Best tank design for a Clam display, opinions/ideas?

[mapn4reef]

Sort of a spin off from Pickup's Clam thread.

If someone wanted to do a tank where the focus was to display some collector grade clams...what would be the ideal tank design...tank dimensions/features, flow, rock/sand considerations, lighting, stand height (best for viewing with livestock care in mind), other inhabitants (limitations for optimum clam health), claim specific needs (what is a must, dosing pumps to make it easy, etc.), key tips for clam keeping that are absolutes musts for success...

Let's hear your ideas (or dreams)...as they might play a part in a future build...

 

[commonstranger]

Some people dont know it but to know the true color of a clam you need to have a top down view. Ive seen many teal and blue clams looks the same from a front view. Just a piece of advice.

 

[pelagic7]

maybe something with a mirror?

 

[gflat65]

Yup yup. If I were doing a primarily clam display, it'd be lit by MH and be a short tank with easy viewing from above. I'd use a ca rx since clams are calcium sinks.

A good many inhabitants can be kept with clams without causing any health issues. In fact, clams are also nitrate sinks, so they dont mind dirty water to some extent. As long as the fish aren't pickers, there aren't too many other things to avoid (aside from pests like pyramid snails, etc.). I've got four clams in my display and don;t have any issues with any of the inhabitants.

A few years ago, I had a good number of clams (20 or so) in a 40B with no substrate (other than the inch or two of detritus that had accumulated), no filtration other than what the walls of the tank provided. They loved it... I called it the cess pool.

 

[Pickupman66]

EW!!! thats disgusting Gary.

you coming up in Jan?

 

[fishdoc11]

If I were doing a primarily clam display, it'd be lit by MH and be a short tank with easy viewing from above.

Me too, except I would probably use 2 part (and a dosing pump of course) but that's just because I am more comfortable with that.

There is a pretty cool clam setup in Tullock's old book from what I can remember.

I have had good luck with clams on sand and on BB. With a shallow tank that was easy to siphon etc... I would go with a SSB.

I would also devise some way to spot feed them phyto if you will be getting clams smaller than 2". Kind of like a plastic dome (like a 2 liter bottle top) with a syringe that you could squirt the DT's (or whatever you choose) in. Also might want to farm your own phyto if you got lots of small ones, the big ones would probably like that too.

 

[mapn4reef]

Thanks everybody, some great information. I might try to find a DSA Neo Nano (or similar) to give this a shot...don't think AC can get them anymore as DSA doesn't have a distributor for this area anymore (I think). Or wait until my potential late spring/early summer build, which will likely be a Reef Savvy tank.