Does this Maxima look ok?

[JayM]

I’m not really concerned that it isn’t, but it seems that most people preach that they need 300-400 PAR. I’m fairly certain that it gets nowhere near that. It’s at the top of the tank under about 8” of water with 2 AI Primes mounted about 8” above the water. It’s got a strong reflex to shading. The mantle hangs noticeably over the edge of the shell, but I don’t know if that’s good or bad. And it may be my imagination, but even though I’ve only had it about 3 months, it appears to be growing into the rock that it’s attached to.

 

[Miami Reef]

Does it have new shell growth? 300-400 isn’t required for every maxima clam. Some people have kept them successfully (with growth) at 250 par.

Nevertheless, more par is definitely better for maxima clams.

Remember, if the clam isn’t growing; it’s slowly dying. A clam can look “fine” with flappy mantles, but it doesn’t mean it’s happy. Shell growth is the best indicator IME.

 

[dansyr]

I like how it looks "full" in the end-on view, that's a reassuring sign. But don't see white growth on the side? there should be white, new shell on all sides (mantle side and ends).

For context my most recent small maxima has grown 2 new scutes in the last 3 months. And I'm not that good of a reefer, i think the pros are more like a scute a month. So just looking at the shell on this I would expect a few more scutes for 3 months out of the LFS?

 

[Macbalacano]

It looks happy based on the mantle. But agreed, as long as you see new shell growth then all is well!

 

[minus9]

As mentioned, if there’s no new shell growth, you’re not providing enough light. There should be new shell growth on the upper margins of the shell, all the way. The second pic shows that there’s not much new shell growth, but it’s not the best pic to judge.
New shell growth should look like the ph below.

Granted, this is a crocea, but you can clearly see new growth from end to end.

 

[JayM]

Up until a couple of days ago, new growth was very apparent, but unfortunately I'm seeing a bit more algae than normal and the clam has a bit more on its shell than it usually does. Water parameters are stable, so I'm not entirely sure why. The only thing different now than before is I'm 3 weeks into a fallow period. Not sure if/why that's a factor, but it seems to be. Coralline has really started to ramp up. I'm seeing a couple of new spots every day.

 

[Uncle99]

Being three weeks in a fallow period, are nutrients running at pre-fallow levels. With fish out, a large contributor to nitrates is gone and clams do use nitrate.

Looks fine to me.

 

[Dburr1014]

I like how it looks "full" in the end-on view, that's a reassuring sign. But don't see white growth on the side? there should be white, new shell on all sides (mantle side and ends).

For context my most recent small maxima has grown 2 new scutes in the last 3 months. And I'm not that good of a reefer, i think the pros are more like a scute a month. So just looking at the shell on this I would expect a few more scutes for 3 months out of the LFS?

I've had my maxima clam for almost 5 years.
In those 5 years I have noticed that the clam has growth spurts. Sometimes a small white new growth shell and sometimes a large white new growth shell.
I can't say this happens to everyone or in the wild, I have no idea. There could be a lot of reasons this happens to my clam. Nutrients, lighting, alk/cal swings, to name a few.

Does it have new shell growth? 300-400 isn’t required for every maxima clam. Some people have kept them successfully (with growth) at 250 par.

Nevertheless, more par is definitely better for maxima clams.

Remember, if the clam isn’t growing; it’s slowly dying. A clam can look “fine” with flappy mantles, but it doesn’t mean it’s happy. Shell growth is the best indicator IME.

I can say when I did get it 5 years ago, I only had about 250ish par and now I'm at 350ish par.

 

[JayM]

Being three weeks in a fallow period, are nutrients running at pre-fallow levels. With fish out, a large contributor to nitrates is gone and clams do use nitrate.

Looks fine to me.

Nitrates are down. 5-7 now vs. pre-fallow in the mid-teens to low 20's. Maybe I should be dosing something in the meantime?

 

[Dburr1014]

Nitrates are down. 5-7 now vs. pre-fallow in the mid-teens to low 20's. Maybe I should be dosing something in the meantime?

Maybe ghost feed. Snails and hermits will thank you.

 

[JayM]

Maybe ghost feed. Snails and hermits will thank you.

I've been doing that. Feeding the normal serving size of Reef Frenzy, flakes and pellets, but only a couple of times a week vs. a couple of times a day. I guess I'll bump it up and get the nitrates back into the teens.

 

[Uncle99]

Nitrates are down. 5-7 now vs. pre-fallow in the mid-teens to low 20's. Maybe I should be dosing something in the meantime?

That’s enough IMM but maintaining normal throughout fallow is better from the stability point of view.

You could bump it up a few ppm with something like Neo-Nitro. Easy to employ, more food yes but it takes time to breakdown and become available.

5-7ppm ain’t bad at all as long as the decline stops.
I’d shoot for that.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Is that a monti plate I see beside your clam? I made that mistake 4 years ago, and I've been chipping away at the monti plate ever since. That monti plate is a fast grower, it will grow into the clam very quickly

 

[minus9]

I've had my maxima clam for almost 5 years.
In those 5 years I have noticed that the clam has growth spurts. Sometimes a small white new growth shell and sometimes a large white new growth shell.
I can't say this happens to everyone or in the wild, I have no idea. There could be a lot of reasons this happens to my clam. Nutrients, lighting, alk/cal swings, to name a few.


I can say when I did get it 5 years ago, I only had about 250ish par and now I'm at 350ish par.

This does happen throughout a clam’s life. As long as there’s some growth, you should be fine.
OP: Clams need nitrogen and phosphorus, ghost feeding may not be the best method for supplying N and P, as uneaten food can cause problems, but a little food is fine. Dosing a little ammonium chloride will help and a little goes a long way. RHF has an article here on R2R on how to dose it. But if dosing NO3 and PO4 easier, then pick whatever product you’re comfortable with.

 

[JayM]

Is that a monti plate I see beside your clam? I made that mistake 4 years ago, and I've been chipping away at the monti plate ever since. That monti plate is a fast grower, it will grow into the clam very quickly

It is. Sounds like maybe I should move it before it gets comfortable, as the clam needs to stay where it is.

 

[MartinM]

I repeat this a lot, but clams are 1) vastly more complex organisms with much higher metabolic requirements than coral and also like all non-colonial animals, on average mass increases at the cubic root and surface area to the square root. Not an exact science, but you get the point: the larger the clam, the more light it may need to meet its metabolic needs. A small clam may be ok at 2xx, but eventually may starve at that same par as it increases in mass.

I’ve had clams for over 20 years, and currently have over 30. IME the croceas and maximas do their best at 4xx+.