Spot feeding clams

**Cliff** · 10-19-2011, 10:45 PM

I thought I would start a thread to show how I feed my clam. I actually remembered to take some pics this past weekend

As my clam is not quite big enough to be able to be considered completely photosynthetic yet (getting everything he needs from the lighting to survive), I will feed him once every week or two. Based on what I have read, once clams get to 3 to 5 inches, they are less dependent on getting food from the water and can thrive on great water quality and higher lighting levels. Any smaller than that, and they will need to get almost all of there food from the water. If my tank was more mature, I likely would not have to worry too much

I feed my clam a aqua-cultured phytoplankton that has no visible partials in the solution. I will get a syringe, draw some tank water in it, then a very very small amount of the liquid food. In the below pic, the syringe only has about 1/8 to 1/16th (closer to 1/16) of the food in it, and the rest is tank water. When feeding a clam you have to be extremely, extremely careful. It is really easy for their gills to become clogged due to over feeding which is fatel to them. That is why I use such a small amount of food.

I have made a feeding cover for my clam as well. It’s the bottom ½ of a juice jug with a hole drilled in the bottom (now top). I will turn off my powerheads to temporarily reducing the flow in the tank and place the feeding cover over the clam. After about 15 minutes, I will take the syringe and squirt the food into the container through the hole. After 20 to 30 minutes of the clam taken in the food from the water in the cover, I will remove the cover and turn the powerheads back on.

And here he is 2 hours after the feeding, happy as a clam.

**Scrup** · 10-19-2011, 11:51 PM

Nice! This should be stickied!

**frefal13** · 10-20-2011, 12:40 AM

Very good post! Very helpful for feeding smaller clams. I also love the happy as a clam comment at then end =)

**Aeonflame** · 10-20-2011, 12:50 AM

Wow.. I always wondered about that. Thanks for the awesome post Cliff

**Cliff** · 10-20-2011, 03:52 PM

Thanks guys

**smaug** · 10-20-2011, 06:17 PM

Very cool! What light type and wattage do you have on that tank?

**Cliff** · 10-20-2011, 07:26 PM

When I took those pics I had just switched from 6 bulbs of T5HO lighting to my LEDs

So far the clam is still happy under LEDs.

**Strider199** · 10-21-2011, 01:09 AM

A syringe? Great idea Cliff. I used to have a couple of soda straws end to end and get the food for my filter feeders into the straw by inhaling on the top end. I would then get the straw near/over them and slowly exhale until the straw was empty.

I like your way much better and probably safer for both the hobbyist and the filter feeder.

**Cliff** · 10-21-2011, 01:36 AM

Thanks Strider

I like this method because you don't get a lot of un-used food in the water potentially effecting your water parameters. You just have to be very careful not to cause the gills to become all clogged up.

**Strider199** · 10-21-2011, 02:02 AM

The container over your subject is a real bonus. I always hoped the bottled food would not pollute the whole tank. And I always wondered how much of the food actually got captured by the subject I was feeding.

You have this method down to a T.
This really needs to be a "Sticky" for future filter feeder enthusiasts.