Tridacna gigas
Gigas or large giant clams are from the central indo-pacific and can bring images of Lloyd Bridges scuba diving in the 60s and getting his foot caught in one. As of today we don’t know of any scuba divers being trapped by one but a google of divers caught by clams will turn up some interesting results.These clams can get up to 3 feet long and live over 100 years and weigh over 500 Lbs. They live in shallow water such as lagoons or reef flats. Sometimes the small gigas are mistaken for T. derasa. One reason these clams are rare is that they are very tasty and find themselves on the dinner table more than in the aquarium. Fortunately most specimens for the aquarium trade are captive bred or are export limited. Metal Halide or LED lights are what we recommend and these clams are great filter feeders and will help any SPS tank. In fact we have one in our show tank. Natural filtration of nutrients is best and that’s why we recommend clams in any captive environment with the right conditions. Also we recommend you be very careful when you take these clams out of the water. The weight of their mantel will pull on the muscle tissue harming the clam. Always remove any large clam side ways from the water to minimize this stress to the tissue. They developed never planning to be removed from water.
In recent years the Tridacna Gigas clam has moved from the endangered species list, to a “closely watched” list. The US Fish & Wildlife Service now allows importing by quota, and from aquaculture farms only. Currently we are out of stock but plan on having some soon. Contact us for email updates.