To continue the previous thread, this post will feature the invertebrate section of the facility.
First I want to show you the massive protein skimmer and reactor combo at this LiveAquaria, there are several of them:
This protein skimmer is taller than me... enough said.
Asked my wife to model for scale, humongous carpet anemones
More carpet anemones
Each of the anemones in this section, including carpet and a bunch of bubble tip are all hosting a pair of clownfish. it's really cool to see they make them all happy, even though as a retailer it's completely unnecessary to pair clownfish with anemone since one or the other would be sold soon anyways. But they did what they can to make each feel happy.
A bundle of long tentacle anemone
a cluster of derasa clams (not yet offered on diver's den, they were exclusive for the tour), and a bunch of cultured maxima clam. very sweet deals! I managed to snatch two of these handsome derasa clams
Lighting may be one of the biggest questions any hobbyist buying from LiveAquaria wishes to ask. In the photo below you will see a broader view of the facility with lights running on a track. The lights run in a lateral movement so that it can cover all angles of the photosynthetic animals beneath rather than creating a "hot spot". When I toured this place a few years ago all lights were 400W 20K Metal Halide. Today this facility has a mix of high end LED (such as AI hydra + a few other varieties). All holding raceway are no more than 12" deep. All the animals look healthy and for clams I can observe significant growth indicating excellent health condition.
The livestock raceway
Here is a picture of the holding section for shrimp, small crabs (such as acropora crabs) and small shrimp (pistol shrimp or squat lobster, which by the way are size of a pinky nail!) They are held in individual transparent containers approx. the size of a film box (if you are born after the mid 90's you might not know what that is lol).
squat lobster, I can't believe how tiny they actually are compare to the online photos.
maxima clams in the diver's den section
And lastly, the diver's den clam section. I must say, almost all the clams in this section appears much larger than what is seems on the photo (contrary to the squat lobster), and honestly, the photos don't do justice on how beautiful they are. One of these clams I purchased looks like a mustard, brown color online but turns out to be a shiny gold in person! All of them are kept under 400W metal halide, 20K bulbs hence the very blue photo here. And one thing they offer that no one else do is live arrival ad 14 day guarantee.
Here is a couple videos:
I have only heard of this in legends. Now you can own it! the elusive- blue- bicolor- chimera maxima clam at Pacific East Aquaclture- as long as you have $2500 to spare in your wallet. This is a catch, not only this is super rare, it is also a decent 5.5" size. Most maxims under 3" do not live long in captivity because they rely more on phytoplankton feeding than photosynthesis. But if you are a clam enthusiast like me, you cannot miss this clam!
Chimera maxima clam as seen on Pacific East Aquaculture
Part II of the Waikiki Aquarium tour today-
I've already said this was where I first fell in love with the hobby. But the true reason I fell in love with it was because of its clam display. The setting is a bit different now than before as they have moves some of the larger "small clams" to an outdoor display (to come later). But they still host a variety of beautiful "small" giant clams. Such as these three tridacna squamosa in a reef tank with some of the happiest soft and large polyp stony corals I've ever seen
Here is another Long nose hawk, not as large as the display by the entrance but equally as adorable
Another squamosa under the light. I also want to point out that almost ALL reef system aquariums here are exposed to actual natural sunlight with supplemented 1000W metal halide bulbs- you cannot beat this lighting environment.
With huge system capacity and space, you can clearly tell that you can break a lot of the "rules" on what's reef safe and what isn't. For example, normally people would not consider harlequin tusk wrasse nor copper-banded butterfly "reef safe". But you can see that they are not only thriving in this system, but so are the corals!
An illustration of how "happy" corals should look like, look at the tissue extension on all of them! And the water seems really bubbly because of the unique "surge" tank system Waikiki Aquarium invented to provide natural, life-like surges for the best of corals' health and oxygenation.
For limited time enter coupon code "Spring30" at checkout to receive 30% off!
Depends on what you are planning to add into your tank, this basically can offset your shipping charge!
Don't miss out!
By the way, I have done extensive research on all online-retailers before I order. And all companies, even the most reputable, as long as they do enough business will inevitably have some tough cases to receive negative reviews. That said, please do not take my word on who's good and who isn't as each shipment with each livestock and have different results. Even livestock I purchase at a local store can end up having defects that I wasn't able to see at the store. For clams, if they have been infected with boring sponge while young, you can only see the defect by sawing open the shell after their death.
I've went through a few different forums but found that these two have the most constructive answers I was looking for.
In general, the answer is yes. But it depends on how the light was made (home made, cheaply made in China, etc), the total wattage of the light, distance of light from water, distance of clam from water surface etc.
I can definitely attest that clams not only survive, but thrive under LED.
I have had my aqua illumination sol blue for more than 6 months now. And I've kept my three big clams in there for almost 5 months. I programmed my light to mimic the natural sunlight intensity bell curve throughout the day with the highest being 3pm at about 85% and down to 15% at beginning and ending of the day. The largest of the three squamosa grew 2", from 7" to 9", the derasa is a bit more sensitive to fish swim by so grew a bit slower, about 1.5", from 6 to 7.5". The smallest of the three is also a squamosa, grew from 5" to about 7" now. My calcium level was around 500 before these clams were in. And now I am struggling to keep it over 350 when they grow this fast! My tank is 92 Corner and they are all sitting at the very bottom. So yes, you can definitely keep clams happy with LED lights.
Got a message from saltwaterfish.com on a super special deal:
If you purchase more than $89
you'll receive ALL of the following for FREE: #1 = 1 False Percula Clownfish #2 = 5 Turbo/Astrea Snails #3 = 5 Nassarius Snails #4 = 5 Red Leg Hermit Crabs #5 = 5 Blue Leg Hermit Crabs #6 = 5 Dwarf White Leg Hermit Crabs #7 = 1 Cleaner Clam #8 = 1 Coral Frag or Mushroom Polyp #9 = 1 Marine Plant or Macro Algae #10 = 1 Peppermint Shrimp use coupon code: Awesome http://www.saltwaterfish.com Hurry this ends tomorrow!
When I saw this 5" Vietnam squamosa clam posted on Liveaquaria's Diver's den I knew I had to get it.
The order was placed Wednesday afternoon, I received the shipment tracking info Thursday afternoon and the clam was delivered Friday morning around 10.
As always, Liveaquaria takes great care in their packaging.
Even after spending over 12 hours on the road, this clam does not show much sign of distress.
Placed the clam in my mid foreground
Clam opened up almost fully within 15 minutes of placement
It's been a very very long while since I had the motivation to write anything on this blog since the clam apocalypse episode. My tank has shown signs of stability and is once again thriving (without clams still). So I decided to re-establish the blog while regain my confidence by adding some livestock.
I have always loved the way flame angels look. Unfortunately they are not always reef safe. Depends on the individual, and depends on the environment, they may either nip on soft/hard coral polyps or clams (which my previous specimen did)
So I am crossing my fingers that by the time I obtain a clam this fellow won't be nipping its mantles.
