Gold Crocea Clam - Tridacna crocea (ORA)

Clams are wonderful additions to any reef aquaria but do have some requirements that make them more difficult than other inverts to keep. Some research is recommended before purchasing one to find out what species will work the best in your reef aquarium.

Crocea Clams (Tridacna crocea) range in color from blue to purple to green, often a combination of these colors, and sometimes having golden markings. They may also have a metallic or iridescent sheen to their mantles. The mantles scallop gracefully over the edge of their shells. They are normally found in very shallow waters high in the reef where they often live embedded in the reef itself and may even be exposed during low tide. This clam should be place on a hard, firm surface where they can use their byssal threads to anchor themselves. Crocea Clams will often dissolve the coral or rock around it to form a "burrow" in which they live, giving them the name "Boring Giant Clam" in some areas.

The shell of Crocea Clams may be slightly yellow or orange tinted when clean or around the inner rim. The hinge can be 1/3 to 1/2 as long as the entire shell and the shell itself is usually slightly rounded. The folds in the shell are not very pronounced and tend to be more prominent towards the top. Crocea's harvested from the wild usually do not have pronounced "scutes" along the outside of the shell, while aquacultured clams that have not been grown in an environment where they are burrowing into hard surfaces may have larger scutes.

The "byssal opening" where the foot and byssal threads are extended from on the bottom of the clam is larger on Crocea's than most other Tridacna clams. This both allows the clam to attach itself very firmly and gives potential predators or parasites an opening into the clam.

Croceas are also one of the more delicate of the Tridacna species, requiring strong lighting and ideal water quality. In the aquarium, place high in the tank under direct light (Metal Halide, VHO, or Power Compact). Smaller clams with smaller mantles rely heavily on planktonic foods filtered from the water for their nutrition. They should be fed regularly with various types of planktonic foods like phytoplankton, zooplankton, oyster eggs, rotifers and similar items. Avoid keeping with potential predators or tankmates that may nip at the clam's mantle like some wrasses, angelfish, crabs, and others.

For more information on these and other clams, visit the Giant Clams Species Profile on That Fish Blog by our staff marine biologists.

The clam pictured above is representative only - the coloration of the clam you receive may vary. Please contact the Livestock department for information on availability of specific colorations.