clam tank setup

[jeffyo]

greetings clammers !

i want to add a "clam tank" to my house...i am thinking of around 140g (60"x24"x24"...5" dsb, 200 lbs lr...a few ?'s:

1. is 2 x 175 w 10000k MH w/pc's about right, or should i look at 3 mh's or 250w, or both ???

2. any harm in this new tank sharing a 100g sump/refugium with an exisiting 215g reef tank ? obviously, redundancy would prevent spread of problems from one system to the other, but are there other risks here that are intrinsic to clam tanks that i am missing?

3. are there any good sources for data on "clam safe" inverts and fish, other than knop ?

Thanks everybody !!!

 

[AttackDonut]

My limited experience

My limited experience

Take it for what it's worth (about 0.03$, adjusted for inflation)

I was always under the impression the more light the better. My tank is a 29 bowfront, which measures 18" deep. I use a total of 220 watts of light and my Squamy loves it. I get about 2 Inches of mantle extension daily.

I would venture to say that the lighting you propose initially isn't enough, esp. for some of the more demanding clams. I would do the 3 MH with the PC lights. Others here more experienced than I could speak up, look at Peterlin98's clam post about his fantastic tank setup. His lighting is more than excellent.

I dunno if I would share a common water source...it might be asking for trouble.

As far as reef safe inverts, I have yet to see any of my inverts bother my clam. From what I have read they leave the healthy ones alone...

The web is where I have been reading about clams, but it seems to mirror Knop's work.

 

[SEAMONSTER]

How are ya doing?

I do not think that using the same sump or refugium is a good idea. Not only that there may be problems of cross-contamination, there is a problem of overflowing the sump in the case of a (God forbid!) a power failure. As far as the tank is concerned, I would suggest a Monaco-style (also known as a plenum) set-up. This type does return calcium to the water column when the tank is established. Along with live rock, the nitrate level will remain low;it is the only style that does remove nitrate efficiently and reliably without the use of expensive hardware. Since you are setting up a clam tank, calcium additions may be necessary in the long run. This type of setup usually takes around 4-6 months to get established-never ever put clams in a brand-new system! Excellent lighting is a must! I own a 60-gallon reef with 220 watts of light, Hamilton fixtures (3.67 watts/gallon). I recently went to a shop with 3 clams in a 55 gallon setup. I was suprised to see clams under Hamilton flourescents! I asked the lady worker at the store about that. She said they were Maxima clams and they do not need as much light as Crocea clams and Derasas! I asked her how long have the clams been in there. She said over a month. I said "No ****?" Now I would never have a clam under just flourescents. I'll go back next month and check it out again. Wait and see.......

The only invertebrate that I heard of bothering clams is the peppermint shrimp. Now I have not witnessed this myself but I would heed this warning. Also, angelfishes are known to pick on clams too. Do not place your clam near other coral or anemones because either can easily sting and kill the clam. Also place it as near to the light source as possible.

Take care!

 

[AttackDonut]

Odd about the peppermint shrimp

Odd about the peppermint shrimp

As I have ~5 in my tank and have not experienced this. I'll count myself lucky though and keep an eye out.

 

[peterlin98]

I would recommend Melanurus Wrasse (Halichoeres melanurus)
for your clam tank. This is a larger fish than six line and he seems to be doing a good job. However, you still need to turn clam over regularly to make sure there is no parasitic snails.
I don't think using fish alone will get to all of the snails.

 

[Peabody]

Seamonster: Wow, I've never heard of someone using a monoco setup! Interesting

Today, DSBs are the most popular method of nitrate reduction and filtration. They are the most natural method we have and greatly add to the bio-diversity of the tank. What made you decide for a plenum based tank? Very interesting

Judgign by your light setup, are you running PCs and not MH? What kidn of clams are you keeping, and for how long?

jeffyo:

I would go 250 watt MH no question....maybe HQI.

A reactor will be a must with a clam tank.....they just require way too much calcium. Keeping apropriate levels of calcium and alk is just too hard otherwise. I don't know of any clam tanks without.

Does your main tank have a reactor? It may be another advantage of a common sump. The only bad part would be if you put some Ponpeii clams in the main tank

best of luck
Jeff

 

[jeffyo]

peabody,

yeah....i have a precision marine calc reactor on the main right now, that could easily be cranked up...

as far as the power failure scenario mentioned above, i think i have that covered with a generator...

would you go with 2 x 250w mh over the 60" or 3 ?

thanks guys for the help !

 

[Peabody]

That's a tough call. I honestly don't know. Most tanks I have seen use 1 mh for every 2 feet. If you're DIY-ing with retrofit kits I suppose you could try 2, if it's not balanced enough, then go with three

The more I think about it I would go with a shared sump. It would be a money saver too (no second reactor, etc). In any case I think it's sound to make sure your sump can handle the back syphon if a power outage happens. Usually tanks don't drain that much....I have tested mine and it drains maybe one inch.

The only real problems I can think of would be introducing an infected clam into the main tank (ponpeii clams) or if you have something like a Sea Apple that can poison a tank. I suppose you probably don't

 

[SEAMONSTER]

DSB?

DSB?

Hey guys!

What is a DSB? I have never heard of that term!

Most shops use a common sump in their systems. However, the shop I go to had to treat their fishes for ich (in one holding tank out of thirty). This did affect the whole system and they lost a few specimens during the treatment! Its your call!

Take care!



:rollface:

 

[Peabody]

95% of new tanks today (it seems) use a DSB - Deep Sand Bed.

5-6 inches of sugar sized oolitic sand seeded with the appropriate detritivores is a killer source of filtration (see Dr. Ron's forum) It takes care of all nitrates, and really adds to the bio-diversity of the tank. Many people have added them to existing tanks and said it was the best thing they have ever done, and the livestock is healthier. Live Rock, DSB, and Good skimmer seems to be a formula for success around here

 

[SEAMONSTER]

DSB

DSB

HEY PEABODY!

Thanks for the reply! I have never heard of that method. The reason why I trust the Monaco-style system is that a hypoxic water layer with no sand develops inside of the filter plates where the denitrators (is that right? Sumthin like that) bacteria develop and thrive. As a result, a rapid conversion of nitrite to nitrate happens. The nitrate escapes via air bubbles to the surface and into the atmoshere. It is possible to run a tank in this manner without protien skimming, without a large bioload, of course! I can see the bubbles in my sand bed on a regular basis. this gives me an idea on how fast my tank is cycling, and if it has reached a state of equilibrium. I do have a pretty deep bed (4 inches or so), 40 pounds of aragonite, 60 pounds of live sand. In addition, I probably have roughly 65-70 pounds of live rock! I plan to get a little more live sand for the benifit of my sand stars though, I tend to worry about them!

My tank has not reached that state(equilibrium) yet; it has been in operation for 2 months. Right now I am experiencing algae blooms but that should subside in around a month. It takes a while for denitrators to develop to their full potential. I am not getting the algae off because I figure that it will exhaust itself out. Is this a good idea? The tank's pump turns all the water over at a rate of 16 times an hour. I also have a cpr skimmer that is powered by a rio 800.

Take care!

:rollface: