calm lighting, help!!!
- Thread starter Hens4Fish
- Start date
My daughter has a 29g with 2 x 55 watt pc's. She has been asking for a clam, so I ordered 4 x 24 watt T5's online to go with the pc's. While waiting for the T5 lights to arrive via ups we were browsing ebay and found a Crocea at a LFS that my daughter loved. I knew the lights were on the way so I bid and won the clam. The lights arrived, but the seller goofed and sent the wrong ones. I am sending them back and waiting for the correct lights. My question is, how long should I be able to keep the Crocea under just the pc's until the T5's arrive? I know the real answer is I shoulda had patience and waited for everything to be ready before buying the clam. But what do I do now?
jmaneyapanda
Commencing hatred
a 7" squammie will not sit it the rocks well. Your lighting will not be enough for him unless he is right next to the lights either. sorry, get better lights or dont get the clam.
jmaneyapanda
Commencing hatred
I will try not be sound too aggressive with this...I think when people post that clams can be kept under PC, it is a mistake because of misinterpretations like yours. You are offering essentially 110 watts of "usable" light to a clams at 22". The two 55 watt actinics will provide little to no usable light, particularly at that depth. This is GROSSLY unnacceptable in my mind. I feel; your clam will die from light deprivation. If you had a crocea under these conditions, you were tempting fate even further. Crocea are the most light loving clams, and will fail under all but the most intense lighting, of which PC is far from. Furthermore, a month is far from an indicator of success. Clams CAN be kept under PC, just A LOT of PC, and at a very shallow depth. But people dont hear this, they just hear, "Oh, I can keep clams with PC". There is my objection. It is just my opinion, take it with a grain of salt.
I hope I didn't sound too "my $hit dont stink", but this topic seems to keep rolling around over and over.
I hope I didn't sound too "my $hit dont stink", but this topic seems to keep rolling around over and over.
I apprecitate your opinion and thank you for expressing it. I was mistaken when saying that I only had 55s, they are 65. Not that it makes much difference, but I also have 2 55 watt bulbs on the tank now too. So total there are 2 65 days, 2 65 actinics, and 2 55 days. Do you think I should put days in place of actinics to support it? I also believe the clam will only be 18" from the lights. What do you think. I was under the understanding that squamosas are not as needy for light requirements.
Thanks
Thanks
im going to try to explain the major flaw that PC lights have.
first look T5 lights, everyone that recommends them stresses the importance of the individual reflector, and fans to keep the bulbs cool for the most intense light and bulb life. these people will agree that that T5 with out the reflectors are nothing special or in some cases will even call them crap.
PC bulbs really aren't that different from T5 bulbs. but PC bulbs have a much bigger flaw in that the tubes run right next to another like this OO. i dont have on of those fancy cad programs so please bear with me . PC'c even with the best reflectors you can get for them can get around this flaw. "O-O" all the light between the quote marks and from the hyphen up gets reflected right back into the bulb and is not usable, adding heat to the bulb causing it to lose intensity much quicker then other bulb designs
first look T5 lights, everyone that recommends them stresses the importance of the individual reflector, and fans to keep the bulbs cool for the most intense light and bulb life. these people will agree that that T5 with out the reflectors are nothing special or in some cases will even call them crap.
PC bulbs really aren't that different from T5 bulbs. but PC bulbs have a much bigger flaw in that the tubes run right next to another like this OO. i dont have on of those fancy cad programs so please bear with me . PC'c even with the best reflectors you can get for them can get around this flaw. "O-O" all the light between the quote marks and from the hyphen up gets reflected right back into the bulb and is not usable, adding heat to the bulb causing it to lose intensity much quicker then other bulb designs
onehundred20
In Memoriam
just get halides then you dont have to worry if you have enough light...
ezcompany
Premium Member
okay i got confused for a second here cuz there are actually two people asking two different questions, one with a squamosa and one with a crocea. my first answer was for bgwil99, who said he was going to house the crocea temporarily under pcs until his T5s came home. I am in assumption that these are the ones with individual reflectors.
for hens4fish, i actually DO think your squamosa can get by with your current lighting at 18 inches. this is just my experience with seeing other people's tanks and listening to their stories. I personally have never kept a clam under anything less than 150 watt metal halides.
for hens4fish, i actually DO think your squamosa can get by with your current lighting at 18 inches. this is just my experience with seeing other people's tanks and listening to their stories. I personally have never kept a clam under anything less than 150 watt metal halides.
