In a 173-page document, the United States government has announced a proposal to list all species of giant clams under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS, sometimes referred to as NOAA Fisheries), an agency within…
Bleaching Reduces Reproduction in Giant Clams, Tridacna gigas
A study into the effects of increased seawater temperatures on Giant Clams has shown that it not only causes massive mortalities but also directly affects survivors’ reproductive performance. In a paper published last year, researchers monitored the direct impacts of…
Waikiki’s Iconic Giant Clam Gone to Reef Tank in the Sky
It was ten years ago that we had the pleasure of celebrating the 30th anniversary of a world famous mollusk, the Waikiki Aquarium’s very large and very old Tridacna gigas giant clam. Alas, here we are a decade later and while…
We’ve Never Seen Maxima Clams this Green!
Maxima clams are easily the most variable species of Tridacna which is to be expected for a reef animal that has a natural distribution across more than half of the globe from the Western Indian Ocean all the way to the…
New Research Reveals how to Breed Bigger and More Colorful Crocea Clams
Crocea clams are one of the smallest species of Tridacna, much prized in home reef aquaria since they exhibit a range of colors and patterns which can very greatly in their patterning. At their most basic the boring Tridacna crocea clams…
Giant Clam Poop Could Help Corals Recover from Bleaching!
Last September a study was published taking a close look at giant clam poop, more accurately described as fecal pellets. We previously shared this story but wanted to circle back to it to really drive home one interesting point about…
Tridacna elongatissima ‘Resurrected’ in the Western Indian Ocean
Tridacna elongatissima is a species of giant clam that was first described from the Western Indian Ocean all the way back in 1856. Somewhere along the way the characteristics of this species were thought to be synonymous with Tridacna maxima…
How (Hybrid) Tridacna Clams are Made
Spawning and rearing giant clams is an elaborate process that requires a certain degree of knowledge, but thankfully this know-how has been extensively documented and shared around the world. For around forty years small island nations of the Pacific Ocean…
Science Sheds Light on Squamosa x Crocea Clam Hybrids
Hybrid giant clams have been an enigma to the aquarists who seek to understand them in order to better provide for these treasured bivalves. Finally a new research experiment not only confirmed the authenticity of hybrid Tridacna clams – they’ve…