Clam Coloring

[oceangirl2009]

I purchased a Deresa over the weekend that had been at the LFS for a couple of months that looks healthy just not very colorful and I got a good deal on him. In your experience do clams ever color up under good lighting or is it a WYSIWYG?

I figured for what I paid I'd take the chance, afterall every clam needs a little love right

 

[Sdoutreefer]

I purchased a Deresa over the weekend that had been at the LFS for a couple of months that looks healthy just not very colorful and I got a good deal on him. In your experience do clams ever color up under good lighting or is it a WYSIWYG?

I figured for what I paid I'd take the chance, afterall every clam needs a little love right

I don't think class color up as corals do. But rather as they get bigger, patterns in their mantle could change. I have a blue maxima, got it when it was about 1.5" now it is about 4" and there is some cool black/silver markings on its mantle. I'm no expert on clams but they do not have the algaes in them that coral do that gives them color. I'm no expert on clams so I could be wrong. I'm sure someone with more knowledge will chime in!

 

[Bry]

Clams definitely have zooxanthellae that gives them their color. I don't know if they "color up" like corals based on their light.

 

[Bry]

Clams definitely have zooxanthellae that gives them their color. I don't know if they "color up" like corals based on their light.

Should say "that helps give them their color"

Hit post too fast

 

[Sdoutreefer]

Should say "that helps give them their color"

Hit post too fast

Yes they do. That's why they depend on photosynthesis. If a clam doesn't have enough light, it doesn't brown out, it dies. If it has too much light, it doesn't bleach, it moves itself into shade. That's the point I was trying to make. Hehe

 

[oceangirl2009]

Thanks guys, I know they have zooxanthellae, I just didn't know if anyone had experience of getting a washed out clam color up after a while.

 

[GHill762]

my clam has changed, and so have other peoples' clams, so they most certainly do color up.. not always for the best...

when I got my crocea a year ago:


this is maybe a month ago (getting darker):


my understanding is that they will darken up with higher light. of course they won't "brown out" or anything, but color shifts are very possible and do happen.

MetroKat (she's known as that on many forums, and has been a reef spotlight for marine depot, maybe reefbuilders, and totm over at NR) had her clam (name oreo) shift in color as well.. so they can and do change colors..

 

[ohio reefer]

For both pictures the left is when the clam was introduced. Same light, same clam, same phone taking the pictures. Both clams have colored up Nicely for me.

 

[oceangirl2009]

Wow, great pics, thanks!