Clam under 130w PC?

[LJ23]

I know this is the most ANNOYING subject line but..

I have a 10gal that I'm going to be doing zoo's/ricordia and a few softies.

But the centerpiece will be a nice clam. I was thinking of POSSIBLY a black and white maxima.. I know maxima's aren't recommended, but since this is black and white, instead of blue or green, what do you think?

Along with pristine water conditions and the light, is this the right condition for a black and white maxima?

If it's NOT, what are some good ideas? *Note* will not put a hippopus in a 10gal, they just grow way to fast.



Thanks for any input,



-Nick

 

[dragon_slayer]

i'd stay away from a maxima with anything less then MH's myself, give a derasa or a squamosa a look. they will outgrow the tank in a few yrs and will have to be moved to a larger system or traded.

kc

 

[LJ23]

Thanks for the reply!

Yeah, I really like the deresa clams, and a few of the nicely colored squasmosa (sp?). But it didn't hurt to ask.

But the reason I asked, the LFS has the small black and white maxima's for $35 and look healthy. They've been there for about 3 weeks and I see no mantal gaping or anything.

Is there anything in particular I SHOULD look for when purchasing a clam at a LFS? I'm prolly going to get a order from Barry at clam's direct, but my LFS is always getting them in.

**Note: I would get MH, but due to the high temp summer's here in FL, I have to stay with PC. I've tried MH before on my 29gal and didn't have too much trouble keeping temperatures in check, but this tank is almost 20gal smaller.**

Thanks,



-Nick

 

[dragon_slayer]

good mantel extension and checking the bysal for damage as well as doing the shadow test to see if the clam responds to light changes are about all you can do. checking for snails is also a good idea.


and as far as temp concerns it gets just as hot here in south bama as in south fla, fans are wonderful things when it comes to keeping MH's cooled down.

kc

 

[LJ23]

I have a huge fan blowing on the tank at the moment, and temp is 78* inside tank, and 75* outside.. can't wait until it hits 95*.. lol


Thanks,



-Nick

 

[dragon_slayer]

my 180 hits 86 at times winter and summer but i've never had any problems. i strive to keep my water pristine.

kc

 

[Mr aqua]

LJ23 - I've got 2 baby maxi's and two 5in squa's in my 20H. The Maxi's are black w. blue speckles and one ultra grade blue. My tank also has 130W PC. Tank has been running for one yr. My blue spot Squa's have been in for 8 and the Maxi's have been in for 6 mo's. I know this isn't much for longevity but it doesn't take long for a clam to die off due to lack of light. The squas are at the bottom and the Maxi's are at the peak of the tank prob only 5in away from the CSL fixture. I also remove the screen from my fixture for intensity. The Maxi's have attatched and have great mantle extension. Retained color and very reactive. I'm pretty experienced with Marine tanks and suggest being one before trying this experiment. But in my opinion it can be done with the proper know how and care. i'd post pics but don't know how. i can care for an ecosystem in my livingroom but can't post pics, go figure! LJ23 since ur tank is a 10G my guess is that u could try it b/c in such a small volume of water everything in there will get blasted by light. Just watch ur temp and make sure u have a lot of surface agitation b/c this actually intensifies light. If you don't have much experience then i'd try the less light demanding clams and wait at least 6mo's before adding a Maxi. also in my opinion you shouldn't try crocea unless upgraded to MH. (which is my next project) so i hope this helps, if ya got any ques then note me. good luck!

 

[LJ23]

I'm going to try a squasmosa in the next few months, and see how everything goes, and if all goes well, I will move up later on in the year.



Thanks for the reply,




-Nick

 

[Peabody]

Good call. Try the squamosa. I've seen clam after clam die at my LFS under PCs in their show tanks (4x65 over a 55 gal., and 96w over a 10 gallon) ALl other corals and lower light clams thriving. After about 6 months they will notice where there was a clam before, now there's just a shell that had been picked clean.

 

[LJ23]

Thanks for the reply!



-Nick

 

[Peabody]

Oops....my story above was referring to Maxima and Crocea clams ...I assume you realized that When a squamosa or derasa was in those tanks it would thrive (derasa in the one for about 5 years now)