Answer...This clam lives in a 20 with 130 watts of compact.10000k and atinic...

[bitis316]

This is to answer everyone's answer, Can a clam live with only compacts....Yes...yes....yes..
This is Bob, My first clam, I have had him since he was about the size of a quarter....His is now 4.5" across...Great personality.....Lots of luck to ya newbies....Man reefing if worse than crack...

 

[IPowderBlueTang]

That is good to know that they can grow without MH!

 

[mbbuna]

in this thread http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=963244

you say you've had this clam for 2 years.

but in this thread you said you've had this clam since it was the size of a quarter?

How did you make a Crocea clam grow at 10x's it normal growth rate?

also where did you get a quarter sized Crocea?

 

[jmaneyapanda]

And how does it have a great personality?

Overall, I think this topic is way too misleading. Perhaps you have kept a crocea under whatever watts of PC for however long. Good for you, seriously, you have done what no one else really could. But I dont think anyone else should try it, because with 99.9999% probability, the clam will suffer and die from improper lighting. It's false hope. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Dark]

And in the picture we can see the clam trying to overexpand his mantle, sings of insuffisent light...

Not really great thoses PC's for clams...

Dark

 

[Peabody]

You can raise a dog by feeding it only potato chips. But, just because one thrives means it's good practice or has low mortality.

I'm not a member of any "MH people are cool" club or anything. I've just seen multiple people....friends, some LFS, etc. try clams in thriving tanks with PCs. All didn't make it past around the 6 month mark. Tons of people online have shared similar stories on here. So, you can see why in good conscience, most of us can't say we would ever recommend or do such a thing.

Also, Ditto with Mbbuna said.....there's some pretty big inconsistencies there.

 

[BLKTANG]

Isnt that Bob,the clam?

 

[RFC]

OOOHHH NOOO beware of the Claim Police OOOHHH NOOO !

ROFLMAO !

 

[Peabody]

Dude, get over it. Do you think all the people who share their bad experiences they've seen with clams do it to deny others having clams? I'd like every single person with a saltwater tank to have a dozen clams if possible so everyone could enjoy these beautiful animals! But, that isn't possible.

I invite you to re-read what I said above:

"I'm not a member of any "MH people are cool" club or anything. I've just seen multiple people....friends, some LFS, etc. try clams in thriving tanks with PCs. All didn't make it past around the 6 month mark. Tons of people online have shared similar stories on here. So, you can see why in good conscience, most of us can't say we would ever recommend or do such a thing."

Or, perhaps in light of what I just quoted you would explain why we should reccomend it in spite of our experiences?

If it was ethical or practical I'd love to buy 100 clams and put them in 100 identical tanks, 50 with PCs and 50 with MH. Based on what I (and many on here with more experience than I) have seen in the past the results would be quite clear.

 

[RFC]

Many years ago in graduate school I was doing papilloma monoclonal research and quickly learned for some organisms, there is a wide range of biological conditional environments in which life can be sustained.


A current popular dogma suggests that you need MH to successfully have a crocea or maxima clam. However, many individuals and LFS have reported that they have been able to keep such clams under high wattage PC lighting when they are kept fairly high in the tank. The belief that all crocea or maxima clams will die under power compacts, is anecdotal at best. Although the lack of sufficient lighting may be a causative factor in some clam deaths, there are probably many other etiological explanations. I am unaware of any controlled scientific studies which back up the claims that PC lighting is contraindicated or an automatic death sentence.

 

[critterkeeper]

I'll chime in...

Yes, it is possible to keep croceas under fluorescents - if they are close enough to the bulbs. Seen it done. However, I would STILL recommend MH to anyone wanting to keep one. Why take a chance with fluorescents when you don't have to?

BTW - on another note, the poster says his is in a 20, which is believeable enough (shallow tank), but I wonder why he only listed having a 90, 125, and 265...

 

[Peabody]

No one said it was an automatic death sentence, and no one said that 100% of clams die under PCs. Clams don't care about MH, PCs, T5, etc. They just care about PAR. Put a clam in a deep 500 gallon tank under a 70w MH bulb and it will likely die from lack of light (PAR). Put a clam a few inches directly under 500 watts of PCs and I don't know why it wouldn't thrive, light-wise.

But, most tanks with PCs lack sufficient PAR for a clams to thrive, the accounts of countless people who have tried generally backs that up. Some people get lucky...many don't.

 

[RFC]

Professor Peabody, thanks for the clarification of your statements. just seen multiple people....friends, some LFS, etc. try clams in thriving tanks with PCs. All didn't make it past around the 6 month mark"

Some might have erroneous inferred you were suggesting that all those poor clams died within 6 months. in otherwise healthy and "thriving" tanks because of PC lighting.

My personal observations and research at this point in time suggests that one can keep a crocea or maxima clam under PC lighting if the clam is kept within a certain distance at a high enough wattage and photo period. Seems like we actually agree Professor !

 

[edwing206]

look at marc's old 29 gallon tank, he kept a maximafor a while and it did great, so it's all a matter of how deep your tank is and how much light you have.

 

[mbbuna]

i think a few people are missing the point here.

I'll speak for my self here (dont want to put words in anyone's mouth).

i give the recommendation to use MH lighting for most clams(Crocea, Maxima especially) because they are much easier to keep that way. I have kept all the clams except Gigas for more then a few years. when i got my first clam it was a Maxima in a 29g with 130w pc, didn't go too well. Got another one, would you believe it died also. so i started asking around, LFS said "PC's are fine for clams" most on-line vender's said the same. but why were they dieing in my tank?

so i stopped listening to what people that were selling me the clams were saying, and looked at where the clams come from and how clams feed themselves. they feed themselves with very bright intense light. Crocea's and Maximas are found in very shallow water, where they are bombarded by light. So what did i do? i got MH lighting and ive never had a lighting issue with my clams since.

ok so where am i going with this? here you go, the people that are making these suggestions are doing it for the good of the clams, not "you cant have that because you dont have this" they, we,I have been there and are trying to pass on what we have learned so others dont kill clams and loose money. So you've had one under "barely adequate lighting" for a few months, good for you, good luck with it, you are few and far between.


end rant :lol:

 

[Peabody]

Some might have erroneous inferred you were suggesting that all those poor clams died within 6 months. in otherwise healthy and "thriving" tanks because of PC lighting.

Actually, that was what I was referring to. In all the examples I've personally witnessed lighting was the probable cause. For example, I know someone who has a stunning 55g mixed reef lit with 6x65w PCs. To this day I think it's one of the most beautiful tanks I've ever seen. He's had a derasa and squamosa in it for as long as I can remember. But, every time he's tried a maxima, it never lasts. In a lush, thriving tank with other less light demanding clams doing well, it would seem that the light just didn't cut it for Maximas.

That being said, I'm sure there are some who have gotten lucky and kept one alive under similar lighting conditions. Still...I woudn't try.

Mbbuna: Interesting story. Thanks for sharing! Didn't know that a major clam keeper like you tried to do PCs. Seems you had similar experience to what I have witnessed.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

How many people will put 500 watts of PC over a 20 gallon tank? This conversation must be realistically tempered. If people ask if clams can be kept under PC, they are likely talking 2X 65, 4X 96 watts, or similar. And realistically, we are not talking small volume tanks with these dimensions. Honestly, you can probably keep clams with those little 5 watt incandescant lamps if you have 800 of them over a 5 gallon tank. Does that mean we should suggest to people that clams should be kept under 5 watt incandescants? Absolutely not. It is false hope. The realistic interpretation of this discussion is that the general PC fixtures available over typical aquarium sizes nowadays are not likely suitable for many clams to thrive under, and as such, should not be mentioned as an appropriate system.

 

[mbbuna]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8502195#post8502195 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Peabody


Mbbuna: Interesting story. Thanks for sharing! Didn't know that a major clam keeper like you tried to do PCs. Seems you had similar experience to what I have witnessed.

ive killed a few in my time.(and i have the dead shells to prove it)

there is deffanitly a learning curve in this hobby. i just wish people would understand that a lot of the time others are trying to help/keep them from making the same mistakes they made.

 

[Unarce]

by mbbuna
i just wish people would understand that a lot of the time others are trying to help/keep them from making the same mistakes they made.

That's the important thing, as we're dealing with live creatures

 

[Lagger]

Appears to me from reading everyone's past experiences Maximas are doomed under PC's and croceas not so much.

Would still like to hear Bitis' response from post 3. Called out and haven't heard from the OP since.......