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Crocea Clam
Tridacna crocea
A stunning photosynthetic bivalve famous for its brilliantly colored, vibrant mantle and its unique ability to bore deep into solid calcium carbonate rock.
Class:Bivalvia
Order:Cardiida
Family:Cardiidae
Subfamily:Tridacninae
Genus:Tridacna
Species:Tridacna crocea
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Water Temperature
22 - 27 °C
pH Value
8.1 - 8.4
Water type
Marine
Adult size
23.8 cm
Minimum group
>= 1
KH
8 - 12 dKH
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Tridacna crocea is native to the tropical Indo-Pacific, distributed from the coasts of Indonesia and the Philippines to southern Japan and the Great Barrier Reef. It inhabits intertidal zones and shallow, sunlit reefs, usually at depths of less than 5-10 meters, where it lives partially embedded within coral limestone blocks.
Taxonomy: Belongs to the family Cardiidae (subfamily Tridacninae), genus Tridacna. Commonly known as the boring clam or crocea clam, it is the smallest species of the giant clam family, reaching a maximum length of about 15 cm. It possesses an enlarged byssal opening, secreting weak acids to bore into calcium carbonate rocks.
Social Behavior: It is a sessile benthic organism. It does not display active social behaviors, but reacts quickly to shadows and movements by snapping its valves shut using a powerful adductor muscle. It lives in a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with single-celled algae (zooxanthellae) hosted in its mantle tissue.
Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: The mantle exhibits a spectacular, iridescent coloration with complex patterns of blue, green, purple, gold, and brown, created by light-reflecting cells (iridocytes) that protect its tissue from high solar radiation. It is a simultaneous hermaphrodite, with no physical distinction between sexes.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Tank Setup: Requires a mature, stable reef aquarium of at least 200 liters (approx. 50 gallons). It must be placed directly on a flat limestone rock or nestled in a crevice high up in the live rock; do not place it directly on fine sand, as it needs to anchor its byssus firmly to a solid rock substrate.
Diet and Feeding: Derives the majority of its nutrition (over 90%) from the photosynthesis of its symbiotic zooxanthellae. However, it requires dissolved nutrients (low levels of nitrates and phosphates) and benefits from regular dosing of fine phytoplankton, especially when the clam is small (under 5-6 cm in size).
Water Quality: Demands strict and stable water parameters: specific gravity of 1.023 - 1.025, pH of 8.1 - 8.4, and temperature of 24 - 26 °C (75-79 °F). Calcium (400-440 ppm), magnesium (1300-1350 ppm), and alkalinity (KH 8-10 dKH) must be monitored and maintained constantly to support shell growth.
Compatibility and Tankmates: Compatible with peaceful reef fish and invertebrates. Avoid housing with fish that nip at the mantle, such as angelfish, butterflyfish, aggressive blennies, or puffers. Small predatory crustaceans and parasitic pyramidellid snails also represent a fatal threat to the clam.
Aquarium Breeding: Breeding in home aquariums is highly complex and mostly limited to commercial aquaculture facilities. They are broadcast spawners, releasing sperm first and eggs later to prevent self-fertilization. The larvae undergo planktonic stages before settling onto the reef.
Risks and Diseases: Susceptible to pinched mantle disease, caused by protozoan infections, and infestations of tiny pyramidellid snails that feed on its tissue near the byssal opening. Lack of high-intensity lighting leads to bleaching (loss of symbiotic algae) and the eventual death of the clam.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Tridacna crocea is native to the tropical Indo-Pacific, distributed from the coasts of Indonesia and the Philippines to southern Japan and the Great Barrier Reef. It inhabits intertidal zones and shallow, sunlit reefs, usually at depths of less than 5-10 meters, where it lives partially embedded within coral limestone blocks.
Origin
Tropical oceans and reefsNorth AmericaSouth and Southeast AsiaEast AsiaAustralia, New Guinea, and Oceania
Invertebrate profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Ecological role
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 23.8 cm
- Jump risk
- No verified data available
- Shock sensitivity
- No verified data available
- Calcium and minerals
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Compatibility & tankmates
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 23.8 cm. The MOBS marine organism body-size database source reports a maximum adult measurement of 23.8 cm for this species, recorded as the dataset's reported length dimension. These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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