TankBud

Noah's clam

Tridacna noae

Also known as Teardrop Clam, Teardrop Maxima, Noah's Giant Clam, Tear Drop Clam

SaltwaterClam

Noah's clam (Tridacna noae)
iNaturalist user: thibaudaronson · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
9.8 in
25 cm
Minimum tank
40 gal
150 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Photosynthetic
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Cardiidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific, cemented onto shallow reef rock and flats in bright water.

Overview

Noah's clam is a peaceful, reef-safe giant clam that sits on the rockwork of a brightly lit reef tank. It is a clam for experienced reef keepers.

Did you know

Noah's clam has simple pinhole eyes, seen as small pale dots along the edge of its mantle. They sense passing shadows and make the clam pull its mantle in.

Caring for the Noah's clam

Give a Noah's clam a mature tank of at least 40 gal (150 L) with strong reef lighting. Place it on rock rather than deep sand. Only add this clam to an established system. It is peaceful and reef safe, but watch for pinching snails and nipping fish around it.

Keep the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. Calcium and alkalinity should stay stable.

Most of its food comes from light, through the photosynthetic zooxanthellae in its mantle. Small clams benefit from phytoplankton as well.

Good to know

Tridacna noae was only confirmed as a distinct species from Tridacna maxima in recent years. For years these clams were sold as teardrop maximas. Noah's clam looks almost identical to the popular maxima clam, but its mantle carries oval teardrop shapes edged in a pale margin. The wider spacing of its pinhole eyes also sets it apart. The mantle comes in blues, greens, golds and browns. Like other giant clams it grows a heavy fluted shell, and it belongs to the family Cardiidae.

In the wild

Noah's clam comes from the Indo-Pacific. It lives cemented onto shallow reef rock and flats in bright water.

Common questions

What size tank does a Noah's clam need?

A Noah's clam needs at least 40 gal (150 L).

What temperature and pH does a Noah's clam need?

A Noah's clam is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a Noah's clam eat?

A Noah's clam gets most of its food from light, through the zooxanthellae in its mantle. Small clams also benefit from phytoplankton.

How big does a Noah's clam get?

An adult Noah's clam reaches about 9.8 in (25 cm).

Related species