Flame scallop
Ctenoides scaber
Also known as Rough Fileclam, Rough File Clam, Red File Clam, Flame File Clam, Lima scabra
SaltwaterInvertebrate
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 75–81°F
- 24–27°C
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- Adult size
- 3.5 in
- 9 cm
- Minimum tank
- 30 gal
- 115 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Diet
- Filter feeder
- Difficulty
- Difficult
- Breeding
- No record
- Rarity
- Common
- Reef safe
- Reef safe
- Family
- Limidae
- Origin
- Caribbean, Bahamas, and Florida, wedged in reef crevices and under ledges.
Overview
The flame scallop is a filter-feeding bivalve for an established reef tank. It is difficult to keep, and it is best left to experienced keepers.
Did you know
If threatened, a flame scallop can clap its shell shut and jet backward through the water to escape.
Caring for the flame scallop
Give the flame scallop an established tank of at least 30 gal (115 L), with a shaded crevice to tuck into. Keep the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It is harmless to corals and fish, so it is safe in a reef tank.
It is a pure filter feeder, and food is the hard part of keeping one. It needs frequent target feeding of phytoplankton and fine particles. Most specimens slowly starve over a few months, so try one only if you are ready to dose plankton often.
Good to know
Ctenoides scaber is a file clam in the family Limidae, also listed under its old name, Lima scabra. Despite the bright color, it is a clam relative, not a coral. It has a rough, ribbed shell and a red mantle fringed by long red and white tentacles. The red comes from carotenoid pigments in its tissue. A close relative, the electric flame scallop, makes rippling flashes of light along its mantle edge, but this species does not.
In the wild
The flame scallop lives in the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Florida, wedged in reef crevices and under ledges. It fans water through its gills to feed.
Common questions
What size tank does a flame scallop need?
A flame scallop needs at least 30 gal (115 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH does a flame scallop need?
A flame scallop is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.
What does a flame scallop eat?
A flame scallop is a pure filter feeder. It needs frequent target feeding of phytoplankton and fine particles.
How big does a flame scallop get?
An adult flame scallop reaches about 3.5 in (9 cm).
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