Freeport Clams...Good or Bad (1 Viewer)

[Niko5]

I was down in Freeport today and there were BUNCHES of white clams about 1" around all along the beach... I brought home 3 of them and threw them in alil tank I have nothing in it.. right now.. it was going to be my mantis tank but no mantis.. anyway they have opened up and stuck there tube out... my question is...are they safe? can i put them in my reef tank?

 

[rhane71]

I see nothing wrong with the clam its self. They, the professionals, recommend that you place them in a holding tank to allow them to purge any nasty suff they may be holding like water from the gulf. It's amazing how nasty the water is. I saw on the news the other day that they don't think people should swim or even eat anything caught along the shore line. I, on the other hand, like the way a little Mercury makes me feel before bed time. Unless your clams have legs and sharp teeth you should be fine.

Abran

 

[Guest]

clams

They are probably Coquina Clams, Donax variabilis.

http://www.jaxshells.org/track4.htm

The donax clam (Donax), also known as the coquina clam, is also commonly eaten in broth or chowder. The southern coquina (Donax variabilis), 1 to 2.5 cm long and pink, yellow, blue, white, or mauve, occurs on sandy beaches from Virginia to the Gulf of Mexico. The northern coquina (D. fossor), 6 to 12 mm long, is yellowish white with bluish rays and inhabits shallow waters from Long Island to Cape May, N.J.

 

[Niko5]

Thats pretty close to how it looks Eco-Reef... The ones i got arnt as fat but they could be the same.

 

[Guest]

Clams

Hey Nick will you let me know how they do in your tank?

I've picked up some with my kids several times at Glaveston, but they didn't do well in my FOWLR. (dead after a few weeks or eaten by sea stars)

Thanks,

 

[Niko5]

Alright Ill keep you updated... Im not sure they will do great in the tank they are in now its only a 6 gal lil tank with some live rock..... Im still alittle worried about throwing them into my reef tank... Is there anything to worry about other than the water form galvestion.. could they have paracites or other bad things that could get introduced into my tank?

 

[Guest]

clam watch

Nick,

You got me. I've put all kinds of critters & fish in my 125 FOWLR from the beach without any problems. but then again I don't have any expensive & sensitive corals! We had a fingerling Black Drum get huge & had to return him to open waters. Fun to observe traits & growth.

Anyway I guessed I lost the clams because I don't have enough nutrients in the water colum as the clam are filter feeders.

 

[Guest]

Do a search in Dr. Ron's roum on RC for Coquina clams he has discussed it a few times. Unfortunatly we can not keep them alive for long in our tanks.