blender with every feeding to get particle size down
(no fun)>
BTW, I had no idea that they are mobile critters. One of
mine decided it liked a spot about 6" away from where I originally put
it. It did this overnight. Just what I need...an insomniac bivalve.<G>
Thanks, Mike
<do enjoy this fascinating creature. Best regards in
your endeavors. Anthony> Flaming Red Sea Scallop
Hello
wanted to ask a few questions, purchased a beautiful flaming red sea
scallop to put in our existing established 75 gallon saltwater tank.
<Did you look into the care and historically poor survival rate for this
creature first?>
Could you please go into detail for me about any
special care and feeding?
<Daily feedings of rotifers and baby brine
shrimp maybe enough to get this creature to survive.>
Also would like
to know how they breed, was thinking of getting another...
<Please
don't. There is no record of breeding these in captivity that I am aware
of because they all die prematurely from starvation.>
Also any
special care or feeding I should know for the small spiny urchin?
<Do
please see here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/urchins.htm regarding and
follow on through the linked FAQ file.>
Thank you, Tawny
<You are
welcome.>
Hope you can answer me privately and not on the website :)
<We reply to all the emails, plus post and archive them on the website
to enlighten others.>
Also my fish store does not sell coral sand for
my smaller tank which houses the seahorses. My husband wanted me to ask,
if he could gather sand from the lakeshore here in Canada, and wash it
with boiling water, if it would be safe to use in the seahorse tank.
<I would not do it.>
It would be fresh water sand that he would be
gathering.
<It is the potential for metal contamination or residues
that I would be most concerned about. At the very least, it is silica
sand and a calcium based product would be best. I would peruse the links
page of www.WetWebMedia.com for e-tailers selling sand or possibly go to
the ESV and CaribSea pages looking for links to companies that sell
their sand. -Steven Pro> Re: flame scallop foods
Hey
folks, if I sent my old emails with this it would be huge, but, I'm the
kid who writes in about running a 75 marine tank at Roanoke College.
We've had great success for the past 18 months. I just found out our
colt coral is splitting itself into about 4 pieces- a very healthy
animal so far, I'm hoping this is a good sign. the new care taker just
bought a flame scallop...ugh, I know. we have good water chem- as in
zero's across the board, so I'm not worried too much about that. I've
searched and read and again, actually I've read all of the daily faq's
for about 3-4 months now with the rest of my email) but what do these
things eat? I'm really hoping we can keep this guy alive.
thanks,
mike Barrett
<Fine plankton (zoo mainly) of nano to about 10 micron
size. The few folks I've seen keep them for any period of time (rather
than the weeks to a couple of months it takes for simple starvation),
have had good (relative) size refugiums with well-established DSBs. Bob
Fenner> Jewel box clam 10/16/03
Hello, I just recently
got some live rock from Tampa bay saltwater, When I was observing the
rock in a quarantine tank I noticed what looks like siphons coming out
of a few rocks, they told me these were Jewel box clams?
<very
common... actually fairly hardy for being non-photosynthetic>
I have
not been able to find out much about these as far as care and
requirements.
<they are obligate filter-feeders. You will want/need
to have a fishless refugium plumbed inline to the display and/or have a
deep sand bed for producing plankton and nutrients to sustain them. Most
bottled supplements will not adequately feed them. You might try DTs
phytoplankton though>
I have placed the rock in my refugium and all
appears to be
fine. Do you know anything about these or where I can
find more info. As always thanks.
<we do have a solid chapter on care
for bivalves in our new book Reef Invertebrates (Calfo and Fenner). I
would also suggest you explore the message boards for fellow enthusiasts
of filter-feeders. Many such folks there. Best regards, Anthony>
- Feeding a Flame Scallop -
Hello, hope you're doing well.
<Hello, JasonC here...> Before I start, yes I read all of the FAQs about
flame scallops kind of after the fact.... <Ok...>
I collected a small
flame scallop when I was snorkeling the other day and its now trying to
find a suitable perch to feed from. It is my understanding that they
need zoo-plankton in order to survive for any period of time. I read
the FAQs and came away a bit confused and frustrated. <Ok...>
So
please enlighten me, do flame scallops need to be fed with blenderized
plankton or can they also feed on baby brine shrimp? <Either/or... baby
brine shrimp are smaller than zooplankton, hence the need for the
blender. It's all about particle size.> These were both listed as food
items and I thought they were a little contrary since one says that the
plankton needs to be "whisked in a blender" or it will be too large for
the scallop to feed on. Another article says you can feed them baby
brine shrimp (which you can see with your naked eye), so I'm
confused. ??? <Zooplankton is likewise visible, plankton is not.>
I
have been dosing my tank every other day with DT's concentrated,
refrigerated plankton. My open brains and other things love me for
it. My tank is very well established and full of filter feeding
critters including some sponge-like tunicates. Also how do scallops
reproduce in the wild? <Sexually, by releasing sperm and eggs into the
water.>
Side question: Do you think blue/red-legged hermit crabs
would feed on delicate colonial tunicates (grow of Florida turtle grass,
bright orange, yellow, etc)? <Hard to predict but a possibility if it
runs out of other things to eat. There's not a crab on the planet that
isn't opportunistic.>
Thanks so much. Hope you can clear this up for
me.
Morgan
<Cheers, J -- > -Photosynthetic clams on
Caribbean aquacultured rock!?-
Hello, I have received some live
rock from the great Gulf-view. Once again they have come through and
wonderfully I might add. <So I've heard> I am just wondering about some
turkey wing clams I got with them. I heard clams need strong amounts of
light, as well as very tiny food. <Well, Tridacnid clams (aka giant
clams from the Pacific, NOT the Atlantic where this rock is from)
require intense lighting because they are also photosynthetic. The
mollusks you have are simply filter feeders that will eat tiny suspended
foods like phytoplankton. I would suggest purchasing a few different
brands of phyto if you plan on keeping this critter alive.> I was
wondering if I could just use water changes of natural sea water to get
the phytoplankton they need to eat rather than having to either throw em
to the fishes before they die. <Pick up some DT's live phyto, ESV's
spray dried phyto, and liquid life USA's Bio-plankton as some examples.>
and what type of light would they need? thank you for your help. <Good
luck! -Kevin> Anthony Flaming New Inhabitant
<Hello, Ryan with you today>
Hello! Numerous thanks for this
website!! I have first searched with google
but couldn't find my
exact problem, I apologize if their is a post that
already exists)<No
worries> As it may happen all so often I bought a flame scallop from a
pet
store. I asked the man working there how to care for it and he
said 'oh they eat
just about anything, Dt's phytoplankton is good'
<Sigh> Well thanks to your website
and further research I now know
that is not true. I am feeding it DTs through a
pipette 2x a week.
<If it's eating, that's half the battle> It is in a peaceful
environment, healthy live rock, one
clown who does not bother it and
a little crab who also leaves it alone. <Keep your eye on that crab...>
I test
my water quality once a week and all of my nitrates/nitrites
ammonia etc... are
all great. <A little vague> My salinity is at .20
which seems to be good for the fish and the
scallop. <I prefer to
keep mine a little closer to ocean levels>
What else should I feed
it? <With a refugium is ideal. Other than that, the finer you can get
the better. Perhaps a product called Cyclop-eeze would be
useful. Bivalves consume very small particles. The smaller the
particles you feed, the more the animal will be able to consume.>
Since he is a little jumpy how can I perform a water change and not
stress
the little guy out? <Turn out the lights first, move very
slowly. Lima scabra, sold as a flame scallop, has a dismal survival
rate, so please research as much as possible:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bivalvia.htm>
I appreciate all the
help and I have learned my lesson about trusting the
advice of the
pet store!!
<Sadly, they're still in the business of making
money. Have a good day, Ryan>
Sincerely,
Justine
p.s. I
recently wrote in about a fire worm problem but just caught 3 last
night with the plastic trap) <Great news!>
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