Tridacna Derasa

The Derasa or Smooth Giant Clam is one of the hardiest of the tridacnid clams available. They generally have striped or spotted patterns of combinations of yellow, orange, black, white and blue. Although hard to really see in the picture, this clam has a brownish mantle with wavy yellow lines on the top and yellow dots on the underside of the mantle. The edge of the mantle is purple with black dots. Derasa clams can achieve a maximum length of 20 inches. This clam is about 8 inches.

Most Giant Clams prefer to be placed on the substrate and need adequate lighting. Smaller specimens require less light than larger ones. Also, the blue mantled clams require stronger lighting than those with brown mantles. Be careful if placing the clam in your rocks, as clams slam shut with quite a bit of force when startled - this makes them "jump".  Clams also do not like strong current, so place them in a quiet area of the tank.

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