Reef Discussion

Ive found them in the wild so many times attatched to floating debris that float into the shallows.
(This was in Africa though - where i lived from birth to age 8)
Sadly ive never seen them in Australia, at least i know what they were now!
 

Dr. Schell

The Fuckin' Doc
Jul 12, 2011
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Brisbane
yes, they are facinating. I wonder how they go in aquariums, given that the are a particulate filter-feeder. Stir-up the sand bed twice a day!!!!!
 

MTG

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Jul 10, 2011
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it looks like they do that when they clap around. would be so interesting to watch them move around the tank
 

MagicJ

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Jul 11, 2011
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They are for sale @ $9 on www.liveaquaria.com.

Extract from an article here

Just in case that didn't sink in, I wanted to make a point of emphasizing that the survival record of flame scallops in captivity has traditionally been extremely poor. The typical experience of people who buy them is that the animal tries its best at hiding (often with the aquarist having to pick it out of the rockwork numerous times so that it is visible in the aquarium) for a while before eventually giving up and slowly dying. Even when the rest of the reef tank is flourishing, people who add a flame scallop to their tank typically watch as it slowly wastes away over a period as short as a couple of months to a maximum of about six to ten months. I would guess that the single most common cause for the demise of flame scallops in any aquarium is quite simply starvation. Although I should also point out right off the bat that these animals are relatively short-lived (something on the order of about three to four years maximum, and I'll come back to this later), there are still precious few reports of these animals surviving in captivity for more than a year or so. Sadly, the 6-10 months that most people manage to keep a flame scallop in their tank is also a reasonable estimate of how long it should take a well-fed animal to starve to death after collection and being placed in an aquarium in which it is deprived of food. So, if you're really set on trying to add one of these attractive and interesting animals to your tank, you need to make a serious effort to provide it with the appropriate conditions to keep it healthy and well-fed in captivity. Hopefully, by the end of this article you will have some idea of how best to go about providing for the needs of these beautiful animals, and I hope that we may start seeing some more reports of long-term success with keeping them in captivity.
 

Dr. Schell

The Fuckin' Doc
Jul 12, 2011
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Brisbane
Many thanks for this info. Not for sale in Australia. I would think that if one was to keep these animals, it would most certianly require a specimen tank with foods suitable for it to feed on. I think I may have found a new project for myself. Document the requirments to keep these species long term!
 

MagicJ

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Jul 11, 2011
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Hobart, Tasmania
There was some more info in the article I linked too if you are interested.

Unfortunately only fish can be imported into Australia - no corals or snails etc
 

Dr. Schell

The Fuckin' Doc
Jul 12, 2011
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Brisbane
It may be wise to include a link to the article for all those who are interested. Always best to be educated BEFORE you take the plunge and buy something :cool:
 

Dr. Schell

The Fuckin' Doc
Jul 12, 2011
1,972
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Brisbane
from reading the entire article and extrapolating information contained within, it appears that I could create a tanl from the outflow of my phosphate/nitrate reactore that is high in bacteria. It appears that this would be the correct particle size fo the scallop. Now to just get my hands on on............:eek: