Adding MH...

[3Tripnip]

Hey everyone,
I am starting to get addicted to all the clam pics that are on this forum and I've resisted for long enough... I need a clam. I have a 29 gallon tank with 2 55W PC's on it, which I know is not enough. If I added a 175 MH bulb, would that be enough? What intensity of bulb would be best? Please let me know. Thanks!
-Trip

 

[toptank]

Hi Trip,

If you are referring to the Kelvin rating, I would suggest going with the 10,000K IMO. Can't remember the depth of a 29 gal but I think it is about 15",you should be fine.

Welcome to the wonderful world of clams

Barry

 

[3Tripnip]

Thanks for the welcome! I a 29 gallon tank with a 175W MH and 2 55W PC's, which species of clam could I keep? Please let me know. Thanks!
-Trip

 

[Squidman]

With that type of lighting you would be unrestricted in the clam species you could keep. However, clams have other essential requirements besides lighting. Can you let us know how long the tank has been set up, water chemistry, other inhabitants etc. There's lots of very knowledgeable clam people who visit this forum so stick around and you'll learn a bunch, just like i'm trying to do.

 

[Squidman]

Trip

Trip

What's a sugar glider?

 

[3Tripnip]

As for my tank setup, I have had it running for 4 months. I have 25 lbs. of live rock and 25 lbs. of live sand. Right now, I am using an Emperor 400 for filtration, but I'm almost done with my DIY sump and protein skimmer. I will be starting that filtration here pretty soon. And as for the lights, I purchased them so the lighting will be up to par as well. As for inhabitants, I've got hermits, snails, conchs, SPS corals, softies, and a clownfish. Whatcha think? Good? Bad?

Oh, and a sugar glider is a gliding marsupial from Australia. I purchased her a year and a half ago from a breeder here in Oregon. Here is her website: http://www.skinhorse.net/gliders/index.html

They are very cool. Please let me know what you think about the setup. Thanks!
-Trip

 

[Squidman]

I think you're on the right road. Hopefully Toptank or Jim Norris will see this thread also, they are real clam guru's. I would just say a couple of things. Make sure you give the tank a couple of months to stabilize once you start the new filtration system. Assuming it works well, there will be changes going on in the tank as a result (chemistry etc.). That's probably a good thing, you just want everything as stable as possible before you add clams. Also, some people don't trust crabs with their clams. I know Toptank is one of those people. Everything else looks good to me, based on my very limited experience.

Best of luck. I am totally captivated by clams, thery are so cool. One of these days I'll be a guru too!

 

[toptank]

Squidman has given you some great advise. Let your tank stabilize first. Even if it has been set up for a few months, you often will have chemistry changes. Not to say that all levels are not important as they are but ph is one that clams either do well with or don't. IME, been doing some test in that area.

More people are going to hear me talk about placing clams in a Q-tank once they receive them as it is ALWAYS good to do that. We do it with fish, why not with clams

Barry

 

[3Tripnip]

Thanks for all the advice! Hopefully I'll be getting the system started here this week. I'm soooo anxious to get a clam or two, but I want to do what's best for the clam and reef first.

I've also heard that bigger clams do not need to be fed. What about the smaller ones? Please let me know. Thanks!

-Trip

 

[Squidman]

I isolate and feed my baby maxima every other day. My understanding is that clams need to be fed until the reach a size where they can produce enough food for themselves through photosynthesis to be self-sustaining, and even then feeding phyto to the tank is a good idea. The question is at what point do they have that ability. I have heard different things from different people ranging from 3"-5". I suppose your lighting would also have an impact on that. I don't think there is a concrete answer to that one.

If I were you, I would directly feed any clam under 3". I take the clam and put him in a little tupperware bowl floating in the tank and add the phyto plankton to that. I leave him there for 20 minutes and then put him back in his spot. I never remove him from the water completely, although many people say that you can without any problems, but why take the chance of getting an air bubble or something in your clam. I just submerge the bowl and place the clam in it underwater, then dump out enough water that the bowl floats. There's probably lots of other ways to do it but that has worked for me so far. Clams Rule!:dance:

 

[kevinpo]

I would recommend a 3" or larger for your first clam. They generally have a higher survival rate for first time keepers as their requirements are more flexible. I would really wait until your system is 8 months old without any major changes or additions occurring for 60 days or so. In a small tank like yours adding a few corals at once can have a much larger impact on the water chemistry than the same corals added to a 100 gal. tank for example. IMO PH is very critical no so much an exact number but the daily fluctuation. IME 8.0-8.3 has worked well for me. IMO clams are like jewels of the sea with all the colors available today

Good luck,
Kevin

 

[toptank]

Right on Kevin