Tridacna derasa: A Good Excuse to Clam Up!

Of all the Tridacna spp. clams available to hobbyists, perhaps the hardiest and easiest to maintain of them all is Tridacna derasa, the so-called smooth giant clam. This species is so smooth, in fact, that amorous, gold-chain-wearing male specimens 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…

Blue squamosa clams are back at Global Reef Supply

Blue Squamosa clams are a particular aquarium animal which holds a very special place in our salty hearts. Compared to regular Tridacna squamosa, the ‘blue squammies’ are so much more stunning and they are among the most colorful large bivalve you…

Teardrop squamosa clam masquerades as Tridacna noae

You’re probably familiar with teardrop ‘maxima’ clams which were recently described as a new species, Tridacna noae. But have you ever heard of a teardrop Squamosa clam? Us neither, but this recently revealed specimen acquired by Global Reef Supply sure does…

Australian Blue squamosa clam resurfaces at Pieces of the Ocean

The blue squamosa clam is one of the most highly sought after strains of any Tridacna for aquarium keepers. Wild specimens are very occasionally imported but the quality of their mantle color and pattern vary greatly from the kind-of blue, to…

Take a good look at this scribbled pattern of this Tiger Devil Clam

It’s been a minute since we harped on our continued infatuation with the fascinating Devil Clam, so this weekend we swung by one of our favorite Southern California LFS to see a pattern of Tridacna mbalavuana we haven’t seen before. Ali…

Heart Cockle: living Giant clam ancestor observed in the wild

Corculum cardissa, better known as the heart cockle, doesn’t seem like it would have anything in common with our beloved giant clams. Except, maybe for the fact that it’s a bivalve. It may not be a direct ancestor, but the…

Happy as a (devil) clam

The shell world. A fascinating paradigm filled with species both innocuous and psychedelic, attention grabbing and coy. This juxtaposition is carelessly expressed in multiple genera and types, even in our favourite Tridacna. Tridacna is best represented by the magnificent T. gigas, whose…

Face to face with the mythical Devil Clam, Tridacna mbalavuana

We’ve been writing about the devil clam, Tridacna mbalavuana (formerly T. tevoroa) for years, and even more so in the last couple months since Tonga loosened up its exports of giant clams. But finally, this week we had the chance to see a real…

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…