clam questions

[xien2000corp]

hey all,

i just wanted to ask a few questions seein as how this seems the place to get some great info about clams!!!

1.) ive got an upcoming 30 gallon setup that i want to setup as a reef but i would like to house more fish than my last attempt(10 gal 2 fish) im thinkin around 8-10 fish, and having so many fish i know there will be quite a few nitrates to deal with. how many small sized clams do you think i could get away with placing in the 30 gal to help cut some of those nitrates down while beautifying at the same time?

2.) i plan on having 2 96 watt pc's on the tank and wanted to know if squamosa and derasa are the only two species i would be able to house. i know maximas take a heck of a lot more light than ive got but i really like how hippopus looks and wondered if they are a high light clam???

thanks all in advance, steve

 

[sahin]

In terms of lighting I think a 150w HQI would be perfect.

I wouldnt add so many fish. Its not just nitrates that are the only waste product. There are other stuff like phosphates etc.

The two types of clams that you want to keep gfet fairly big. Will most likely outgrow your tank. Plus having too many clams will mean they will compete with each other for nutrients. You will need to have a decent calcium supply system.

Overall I recommend no more than 5 small fishes. Try and get a halide setup instead of a PC.

 

[xien2000corp]

hey sahin! good to see a fellow clammer! yeah i figured id post these quetions here also to get as many responses as i could before making an informed decision.

i would love to be able to get an hqi but i just dont think its within budget right now :S i know thats kinda silly to say when im sittin up here talkin about buyin all these clams and fish but id rather have a bunch of fish and clams than one new light. besides i just bought brand new bulbs for my pc's. although that IS what i want to do in the near future.

i have been readin quite a bit about how squamosas and derasas grow rather quickly, i would mainly just keep them as nitrate killers and once they got too big for the tank i would trade them off in exchange for smaller ones.

concerning the competing ive been readin quite a bit about dosing kalk and adding magnesium to the tank so i would be doin both of these once i get this setup.

i said 8-10 fish with fish like gobies and clowns in mind. nothing big or that would quickly outgrow the tank, i just want to have "life" in my tank rather than just being hypnotized by the swaying corals as im sure we all get

as for the hippopus, do you think that 196 watts over a 30 would be sufficient for one??? i really know nothing of this species but would love to find out, im away from the states right now so im unable to find any good books and the websites i have seen so far only give the basics of them :s if u have any suggestions id gladly check up on them!

thanks again, steve

 

[sahin]

Steve, you might find this link interesting:

http://www.spc.org.nc/coastfish/News/Trochus/Trochus8/Trochus8-07.htm
Its about using clams as filters.

http://www.petsforum.com/fishnchips/1999/fnc0799.htm#critter

http://www.petsforum.com/fishnchips/1999/fnc0899.htm#critter

http://www.petsforum.com/fishnchips/2000/fnc0200.html#skimmer

The above are general clam related info.
I dont have any experiance or much knowledge of Hippopus clams. Hope that above helps anyway.

 

[TLow]

Hi Sahin,
Sorry to go off the subject, but couldn't help noticing you run a percula 90. I'm just about to set one up myself, wondered if you had any advice? What are you using for a substrate? have you had any probs with nitrate? ( i've heard this can be a prob with the percula due to trickle filter). Any info would be appreciated

Cheers

Tim

 

[sahin]

TLow: Check out my website:

http://www.nano-reef.com/sahin/

In the Equipment and History section there is a lot of info.

Basically I really like these tanks. I am using Caribsea Fine Aragonite. However if i were to setup another tank I will go without a DSB. I just think it takes too much effort to maintain a proper functioning DSB with the limited resources most hobbyists have acess to.

I am running 150w Halide and 80w of T5.

The skimmer that came with the tank is nice and easy to setup/maintain.

I have not used the trickle filter. I am utisiling thier area of the internal sump to house pouches of Rowaphos etc. I may use it for other purposes in the future. Therefore, no nitrate problems.

 

[TLow]

Hi Sahin,

Checked out the website, looks good. I was thinking of leaving out the bio balls as well, but wasn't sure what to fill the chamber up with. What else have you got in there apart from the Rowaphos? have you tried algae as suggested on the website?

 

[TLow]

Hi Sahin,

I'm going to be running the perc with a 250 watt halide and t5 actinic, reckon I might go bare bottom and grow some starpolyps and coralline on it or just use a thin layer of sand for substrate.
Checked out the website, looks good. I was thinking of leaving out the bio balls as well, but wasn't sure what to fill the chamber up with. What else have you got in there apart from the Rowaphos? Have you tried algae as suggested on the website? I noticed you had quite high nitrate readings for a couple of months, how does the water test now?

Must say am looking forward to having some fish - I run a 9 gallon micro reef at the mo and miss having them. I know you have clams, what other stock have you got?

Hope you don't mind these q's , just trying to get as much info as poss before I set up.

thanks

Tim

 

[sahin]

Steve I am sorry for diverting your original thread.

Tim: The nitrates are getting lower. The whole systems filtration needs to mature so it will take a few more month I guess.

The tank also had high phoshates (about 3ppm at the start!!!) But its now down to 0ppm just this week and so the cyanno or Dinoflagetlattes (spelling?) that I had is now 98% gone. The nitrates arent too bad as long as it isnt too high for very long periods. I do have a Derasa clam in the tank which I think is soaking up excess nitrates. At least its growing very nicely.

As for the lighting, my SPS corals are growing nicely, but someof the colours arent as good as I want. So I am thinking of adding a 250w MH.

However I wont keep then T5's if I add a 250w halide as I know I will have overheating problems. At the moment I am managing heat with a small fan blowing in between the lights and water. I dont think the tank will stay at the same temperature if I add just replace the 150w with a 250w halide and keep the T5 (which get quite hot).

As for the using algae in the sump area meant for the trickle filter, I havent done that yet. I will need to rig some lights etc and cant be bothered at the moment with all that.

For the moment the tank is progressing fine and I am leaving it be for now.

To be fair to the orginal poster of this thread, please email me at: Email for further questions and I will be happy to reply back.

Thanks.

 

[TLow]

Thanks Sahin, and apologies to you Steve for nicking this thread!!

 

[xien2000corp]

no worries friends! information is information, i have no probs with someone posting on another thread when they are looking for legitimate info!!!

thanks sahin! ill be sure to keep u in mind if i have any more questions. those sites u posted were awesome!

thanks again all, steve

 

[skylab1]

Hi all,

I have a question on clam need answers:

I have a 29G reef tank, I am thinking about adding a T. squamosa or T. derasa to the tank. I have read the strontium supplement may be toxic for clam, can anyone verify that? What about iodine?

I have soft corals which need strontium and a lots of invert. that also need iodine, what other trace element can I use with coral and is safe with clam?

Thanks