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Maxima Clam
Tridacna maxima
The spectacular Maxima Clam, famous for its brilliantly colored iridescent blue and purple mantle. Requires intense lighting and stability. Geographical Origin and Habitat: Tridacna maxima...
Class:Bivalvia
Order:Cardiida
Family:Cardiidae
Subfamily:Tridacninae
Genus:Tridacna
Species:Tridacna maxima
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Water Temperature
24 - 28 °C
pH Value
8.1 - 8.4
Water type
Marine
Adult size
50 cm
Minimum group
>= 1
KH
8 - 12 dKH
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Tridacna maxima is widely distributed throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Polynesia and northern Australia. It lives in shallow, crystal-clear reef flats and lagoons (usually under 10 meters deep), anchoring itself to limestone rocks exposed to strong sunlight.
Taxonomy: Belonging to the family Cardiidae (subfamily Tridacninae), this giant clam grows up to 20-30 cm. It features an elongated shell with prominent radial ribs and wavy scales. Its fleshy mantle extends past the shell edges and hosts symbiotic zooxanthellae. It anchors using a byssal gland.
Social Behavior: Sessile and non-interactive. It is a filter-feeding phototroph that remains fixed to its rock base. It possesses photoreceptors (primitive eyes) along its mantle edge, reacting to shadows or movement by quickly retracting its mantle and closing its shell for defense.
Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: The mantle is famous for its bright, iridescent colors including electric blue, purple, green, brown, and gold with intricate patterns. Maxima clams are simultaneous hermaphrodites, releasing sperm and eggs at different times; no sexual dimorphism exists.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Aquarium Setup: Guidance about aquarium setup for Tridacna maxima must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Feeding and Diet: Guidance about feeding and diet for Tridacna maxima must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Water Quality: Guidance about water quality for Tridacna maxima must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Compatibility and Coexistence: Guidance about compatibility and coexistence for Tridacna maxima must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Aquarium Breeding: Guidance about aquarium breeding for Tridacna maxima must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Risks and Disease: Guidance about risks and disease for Tridacna maxima must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Tridacna maxima is widely distributed throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Polynesia and northern Australia. It lives in shallow, crystal-clear reef flats and lagoons (usually under 10 meters deep), anchoring itself to limestone rocks exposed to strong sunlight.
Origin
Tropical oceans and reefsAfrica and Madagascar
Invertebrate profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Ecological role
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 50 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 50 cm. The MOBS marine organism body-size database source reports a maximum adult measurement of 50 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.
Window to the official scientific data of the species
Data synced on: 06/15/2026
Scientific Parameters & Models
- Resilience
- Medium (1.4 - 4.4 years)
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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