cleaner clam

[CrownSushi]

I read that cleaner clams help to reduce nitrates.
Besides, it's cool to have, I think...

Some people say they get them from supermarket.
I went Meijer and asked if their clams are alive and they said 'supposed to be alive'
Can I buy these and put them in the tank?
Has anyone tried?

[Slicktrax]

i have not tried the grocery store variety.  i have seen live ones at gerber's on occasion.

[Reefinmike]

best off spending your money on a bag of salt for more water changes. and salt cant die like the clam will. the clam will not take up much nitrate and i believe they are coldwater specis which mean they dont fare well in our warm tanks.

[verper]

best off spending your money on a bag of salt for more water changes. and salt cant die like the clam will. the clam will not take up much nitrate and i believe they are coldwater specis which mean they dont fare well in our warm tanks.

I agree.  I was duped into getting a couple of these at gerbers, and never saw any benefit in my NanoCube.  They both died within 3 months.   

[aquavista99]

I use sandbed clams from Indo-Pacific Sea Farms in Hawaii for both of my SPS reefs.

http://www.ipsf.com/

These are captive-bred, tropical sand clams of the genus Tapes, which actively burrow into the sand and move about by means of a strong muscular foot. They are about 15 mm (5/8 inch) long, and they feed on plankton, detritus and dissolved organic molecules by means of their incurrent siphon, which protrudes slightly from the sand. They have smooth, attractive shells with variable color patterns. In reef tanks and refugia their benefits include stirring (and therefore aerating) the top layer of the sand bed as well as naturally filtering the seawater by consuming dissolved organic substances and suspended detrital particles in the 5-20 micron size range.

The addition of these burrowing clams to the living sand bed increases the diversity of life forms there and as such can be expected to contribute to the long term stablility of the captive reef system.

Recommended stocking rate: 6 SandBed clams per 12 gallons.

[verper]

aquavista99,
do you stock them at the recommeded level?

[Hunter21]

I've never heard of these...anyone have pics of them? as the website doesn't show any

[aquavista99]

I don't have any pictures of the small clams from Indo-Pacific, but they are black in color and they are about the size of a penny. I don't stock them per recommendation because I use other stuff as well, such as numerous brittle sea stars, serpent stars, sea cumcumbers, lots of sponges (came with the liverock from Tampa Bay Saltwater) and large mollusks/jewel box clams (also came with the liverock) as well.