20140807 Two color maxima (Blue Chimera)

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

2014-05-10 Deal of the Day- 30% Off all Livestock

Spring clearance at Pacific East Aqualculture- 30% off all livestock!

http://www.pacificeastaquaculture.com

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.

Anyways, best wishes to everyone's order!

2014-05-01 Livestock Spotlight

My heart almost stopped when I saw this clam...
Yes, I have a thing for clam. In fact it was when I laid my eyes on the giant clams in display in Waikiki aquarium that made me fell in love with this hobby.
http://www.pacificeastaquaculture.com

maxima clam as seen on Pacific East Aquaculture

This is a 5" Tahitian Maxima clam with golden turquoise leopard spotted mantle.
To keep this claim, please have nothing short of Metal Halide (at least 250W, 400W preferred) or LED. You will also need adequate calcium level (400+), 8.3pH, and slightly dirty water (nutrient rich) so the clam can feed on the nitrate and phosphate in it.
Believe me, if I have room in my tank I would have snatched this up in a heartbeat!
But at the moment my tank is a bit crowded with an 8"Squamosa, 8"Derasa, and 7"Squamosa...
and are all growing rapidly.

2014-04-29 Deal of the Day-Acan

Ok, I really don't understand why are Acan frags so freaking expensive! I have kept them and they grow really fast for me!
Anywho, I found this on Pacific East Aquaculture and man is this a gem!
And $89 price tag for a frag of this size- 12 heads, is a steal~
http://www.pacificeastaquaculture.com

If you have never kept Acan, here are some tips:
Water quality- the usual reef parameter- no trace of nitrate.
Water Temperature, I would say that the polyps and tentacles expands the best when it's slightly cooler at around 75-77
Calcium- it is a large polyp stony coral so you need adequate amount of it
Light- T-5 seems to be the universally best light source. If you use LED or Metal Halide, make sure to place them medium to bottom. The color will become very light and eventually bleach out when there is too much light. They can actually do pretty well in dimmer condition because you can also supplement their energy by spot feeding- I've used a turkey baster to feed them grind up shrimp, mysis shrimp, spiraling enhanced brine shrimp, etc.
One word of warning, do not put them on sand, especially if you have something in your tank who likes to stir up the sand, they get irritated by sand quite easily.

2014-04-28: Livestock of the Day 1

From Pacific East Aquaculture- This beautiful Gold Wall Hammer Coral is amazing!

I've been seeing more and more Gold Wall Hammer Corals surface the market recently. If you have always had good luck keeping LPS, please take this before someone else does!

For its color and size- actually not a bad deal at $199

http://www.pacificeastaquaculture.com/Metallic-Gold-Wall-Hammer-WYSIWYG-HP-A2319-Prodview.html

 Some Facts about Wall Hammer Coral-Euphyllia ancora

Hammer Corals are also known as Anchor Corals (the word ancora in its name), it is a large polyp stony coral in the Euphyllia family that includes frogspawn- http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/10/corals

To successfully keep this coral happy- you must have:

Temperature- 75-80F (23-27C)- I've found them to be quite tolerable to temperature swings, but they will not open up happily if it's too hot or too cold

Calcium-350-450ppm- I've found them to generally inflate more when calcium level is lower

Alkalinity-7-10

pH-8.0-8.4- Higher pH can induce faster growing as Calcium require good pH level to infuse with carbonate and magnesium. Be sure to have high oxygen level to maintain ideal pH.

Nitrate-No trace- This is a duh~

Lighting- High to Moderate-I've found them to be quire tolerant of wide variety of light condition as well. But in general the brighter the light, the better the growth. Personally I believe they do the best under high output T-5 or LED. They do OK under power compact but not much growth. With Metal Halide you need to move them lower otherwise they will bleach from overexposure. And please do not keep them in normal florescent light.

Waterflow-High to moderate- Because of the elaborate tissue, it does require stronger current to agitate the water column to ensure constant oxygen supply.

Acclimation- Honestly, unless yours or the supplier's water is severely messed up in parameters, I have never need to "drip" acclimate these things. I've always float them, make sure the water temp matches up, then simply open the bag and toss them in. I must say that take caution in mixing the seller's water into your tank as you don't know what kind of disease it comes with. So I generally take the coral out and toss the seller's water away. I also recommend a quick dip before you introduce the coral into your tank-Careful not to use too much iodine