CATDOLL : CATDOLL: Introduction to Clams

1. Introduction to Clams

Clams belong to the phylum Mollusca, class Bivalvia, order Ceratidae, family Ceratidae. Commonly known as "clams", they are a treasure among shellfish, named for their smooth shell surface and beautiful red, brown, black and other color patterns.

Flower clam (common name) (“蛤” pronounced gé[1]) Flower clam is usually a common name for certain species of clams of the family Clamidae that are found in the waters near the coast of China. Especially: Small-eyed flower clam (Ruditapes variegatus) Philippine clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) Among them, the small-eyed flower clam is also called the variegated clam, and another species of the Philippine clam (Ruditapes philippinarum), commonly known as flower clam, is called xianzi (xianzi) in Liaoning and gala (gala) in Shandong. Its Japanese name is Asari, and its English name is short-necked clam. Flower clam is a common shellfish seafood product on the market, widely distributed in the southern and northern seas of my country. It grows rapidly, has a short breeding cycle, is highly adaptable (wide temperature, wide salt, and wide distribution), and can survive long out of water. It is an excellent shellfish flower clam suitable for artificial high-density breeding.

, is one of the four major farmed shellfish in my country.

2. How to preserve clams and chrysanthemums

Clams and clams can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator.

Ruditapes philippinarum (Pinyin: huā-gé; scientific name: Ruditapes philippinarum) belongs to the family of Clams, also known as Philippine clam or Philippine clam, commonly known as clam in the south. The shell is oval. The shell is hard and thick, and expanded. The top of the shell is slightly protruding and slightly curved forward. Ruditapes philippinarum is widely distributed in the southern and northern seas of China, South Korea and Japan. It grows rapidly, has a short breeding cycle, is highly adaptable (wide temperature, wide salt, wide distribution), and can survive long out of water. It is an excellent shellfish suitable for artificial high-density breeding and one of the four major breeding shellfish in China.

3. How to make salt water to keep the clams alive

What is needed is water temperature, not salinity.

In natural sea areas, the fish can adapt to water temperatures ranging from 0 to 36 degrees Celsius. When the water temperature is 5 to 35 degrees Celsius, the fish grows normally, and the fastest growth is at 18 to 30 degrees Celsius.

The upper limit of the suitable temperature for clams is 43℃. When the water temperature rises to 44℃, the mortality rate reaches 50%; when the water temperature rises to 45℃, all of them die; and when the water temperature drops to 0℃, the gill cilia stop moving and feeding stops; when the water temperature drops to minus 2-3℃, the mortality rate reaches 10% after 3 weeks.

Additional information

In China, clams are harvested at 10-16 months when they are 30 mm or larger. In European waters and North America, clams are usually harvested at 16-30 months when they reach a larger size (30-40 mm shell length) to obtain a better return. In both cases, clams are harvested either with raking nets or mechanically.

In Europe, manual harvesting of Philippine clams involves raking them out of the substrate and then harvesting them. Mechanical harvesting is by suction or lift-type harvesters; a tractor equipped with a transverse conveyor belt can dig and grade clams from the sandy bottom at rates exceeding 200 m²/hour (>600 kg/hour).

Reference source: Baidu Encyclopedia - Clam

The concentration of salt water is about 3%, 3g of salt plus 100.

You can also use the following method:

Put the live clams in water with a little baking soda, soak for half an hour, then take them out and put them in clean water. Repeat this three times, and basically all the mud and sand in the clam's body can be removed.

The principle of this method is the same as giving someone a gastric lavage. Since clams are aquatic mollusks, they need to spit out the water in their bodies to moisturize their respiratory organs after being out of the water. Therefore, they consume a lot of water after being out of the water. If they are put back into the water, they will drink a lot of water immediately. Adding alkaline noodles to the water will cause them to feel uncomfortable, similar to vomiting. After being put into clean water, the clams will immediately spit out the alkaline water in their bodies and inhale the clean water, thereby taking out the mud and sand in their bodies.

This method can be used to clean various other fresh shellfish, live fish, live shrimp, live crabs, loaches and other aquatic animals.

In addition, you can also use more concentrated salt water instead of alkaline water, but using alkaline water has an advantage that salt water does not have, that is, using alkaline water can also remove the protective mucus on the surface of aquatic animals.

8:2, 8% water, 2% salt.

4. How to keep the clams you bought

Fill the wash basin with water, pour in about 5 grams of salt or sea salt, stir evenly, put the clams in, and the amount of water should just cover the clams. Put it in a cool place, and it will be better if you can put it in the refrigerator, and it can be kept for 2-3 days.

5. How to keep the clams you bought

The shell of the clam belongs to the class Bivalvebranchi, order Euvalvebranchi, family Clamidae, and is hard and thick, slightly quadrangular. Both shells are extremely inflated. The top of the shell is convex, located slightly in front of the center of the dorsal edge, and the tip is bent forward. The top of the shell and the inflated part are purple, the near ventral edge is yellowish brown, and the ventral edge often has a narrow dark brown edge. The inside of the shell is purple-red. The growth lines are obvious, forming uneven concentric ring patterns. The left shell has separate main teeth, and the right shell has two main teeth arranged in an "eight" shape. The external ligament is small and light yellow; the internal ligament is large and yellowish brown. The anterior and posterior adductor muscle marks are obvious. The mantle mark is clear, and the mantle sinus is not deep.

Clams live mostly in the middle and lower areas of the intertidal zone and shallow muddy beaches (5-10 cm). They are wide-temperature and wide-salinity shellfish, with an optimal survival temperature of 0-30℃ and an optimal salt range of 1.4%-3.7%. Clam meat tastes salty and cold, and has the effects of nourishing yin, promoting diuresis, and resolving phlegm; the shell has the effects of clearing heat, promoting dampness, resolving phlegm, and softening hard masses, and can treat cough, wheezing, sputum, gastric and duodenal ulcers, and burns.

The peak breeding period for clams is April, and the shell length can reach 3 cm at 2 to 3 weeks old.