Not furry either, still lovely.

Crocea Clam

Tridacna crocea

Also called Crocus clam, Crocus giant clam, Boring clam, Saffron-coloured clam

SpeciesShort profile

From Indo-West Pacific, from the Andaman Islands and Malaysia to Fiji, north to Japan and south to New Caledonia and Queensland.1 2

At a glance the quick version

Length15 cm1 2 3

Sizesmall

Maximum shell size about 15 cm; the smallest of the giant clams.

Most vivid colours of all clams

Compact size suits smaller reefs

Peaceful and reef safe

1 3

Looks how to spot one

Thick folded shell with a brilliant mantle

A small giant clam with two heavy, wavy-edged valves that are greyish white outside, sometimes tinged orange or yellow. Open, it shows a mantle in blue, green, purple, gold, orange or brown, often marked with spots or stripes and lined with tiny eyes.1 2

ColoursBlueElectric blueGreenPurpleGoldOrangeBrown1 2

Personality what they are like

Peaceful and undemanding of tankmates; once it chooses a spot it attaches firmly and should not be moved.3

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Sessile; in the wild it bores into coral heads and rock until only its mantle shows.1 3

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Needs strong lighting and stable reef water. Pick gentle tankmates such as gobies, cardinalfish and small wrasses that leave the mantle alone.3

Home where they are happiest

A reef tank of at least about 75 L (20 US gal), placed on rock in the middle to upper zone. Retail guidance: 24-27 C, pH 8.1-8.4, specific gravity 1.023-1.025, gentle to moderate flow and high light.3

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Mostly fed by the algae living in its mantle, which make food from light, plus some filter feeding.2 3

Company who they like around

Does not need company; choose gentle tankmates that leave its mantle alone.1 3

The story where it all began

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck described it in 1819. Its habit of drilling into coral and its jewel-like mantle have made it a prized aquarium clam, with farmed animals now widely available.1 3

Fun facts for the dinner table

1
It is the smallest of all giant clams, topping out at about 15 cm.1
2
It drills into solid coral and rock, earning the name boring clam.1
3
The edge of its mantle carries a row of simple eyes.1

Recognised by the official bits

Taxonomy (via Wikipedia): Described by Lamarck in 1819; family Cardiidae, subfamily Tridacninae.1
IUCN Red List: Least Concern.1
CITES (via SeaLifeBase): Appendix II.2

The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you

A typical home-care rhythm for a Crocea Clam. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.

FeedingDepends on species, many feed from the light and the watervaries
Salinity checkevery week
Water testevery week
Top-upTop up evaporation with fresh RO water, not salt waterevery day
Water changeAbout 10 to 20% of the waterevery 2 weeks
Light checkevery month

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Maxima Clam

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Where this comes from

Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at support@furrydiary.app and we will fix it.

Tridacna crocea (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.orgused for names, range, size, shell and mantle, IUCN, history
Tridacna crocea (SeaLifeBase) sealifebase.seused for size, depth, temperature, range, CITES
Crocea Clam (Saltwaterfish.com) saltwaterfish.comused for aquarium care, water parameters, tank size, tankmates

Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.