Blue Squamy coming to town

[dz6t]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+1&ddid=237733
These blue squamossa used to be so rare.

 

[JohnK]

Brendon has brought in a bunch of those over the past couple of yrs. I have one in my tank as I type.

 

[saltwaterB]

These are still very tough to find....unless you know where to....

but that Diver's Den one they want $130 and it is only 1.5".... way too small for me....

 

[MikeG]

I have one in my tank that is about 5" and it is for sale too...Bit more than $130.

 

[PSU4ME]

I read that they were being farmed now and that's why there are more of them and not as "rare" as they used to be. Still limited though. I'm 0-2 on clams but once I get rid of my Duncan to make room I'll probably try to find a blue squam

 

[P-Nut]

Talking about Squamosa clams, what happened to their supply?
They used to be all over the place and they they disappeared.

 

[dz6t]

Asian clam farms are mostly supply food demands (where $$$ is). I don't think they are exclusively for this hobby. When the demands for sashimi go up, you aren't going to get your squamy.

 

[JohnK]

Talking about Squamosa clams, what happened to their supply?
They used to be all over the place and they they disappeared.

Regular squamosas are one thing, but the blue ones were once extremely rare. Somebody is producing them now, they all come in about the same size and attached to square frag plugs. Not exactly straight off the natural reef.

 

[PSU4ME]

Thread I read said this place is the one producing them and yes, square plug seems to be the give away.

Micronisian Mariculture Display Center

 

[dz6t]

Micronesian Mariculture Demonstration Center (MMDC), later to be renamed the Palau Mariculture Center (PMDC)

 

[dz6t]

Let me share these with you:

MMDC in the Republic of Belau
uses a land-based hatchery and a combined
land-based and ocean-cage nursery system to
produce 2-year-old T. derasa. The estimated
cost of raising 1-year-old clams in the
land-based hatchery and nursery part of the
system is $0.82 per clam. The cost increases
to $1.41 per clam if they are planted in ocean
nursery cages for a second year. The MMDC
charges a farm-gate price of $1.00 for a
1-year-old clam and $3.00 for a 2-year-old
clam.

The systems in Kosrae and American Samoa
are similar to the system in Belau but have
smaller annual production. The estimated
cost of producing 2-year-old T. derasa in
Kosrae is $1.23 per clam. The American
Samoa system produces a 1-year-old T.
derasa for $0.76 and a 2-year-old T. derasa
for $3.40.

 

[Puff Daddy]

Wow. That look like there is a lot of mark-up. Is most of the cost in shipping?

 

[mbian112283]

I was thinking the Same thing. Shipping, import fees, probable dead loss.

 

[saltwaterB]

Yes guys....(almost)Every animal in our tanks starts out costing very little money...it cost more than 5x the cost of the animal just to ship it from the Pacific Ocean to the US import station...never mind all the fees on top of shipping....it has already gone through several hands at this point (everyone trying to make a little money along the way) then you factor in wholesalers markup, loss, and then domestic shipping...you end up with a $60 Clam very easily. Fish are even more so...due to loss, and the fact that they need oxygen and larger shipping containers