Care
Flame Scallops are not actually true scallops but are a bivalve from the free-roaming file clam family. They are very challenging to maintain in the home aquarium, and really are only suitable for advanced, dedicated aquarists with mature reef aquaria (which include an established refugium) and who have the means to feed frequently with phytoplankton. In the wild, Flame Scallops are usually found wedged in shady rocky crevices amongst the shallows, with just their long sensory tentacles extended out into the water column. The tentacles may be red, orange or white. Water is continuously siphoned in through the fleshy mantle where any edible particulate matter is filtered out and consumed and the remaining water pumped back out. This filter feeding takes places constantly; these creatures are incapable of processing large quantities of food all at once, such as when target feeding with a pipette. It is this reason that makes them so difficult to look after in captivity. There must be a constant, continual supply of phytoplankton if they are to fare well. An established refugium will help to provide this, but the aquarist must be prepared to add supplemental planktonic foods to the tank throughout the day. Unfortunately, this could lead to pollution problems, so be sure to test the water regularly. Once it finds a preferred place to reside (and this is often somewhere shady and completely out of view!) the Flame Scallop will attach itself with its byssal foot. However, should it feel at all threatened, it is capable of detaching and swimming away in a jerky fashion at lightning speed, quickly snapping its shell together to propel itself. Tankmates must be chosen very carefully as many fishes will try and pick at the tentacles, and mobile predators such as crabs, hermit crabs, and large starfish will attack them. There is much to consider before committing to a purchase of a Flame Scallop for your reef aquarium.
Feeding
Substantial amounts of phytoplankton, zooplankton and bacterioplankton are required on a very frequent regular basis.
Breeding
This difficult-to-keep species has not been bred in the home aquarium.
