Am I ready for a clam?

[hulley]

Hey guys/gals I'm really wanting to add a clam to my reef tank, and want to make sure my tank is ready. My main concern are the lights and how to tell the difference between the different clams and feeding requirements. My lights are T5HO 60"
1 Giesman Actinic plus
2 ATI Aqua Blue Special 12K
3 Giesman Pure Actinic
4 GE 6.5K
5 ATI Aqua Blue Special 12K
6 Gieseman Actinic Plus
All driven off of Icecap 660 ballasts, I've got lots of flow in the tank and I've been keeping my calcium over 400. I do not have a CR yet but I dose Kalkwasser and plan on getting a CR in the next few months.
I have some LPS in the tank now that are doing great and the whole tank is healthy (knock on my wood).
Do you think my tank could support such a beautiful animal? I don't want to go at it blindly an lose such a cool creature.

 

[mbbuna]

this will show you how to ID clams http://www.clamsdirect.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1994

if you have individual reflectors that light should be fine, but i dont know how deep your tank is.

adding food just for the clam wont hurt but if you have fish and feed them regularly its not a necessity

 

[hulley]

Thanks for the link. I've got a standard 180g thats 24" deep and my lights do have individual reflectors. I do have fish and feed them regularly but is there a specific food I can give the clam(s) or is that overkill?

 

[mbbuna]

the higher light needing clams like crocea and maxima would be best at least half way up in the tank.

clams are primarily photosynthetic and can get all the energy they need through there zoox via light. by feeding the fish they will produce nitrogen and phosphorus that the zoox through photosynthesis will convert to sugars that feed the clam. if you still want to add something extra for the clam you can use a live phytoplankton like this http://www.reefnutrition.com/phytofeast/indexpfl.htm