# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna >  filter feeder - clams

## ole

hi, anyone tried using clams to clean freshwater aquarium?

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## kurty

yeah, me..

i have 5 clams which i kept with shrimps. so far so good, nature filtration.

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## ole

hi kurty,

how long have you kept them inside for?
do you still use the typical filter systems?
others mentioned that insufficient waste in the water kills clams / oysters. do u have similar problems at all?

thanks!!!

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## ole

freshwater right?

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## diazman

Have them in my HOF compartment. Crystal clear waters, minimum debris in the tank after they are introduced. Occasionally feed them algae wafers  :Smile:

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## mUAr_cHEe

> yeah, me..
> 
> i have 5 clams which i kept with shrimps. so far so good, nature filtration.


Where did you get the clams? Got picture?

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## mUAr_cHEe

Ole, I think I know what you are trying to achieve here. I also have been doing some reading up on clams as I am interested to keep them too but for a different purpose.

Take a look at this piece.

I think there are a few good points in there which other write-ups do not emphasize: Clams are more of an animal rather than a plant. They do take in some nutrients but at the end of the day, they do generate waste (ammonia) unlike plants.

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## ole

Hey Muar_chee, thanks for the piece.

Actually i'm trying to do a water treatment/purification system involving hydrophonics farming and clams to treat the algae-infested waters in my school pond. Something small scale that i can try to assemble to treat a small quantity of water at a time that i take out of the pond.

I was thinking of placing the clams at the bottom layer while the roots of the plants are on top of them. So when the pond water go pass them, the clams can eat the algae and other micro-organism while the roots can absorb the nitrate etc. Cycle the water a few times and that its possibly clean enough for other uses. Drinking wise... bit tough but plausible if done well enough.

I'll be filtering the water with oyster shells, big pebbles, fine gravel then fish net before allowing the water to flow into this layer of plant roots / clams.

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## kurty

this is what i did,

a nano tank, shrimps and baracos (if i got their names correctly)

i got them from a member here, FOC. only took 5
build a mini nest for them, occasionally will dose some food in the nest but usually the shrimps will have them instead.

Attachment 44904Attachment 44905

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## ole

hey kurty,

looks simple and neat. what's inside the green netting?

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## ole

hey muar_chee,

this is the filtration set-up i'm planning involving clams and plants. just a rough sketch.

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## ole

hey muar_chee,
Biofilter plan.pdf
this is the filtration set-up i'm planning involving clams and plants. just a rough sketch.

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## kurty

> hey kurty,
> 
> looks simple and neat. what's inside the green netting?


 thank you for the kind words, its flame moss.

i actually fill the remaining lava rock with riccia.

didn't do anything much, the fishs and shrimps look happy and eating well.
waiting for them to produce.
i started off with cherry shrimps, notice that some actually evolve to fire red color.

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## mUAr_cHEe

> Hey Muar_chee, thanks for the piece.


You are welcome.




> Actually i'm trying to do a water treatment/purification system involving hydrophonics farming and clams to treat the algae-infested waters in my school pond.


Ok. That is so not what I am thinking. I am so way off.


But this is exciting and I would love to be a part of it. The idea is actually very cool but I am not sure if the water is actually treated or not.

You definitely will not be getting potable water with this set up as there would still be bacteria and other microscopic organisms at the end of the filtration system. The only way to get pure drinkable water is still by RO/DI.

I can only think of the water to be suitable for watering usage in the garden or to be used back in the pond.

Regardless, I still think it is damn cool and I wish I had a teacher just like you. Then again, if I were that age again, I am still not paying attention half the time to my teachers unless they are of the opposite gender and are pushing the boundaries of their dress code.  :Kiss:

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## mUAr_cHEe

> i got them from a member here, FOC. only took 5


Looks like my idol's clams. I am keeping a lookout for these. I actually might prefer those with darker shells.

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## kurty

> Looks like my idol's clams. I am keeping a lookout for these. I actually might prefer those with darker shells.


he got it from C328, you can try your luck there.

not bad, home grown lala  :Very Happy:

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## Urban Aquaria

Clams can be used to help eat suspended food particles/algae and microscopic phytoplankton/zooplankton (they will really prosper in green water conditions)... though you have to keep a watch on them as they do need constant food circulated around them, if their specific food sources are depleted they will gradually waste away and die (releasing ammonia as they rot).

Here are a group of golden clams in my planted tank setup...



More details on them in this thread post: http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum/showthread.php/105464-64-Litre-quot-Forest-Edge-quot-Tank!?p=769890#post769890

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## solidbrik

Can get those live market clams? Aka lala..

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## Urban Aquaria

> Can get those live market clams? Aka lala..


Not sure about the market ones... i guess you just have to check with the sellers to make sure they are freshwater species.

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## mUAr_cHEe

UA (Idol), where did you get yours?

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## ole

hey muar_chee,

we are actually thinking of giving a set of criteria for students to achieve to score points. if they can obtain drinkable water, that will be ideal. but they will probably lose marks on energy consumption and capacity/time area. I'm now trying to do a system so that internally we know that it can be done before assigning the task to the students.

i just tested the pond water with my dataloggers
Nitrate ~ 1.7 mg/l
Ammonium ~ 8 mg/l
pH ~ 7.8 (though i think got problem, coz it measure pH of my distilled water to be 9. :Cool: 

1.5 weeks ago the water was very murky. now its "a bit" clear. I suspect that all the algae died out and decomposed to give the high ammonium level now. Another 1 week later, when the ammonium break down to form nitrate, there will be another algae bloom.

I guess this has to do with water parameters. But anyone has anything to add?

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## Urban Aquaria

> UA (Idol), where did you get yours?


I got mine from C328 too... they are usually packed in small bags and hung above the koi tub, along with the bags of feeder snails and fishes.

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## mUAr_cHEe

> we are actually thinking of giving a set of criteria for students to achieve to score points.



Is said set of students JC or secondary students?

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## mUAr_cHEe

> I got mine from C328 too... they are usually packed in small bags and hung above the koi tub, along with the bags of feeder snails and fishes.


Ok. Thank you. I will keep a look out.

*makes mental note to stake out C328 and Fishy Business for glimpse of idol*

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## jiajuen900

> hey muar_chee,
> 
> we are actually thinking of giving a set of criteria for students to achieve to score points. if they can obtain drinkable water, that will be ideal. but they will probably lose marks on energy consumption and capacity/time area. I'm now trying to do a system so that internally we know that it can be done before assigning the task to the students.
> 
> i just tested the pond water with my dataloggers
> Nitrate ~ 1.7 mg/l
> Ammonium ~ 8 mg/l
> pH ~ 7.8 (though i think got problem, coz it measure pH of my distilled water to be 9.
> 
> ...


Sounds very interesting. I wish I had done something similar when I was in secondary school  :Razz: .

With regards to freshwater clams, although they can help clear the water, there might be some concerns that the clams might foul the water even more if they were to die and it might not be easy to tell if they are alive  :Opps: . I haven't kept them before so I'm not completely sure about their effectiveness, but that is from what I have read on them.

I have some experience with ponds (having one at home), high nitrates in the pond does not always result in an algae bloom. Could be due to many other factors such as intense sunlight or high temperatures (I have realized that some algae break outs occur during our occasional heat waves). Usually any form of disruption to the balance of the ecosystem will result in some form of algae.

I think the diagram looks great. Can also consider adding activated carbon or barley.

heres an article about use of barley to clear pond water

http://www.clearpond.com/docs/barley_article.html

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## Urban Aquaria

> we are actually thinking of giving a set of criteria for students to achieve to score points. if they can obtain drinkable water, that will be ideal. but they will probably lose marks on energy consumption and capacity/time area. I'm now trying to do a system so that internally we know that it can be done before assigning the task to the students.
> 
> i just tested the pond water with my dataloggers
> Nitrate ~ 1.7 mg/l
> Ammonium ~ 8 mg/l
> pH ~ 7.8 (though i think got problem, coz it measure pH of my distilled water to be 9.
> 
> 1.5 weeks ago the water was very murky. now its "a bit" clear. I suspect that all the algae died out and decomposed to give the high ammonium level now. Another 1 week later, when the ammonium break down to form nitrate, there will be another algae bloom.
> 
> I guess this has to do with water parameters. But anyone has anything to add?


Sounds like the pond was setup recently? It was probably going through either a bacterial bloom or algae bloom during the initial cycling stages, hence the cloudy water. Both bacterial or algae die-out can create spikes in ammonia, which is a normal process when a pond is still cycling. Just have to wait until the pond is cycled and parameters are stable before you start the water filtration experiments (it'll reduce the possible wild variations that accompany fluctuating parameters).

Btw, i'm assuming you'll also be using a TDS meter for the grading too? The amount of reduction in TDS levels in processed water is usually the main testing/grading criteria to find out the overall raw efficiency of a filtration system. The other parameters would be used to find out the specific efficiency of the different filtration stages and awarded additional points accordingly.

Its really good that your students get to run these experiments and learn about how a filtration system works and how to optimize it, they will make great aquarists in the future if they decide to pick up the hobby. I also wish i had such lessons when i was at school too!  :Well done:

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## ole

hey muar_chee, its secondary school. we are probably cool with students just using basic filtration system with pebbles to clear up the water since they learn filtration and other separation techniques in sec 3. but gonna see if there's ways for them to excel beyond so that we can include them in the assessment rubrics.

hey jiajuen, interesting about the barley straws. where can you get them in singapore?

hey urban aquaria, what is TDS?

Actually the pond been around since 2012. the idea was that its a pond that has a basic filtration system to generate running water while the rest of it will be left on its own for it to be eco-independent. but people threw in terrapins and carp. then the admin staff, cafe operator etc all start to throw bread in to feed them. In june, all the carps died when algae bloom occurred. 

now my boss want to treat the pond but she gave it to this guy who wants to use UV light to solve the problem. i think its going to cause algae to die, breakdown and give out lots nitrates etc, then cause more algae bloom and the cycle repeats. but oh well... what am i to say?

nonetheless, my subject team is wanting to use it as part of an alternate assessment for students as an extension to their learning for chemistry. if the set-up i propose work, maybe we will apply it to the rest of the pond. as an aquarist, it pains me to see it in such state.

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## Urban Aquaria

> hey urban aquaria, what is TDS?


TDS is total dissolved solids... its the measure of everything in the water, all the particles, metals, salts, minerals, organic/inorganic compounds, chemicals etc. 

The higher the TDS the more stuff (both good and bad) in the water, the lower the TDS, the more "pure" the water. When water is processed through a multi-stage reverse osmosis and deionization system (RO/DI), it lowers the TDS levels as the contaminants are removed. 

Just an example, the TDS of our local tap water usually ranges around 50-130 TDS (depending on the source water supply and the age of the pipes in building). The pure distilled water that we buy from supermarkets usually have 0 TDS (or close to it).

For any water filtration or water purification process, TDS is the main method to test their filtration efficiency and water purity.

You can buy a TDS meter to measure TDS levels, they are not expensive, usually around $20-$30 from eBay or Amazon. Can buy them locally at most LFS or pond shops too.

Here are some useful info links for reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_dissolved_solids

http://www.tdsmeter.com/what-is

http://www.water-research.net/index....ssolved-solids





> Actually the pond been around since 2012. the idea was that its a pond that has a basic filtration system to generate running water while the rest of it will be left on its own for it to be eco-independent. but people threw in terrapins and carp. then the admin staff, cafe operator etc all start to throw bread in to feed them. In june, all the carps died when algae bloom occurred. 
> 
> now my boss want to treat the pond but she gave it to this guy who wants to use UV light to solve the problem. i think its going to cause algae to die, breakdown and give out lots nitrates etc, then cause more algae bloom and the cycle repeats. but oh well... what am i to say?
> 
> nonetheless, my subject team is wanting to use it as part of an alternate assessment for students as an extension to their learning for chemistry. if the set-up i propose work, maybe we will apply it to the rest of the pond. as an aquarist, it pains me to see it in such state.


I see... yeah, when a pond is left on its own without sufficient maintenance and filtration, and people keep adding in more and more stuff without control into the closed eco-system, it unbalances it very quickly and there is bound to be an unhealthy build up of toxic parameters.

UV filtration is commonly recommended by pond shops because its the fastest way to kill harmful bacteria and suspended algae, so it works to some extent as a short term solution, but you are right in knowing that the core issues will still be present... for the long-term, there would still be a real need to improve the pond filtration (have to install a proper pond quality filtration system and get someone to clean/maintain it regularly), and set some rules to stop people continuously putting in livestock and overfeeding them (which is the toughest part because everyone likes to feed the fishes, haha).  :Grin: 

Your filtration experiments for the students to try out will be very educational. I guess you could get the students to use their knowledge gained to help setup a full multi-stage filtration system for the pond and then get them to take turns maintaining it, that would definitely make a huge difference in the overall health of the pond.

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## jiajuen900

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be available locally. Can get online though.

http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Barley.../dp/B00CJHRCLC

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## seudzar

Guys, do you know that borneowild got this barley straws for shrimps for sales? Check out green chapter

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## Gavan

I would suggest that you do not get clams from the market. your common lala is definitely not freshwater species! if you don't believe, you are welcome to check the source, which is Jurong/Senoko fish ports  :Wink:

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## mUAr_cHEe

Cikgu Ole, for the longevity of the project, I'd also suggest maintaining a blog and letting the students update the progress there. This way, it can be passed on batch to batch. Secondary 3 students will be the 'do-ers', Secondary 4 students will be 'consultants' so that it would not interfere with their 'O' and 'N' Levels preparations. The blog will not only keep a log of what has been done but it also serves as an educational platform to the others.

You might have already thought of this though. Just trying to help. By the way, although it is not teacher's day but I would just like to commend you on this. I really admire what you do and it takes alot of dedication and passion to keep you at your job.

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## rainbatt

Great information, will try it out when I can get my hands on some clams.

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## felix_fx2

Anyone spotted them in c328?

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## Gavan

nvr noticed. but honestly I don't like koi so I just pass by the koi "tank" all the time

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## mUAr_cHEe

> Anyone spotted them in c328?


Not yet. I have been visiting but I did not spot any.

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## felix_fx2

> Not yet. I have been visiting but I did not spot any.


Dropped by Seaview, no stocks since very long ago. 
Asked worker got still see, he said very long never bring in.

That leaves just c328, which is far for me.. Thou I do really need 6-8 of them for my precious farms...

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## kurty

3 of my clams just passed on..

only left 2, don't know what's wrong with them..

i feed them by dropping a pellet next to them, is that correct?

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## mUAr_cHEe

> That leaves just c328, which is far for me.. Thou I do really need 6-8 of them for my precious farms...


I will keep a lookout for you, boss. If you'd like, I will buy for your first too then we can arrange a meet up.

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## mUAr_cHEe

> i feed them by dropping a pellet next to them, is that correct?


It sounds wrong, they should only be feeding off the water column or algae according to my last research. Maybe some kind of microscopic feed at most? I will do some more research and post back here when I get the time. A little busy today.

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## felix_fx2

> I will keep a lookout for you, boss. If you'd like, I will buy for your first too then we can arrange a meet up.


Yes, that would be awesome. 

Funny fact, I actually see them breed... 1 rescape.. Alot died...

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## mUAr_cHEe

> Funny fact, I actually see them breed... 1 rescape.. Alot died...



Could it be an Ammonia spike due to disturbance of the substrate?

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## felix_fx2

> Could it be an Ammonia spike due to disturbance of the substrate?


Might be, but I dosed some other stuff too.. Like algae exit... 

Now left 1 clam, not sure if it can even breed anot. Too lazy Google also..

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## mUAr_cHEe

> Now left 1 clam, not sure if it can even breed anot. Too lazy Google also..


From what I remember, you do need a pair for breeding. They reproduce parasitic larvae which hitchhike in the fishes' gills for distribution. Not much material is available for fresh water clams as there are not much documented species out there. They are mostly salt-water.

Interestingly, there are more materials on mussels but not that much more. They are in the same family: Unionioda.

I will post more later. Shoot. I keep getting distracted.

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## Urban Aquaria

> 3 of my clams just passed on..
> 
> only left 2, don't know what's wrong with them..
> 
> i feed them by dropping a pellet next to them, is that correct?


They consume food particles and phytoplankton/zooplankton that drift into the path of their filter mouths, so its best t create lots of flow and circulation around them. 

Dropping a pellet next to them may help once the pellet breaks apart into tiny particles, though the particles still need to be circulated into their mouths or else they wouldn't eat it. What some people do is crush pellets or use fish fry power food and mix in a small cup of water, then use a pipette to suck up the power mix and squirt over the clam to feed them.

Another way is to culture green water (just fill a glass jar of tank water with overdose of fertilizers, then put outside under the direct sun for a few days), then use the pipette to feed the algae-rich green water to the clams.

Though i find that if they are introduced to an established mature tank (ie. > 6 mths old) with seasoned filtration that has already accumulated lots of dirt and debris, the flow from the filter would usually already bring them lots of microscopic suspended food to sustain them.

Do note that these golden clams are still susceptible to the effects of tank cycles and toxic parameters, they actually also need clean cycled water to live in just like fishes and shrimps, the only difference is they are filter feeders and not very mobile, so require more specific food sources.

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## Urban Aquaria

> From what I remember, you do need a pair for breeding. They reproduce parasitic larvae which hitchhike in the fishes' gills for distribution. Not much material is available for fresh water clams as there are not much documented species out there. They are mostly salt-water.
> 
> Interestingly, there are more materials on mussels but not that much more. They are in the same family: Unionioda.
> 
> I will post more later. Shoot. I keep getting distracted.


From what i've read, some of the mussel and clam species do have this parasitic gill larvae issue... but for the asian golden clams, their young apparently just grow inside the parent clam's gills then once they are old enough, they get spat out and continue growing from there.

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## kurty

Ua,

Just to make sure, when the clams died.. they will open in full?

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## mUAr_cHEe

> Ua,
> 
> Just to make sure, when the clams died.. they will open in full?


Although I am not idol, I know this answer.

Yes. They do. The muscles have all relaxed and they are just opened. Like when you are having trouble opening cockles, you know they are still alive.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Ua,
> 
> Just to make sure, when the clams died.. they will open in full?


Yeah, the indication of a dead clam is if its shell is wide open (like when they are cooked), as the muscles that keep the shell closed will not be working anymore.

If the clam shell is only slightly open or if you touch it and it shuts tightly, then its still alive.

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## Gavan

seniors correct me if I'm wrong, but I think if clams die in a tightly-shut position, they can be very tough to open as well. much like normal human bodies going rigid. unless, of course you rip the adductor muscles of the clams open.

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## Urban Aquaria

> seniors correct me if I'm wrong, but I think if clams die in a tightly-shut position, they can be very tough to open as well. much like normal human bodies going rigid. unless, of course you rip the adductor muscles of the clams open.


That is possible too... i don't eat clams which are still closed after being cooked, good chance that those already died before being cooked.

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## seudzar

> seniors correct me if I'm wrong, but I think if clams die in a tightly-shut position, they can be very tough to open as well. much like normal human bodies going rigid. unless, of course you rip the adductor muscles of the clams open.


If the clam died in tightly shut position, it should mean they died not long ago, as times goes by, the meat will rot and the shell will open wide

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## mUAr_cHEe

I went to C328 last night and there is no stock still. I asked the lady boss and she says that she does not know when the clams will come in. She will bring in if it is available to her. According to her, there is delivery everyday at C328.

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## mUAr_cHEe

Aquatic Avenue brought in some clams.

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## mUAr_cHEe



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## Berny

YES! my wish has been granted, shall grab them tomorrow

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## mUAr_cHEe

I dropped 8 clams in my tank last night and there was only 6 visible ones on the sand this morning. I guess 2 already went 'down under'.

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## Gavan

haha you made damn sure to buy up enough clams for yourself. for disappearing clams, try to keep a look out for their siphons sticking out at surface. these look like pretty "advanced" clams which should have well developed siphons that they use to draw in water and food along with it. especially if they're burrowing clams. they filter out food with their internal gills  :Smile:

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## mUAr_cHEe

> haha you made damn sure to buy up enough clams for yourself.


No. I only bought 8. They should have 42 left but some are already dropped in their display tank. There are plenty to go around still. I spoke to Gabriel and he is surprised that there is such a demand for clams. We got to thank a certain dedicated 'cik-gu' for this but I am pretty sure he is enjoying his holidays for now.  :Grin: 




> for disappearing clams, try to keep a look out for their siphons sticking out at surface. these look like pretty "advanced" clams which should have well developed siphons that they use to draw in water and food along with it. especially if they're burrowing clams. they filter out food with their internal gills


Yup. I figured that out as much from my research before although I did understand some information wrongly.I am actually more worried about the clams that have not burrowed into the tank. I hope that it is not because their foot is no long enough to grab the sand to pull themselves in as some of them are lying on their side. I do not want to handle them excessively. I will continue to monitor. Will post updates on my thread soon.

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## Gavan

> No. I only bought 8. They should have 42 left but some are already dropped in their display tank. There are plenty to go around still. I spoke to Gabriel and he is surprised that there is such a demand for clams. We got to thank a certain dedicated 'cik-gu' for this but I am pretty sure he is enjoying his holidays for now.


my dialect not so strong don't understand what is cik-gu  :Razz: 





> Yup. I figured that out as much from my research before although I did understand some information wrongly.I am actually more worried about the clams that have not burrowed into the tank. I hope that it is not because their foot is no long enough to grab the sand to pull themselves in as some of them are lying on their side. I do not want to handle them excessively. I will continue to monitor. Will post updates on my thread soon.


oh I think should be okay to move clams around. they'll hardly feel it, literally and non. How you can gauge this, though, is perhaps if you see them trying to stick their muscular foot downwards to push themselves elsewhere (eg propping themselves up) this might mean that they don't like the "king koil" you gave them  :Razz:

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## mUAr_cHEe

> my dialect not so strong don't understand what is cik-gu 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> oh I think should be okay to move clams around. they'll hardly feel it, literally and non. How you can gauge this, though, is perhaps if you see them trying to stick their muscular foot downwards to push themselves elsewhere (eg propping themselves up) this might mean that they don't like the "king koil" you gave them


Cik Gu = Teacher in Malay.

Noted and thank you for the tip.

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## Gavan

ahh. idol idol...

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