How to fix Tridacna clams on rock!

So undemanding Tridacna clams are in general, so stressful it is if they don’t like the selected place in your reef. Clams like Tridacna maxima or Tridacna crocea are in fact able to wander through the reef or just detach from the substrate.

If a clam is free of substrate or if you have bought a new clam, set it on top of a rock, on which it can not fall over. The ground should be as unstructered as possible and without holes. This protects the byssus from predators.

I have long thought to be a rumor, but I made the same experience a few days ago: a place in the sand unfortunately favors the infestation of bristle worms at the bottom of the clams. So the best place should be on a little rock, which rises just above the sand surface. Also I recommend placing the clam on a mobile stone and not directly into the reef, so that the place can be changed if required.

If a clam doesn’t fix itself on the rock, a relocation makes sense.

Tridacna attach themselves by Byssus threads at the reef which they shoot into rock. While attaching, they oftentimes fall aside. If this happens, I’m always using some rocks, which I place around the clam. It should have a little free space to open fully but should be protected from falling over. After 1-2 days normally they have fixed at the new place.

The dissolution of a Tridacna is usually much trickier – we will dedicate even a separate article. However: Careful cutting the byssus threads directly on the substrate with a very sharp utility knife or scalpel is quite possible! We have already done this often and suffered no losses.