Special cells in giant clams shift the wavelength of light to protect them from UV radiation and increase the photosynthetic activity of their symbionts, shows research KAUST. Using special cells, known as iridocytes, the clams can manipulate light via layers…
Tridacna maxima
Red Sea Clams Return to the Aquarium Hobby
When we were just a wee little aquarist still playing around with African and American cichlids, one of the creatures that drew us to the world of ‘mini reef’ aquariums were the giant clams from the Red Sea. It was…
Gold Tiger Maxima Clams From Taiwan
So-called ‘gold clams’ are usually used to describe the unfortunate Tridacna clam species with a preponderance of brown color, but some clams actually are gold. I’m not talking about the super rare gold ‘foil’ variant sometimes seen in T. maxima & T. crocea, but the lustrous…
Black tiger maxima clam in the wild
In case you had forgotten what a stellar black tiger maxima clam is supposed to look like . . . here’s some great shots of this clam to jog your memory. It’s been a long time since giant clams have…
ORA is serving up some fantastic hybrid maxima clams
Clams are some of the most fascinating members of the coral reef community, and they are especially welcomed in our home aquaria. Today we have access to more varieties of Tridacna than ever, and ORA is piling on one more new…
Cool Tonga giant clams coming through Pacific Aqua Farms
After years of shipping out some really neat corals, the Kingdom of Tonga has finally moved forwards with permits for the export of wild, giant clams. Tonga is in the heart of giant clam biodiversity with at least eight of…
Tridacna Clams in Reef Aquariums
Giant clams of the genus Tridacna are popular mollusks for reef aquariums. Oftentimes, people unfamiliar with the ocean are familiar only with the shells of clams. Their true beauty, however, can only be realized when they are living and healthy,…
Are these possibly teardrop x maxima clam hybrids?
It was quite amazing news to discover that the recognizable clams we’ve long called Teardrop Maximas are in fact a distinct species, Tridacna noae. Being ever the inquisitive aquarium journalists that we are, the notion of a new species of…
Red Sea Maxima Clams are back in the aquarium hobby
Red Sea Maxima Clams are back in the aquarium hobby after a long absence that spanned more than a decade and a half. Wholesaler ACI Aquaculture in Tampa Florida recently landed a batch of just under 300 Red Sea Maxima…
New Tridacna species, one of these Maxima clams is not like the others
There’s a new species of Tridacna giant clam that scientists have just “discovered” but guess what? Us reefers saw and noticed a unique clam species many years ago. The new Tridacna sp. has not been formally described but was discovered in…