Flame scallops?

[icebear]

What makes them so difficult to keep? I always hear that they are...

I'm not really thinking of getting any, but i was curious about what care they need and wondered if anyone here has kept any successfully long term...and what did they do that kept them healthy? Is their care different from giant clams, and if so, how?

thanky!

[Jnicho]

This is essentially what I learned when researching a while back. They are hard to keep but not impossible if the appropriate diet can be target fed regularly.

Lima scabra. Although these animals are called "scallops" they are not related to scallops by anything other than appearance, and are really file clams{scallops swim "forward" while clams swim "backwards"}. In lab test the animals actually seem capable of selecting particles directly by their surface flavor {which is why pea flour and yeast-based aquarium products probably fail at keeping these animals alive}. The primary prey of the animals is invertebrate larvae, and ~75% of larvae were consumed in a given test. A good diet of mixed phytoplankton and enriched rotifers is thought to be appropriate for keeping these animals alive, but I don't think typical aquarium "invert foods" will do the trick. The biggest difference in these animals and the typical "giant clam" species, is that most of the giant clams are also photosynthetic.

[icebear]

so they are discriminate filter feeders? that is interesting...! that means they don't just hoover everything in, but pick and choose, and if you are feeding what they don't 'like' they'd rather starve?


(do the giant clams do this too?)

about the photosynthetic, i have been told that they really are and that "most people don't know that and its why they die"... didn't sound right to me at the time, but i often wondered where that assumption came from.

[Jnicho]

Originally Posted by icebear

so they are discriminate filter feeders? that is interesting...! that means they don't just hoover everything in, but pick and choose, and if you are feeding what they don't 'like' they'd rather starve?


(do the giant clams do this too?)

about the photosynthetic, i have been told that they really are and that "most people don't know that and its why they die"... didn't sound right to me at the time, but i often wondered where that assumption came from.

I've only ever tried to keep one (several years back). It liked to hide behind and under rocks, so I would really challenge the notion that they are at all photosynthetic. They can "swim" quite well and no matter where I put it, it would end up back in some dimly lit area. I kept mine approx. six months, and watched it slowly wither away until it became so weak that a serpent star had what was left for lunch...and that was even with an attempt at target feeding. IMO definitely a beautiful animal, but one that should be left in the ocean.

[Loverotties]

They just don't live long in tanks(6 months)Just don't have the right food and equipment to survive like in the ocean.

[Fly Guy]

The only people I know of who are regularly successful with them are people who are experienced in keeping non photosynthetic tanks

I believe they can be kept without too much difficulty, but not in your average reef set up. They shouldnt even be sold in LFS as they are nearly all doomed to starve and die

[Antdizzle]

I kept one for some time, the only problem is they arent to be kept with hermits, and i have a boat load, was doin good one day after months, intod hermits and was lights out

[Fly Guy]

Originally Posted by Antdizzle

I kept one for some time, the only problem is they arent to be kept with hermits, and i have a boat load, was doin good one day after months, intod hermits and was lights out

hermits have this habit of picking on things that are on their way out

[Antdizzle]

got u, but it seemed very healthy,bought a book that stated this, but as u say they are opertunistic feeders