Clam under PC
- Thread starter Racso
- Start date
your right, you dont need to justify anything to me. but the original poster should get good info. and you should tell the original poster how long you've had the clams so they know what experience you are pulling from
it can take clams a year or more to slowly starve to death from improper light
that deserves another:lol:
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9280274#post9280274 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rabidcrab
what ever you say mbbuna :] your the all knowing. I have a buisness for maintaining saltwater tanks and i couldnt tell you how many tanks with PC's have clams thriving... but again your the all knowing i must be wrong ...
MBBUNA reminds me of Cliff Clavin the mailman from the TV show Cheers. LOL
Kogo
In Memoriam
you must be very vigilant. no coraline on the glass, none on the power heads, none on the algea magnet.... i could only keep my tanks that clean for the first 2 - 3 months of operation.
... of course that green film of algea on the side glass doesnt seem quite spotless.
but anyway, cool "1year old" tank...
as for advice given by mbbuna, he's been keeping clams for quite a while and sharing excellent advice with many reefers. from what i read he seems more interested in the best methods of keeping clams that will be the most successfull for the average hobbiest, and not the exceptions that are made by a few people for a few months.
Rockhead21564
Member
Well said Kogo. The disrespect shown to mbuna shows a total lack of knowledge, par for the course I guess. I'm not caring who is giving poor advice, only that the newer members know its poor. A tank cleaning business means nothing as far as "knowing " what you're doing. I've seen many, many people start maint. businesses with very little experience. I've also fixed their messes. Nice tank anyway, I have no "envy" of it by any means though,lol. Denial is denial, especially when it comes to admitting your wrong.
rabidcrab
New member
I could take more pics, zoom in and show you all my algea in my tank... if thats what you guys would like. It's a bit rediculous a few of you want to tell me how old my tank is? ... well ok :] its a few months old? ya got me???? ow??
I was just making a point in this thread that you can keep clams happy with pc's if u know what ur doin. It went from that, to this, you guys trying to make me feel bad about my tank and my methods and telling me that my tank doesnt have algae.... lol well thanks guys i work hard on my tanks i know. and it pays off when i have people telling me theyre so clean they look new.
just because you dont agree with sum1's method, doesnt mean you have to pick fights with them. (mbbuna,rockhead,kogo)
And i hope all of you wont loose sleep tonight thinking about how I have clams under my power compacts. :]
I was just making a point in this thread that you can keep clams happy with pc's if u know what ur doin. It went from that, to this, you guys trying to make me feel bad about my tank and my methods and telling me that my tank doesnt have algae.... lol well thanks guys i work hard on my tanks i know. and it pays off when i have people telling me theyre so clean they look new.
just because you dont agree with sum1's method, doesnt mean you have to pick fights with them. (mbbuna,rockhead,kogo)
And i hope all of you wont loose sleep tonight thinking about how I have clams under my power compacts. :]
Kogo
In Memoriam
sounds like someones late for nap time.
no-one is picking an Internet fight with you. it just gets to be a bit annoying discussing things online when someone makes wild claims that seem inconsistent with previous statements.
for example
different claims about lighting, then frustration when questioned.
stating the age of the tank instead of the clam, when asked about how long the clams were in it.
and outright anger when people see pictures of your tank, and point out that it looks more like a new setup than an established tank.
the bottom line is that people who post asking about PC lighting on the clam forum generaly get the same set of answers. consistant recomendations for specific types of lighting for specific types of clams based on long term experiance and the individual species natural habitat ...vs... ive had a clam all week and its doing great.
hopefully posters can figure out who is worth listening to!
Rockhead21564
Member
Hopefully everyone doesn't just use discussions on these threads and actually does some research.
Rapid, I have not animosity towards you or your tank. It's just tath in my experience almost all people that make the PC light and clam arguement don't tell the entire story. One guy said everything was great and didn't tell about the XL picture window or the one that actually replaced his clams once each year or so, but didn't know why they "just disappeared" one day. You can't give blanket advice to newbies that is questionable at best for the masses. Advice here must be as board specturmed as possible. Also, please don't give advice or opinions if you don't want an opposing viewpoint stated, it will happen everytime, i.e. DSB v. BB, PC v. MH, how big or type of fish can I have. Good luck.
Rapid, I have not animosity towards you or your tank. It's just tath in my experience almost all people that make the PC light and clam arguement don't tell the entire story. One guy said everything was great and didn't tell about the XL picture window or the one that actually replaced his clams once each year or so, but didn't know why they "just disappeared" one day. You can't give blanket advice to newbies that is questionable at best for the masses. Advice here must be as board specturmed as possible. Also, please don't give advice or opinions if you don't want an opposing viewpoint stated, it will happen everytime, i.e. DSB v. BB, PC v. MH, how big or type of fish can I have. Good luck.
Racso
New member
thank you for making my thread a great example of why RC is a bad place for easy information... you get true experts debating something in one style, newbies jumping in giving newbie advice in an expert fashion, and then people start arguing about crap that is irrelevent to the point of the thread.
Apparently I didn't ask my question in the fashion I needed too. Anyway, I found the answer to my question elsewhere. This thread has gone WAY off topic. Mods, I think I deserve the right to ask for this thread to be locked.
Thank you
Apparently I didn't ask my question in the fashion I needed too. Anyway, I found the answer to my question elsewhere. This thread has gone WAY off topic. Mods, I think I deserve the right to ask for this thread to be locked.
Thank you
critterkeeper
New member
I just happened to check in...
First, Mbunna is one of the most knowledgeable sources of information here. Period. You should thank him for spending his time dishing out post after post of factual info (for free), rather than argue or accuse of following any crowd.
Second, yes you can keep tridacnids under fluorescents (VHO, PC, or T5) - IF you place them close enough to the bulbs. However, croceas and maximas in particular look entirely different when placed up high close to the lights, instead of down low on the bottom - unless you have a really, really plain clam. Thus, placing them high in a tank really defeats the whole point of buying such nice clams in the first place. Take a look at most of them sitting up high from the top of a tank and then you'll wish it was on the bottom...
Third, every clam is different, and there are instances where one clam may thrive under fluorescents at a given depth while dozens of others (of the same species) may slowly starve under the exact same lights and depth. Thus, there will be people from time to time that really do succeed at keeping high-light clams (like croceas) under fluorescents at a significant depth. But, when you buy a clam there's no way to know if it's a "tough one" or not. So, you need to provide an approproate amount of light for any clam of that species, rather than take a chance on perhaps getting an individual that can survive on less than it's cousins.
Fourth, it is true that clams can take many months, rather than days or weeks, to starve to death when kept under insufficient lighting. So, anyone that hasn't had one for about a year or more cannot claim success, unless there is obvious shell growth.
When it comes down to it, you can't go wrong with MH unless you've got a really, really deep tank. Using anything else can be taking a chance when it comes to most clams, croceas in particular. Still, I hope to soon see some real data from controlled experiments comparing T5 to MH, which may be enlightening (har, har), but until I see real data with comparable numbers, this reefer won't be taking any more chances than absolutely required.
James Fatherree
http://www.fatherree.com/james/bibliography.htm
First, Mbunna is one of the most knowledgeable sources of information here. Period. You should thank him for spending his time dishing out post after post of factual info (for free), rather than argue or accuse of following any crowd.
Second, yes you can keep tridacnids under fluorescents (VHO, PC, or T5) - IF you place them close enough to the bulbs. However, croceas and maximas in particular look entirely different when placed up high close to the lights, instead of down low on the bottom - unless you have a really, really plain clam. Thus, placing them high in a tank really defeats the whole point of buying such nice clams in the first place. Take a look at most of them sitting up high from the top of a tank and then you'll wish it was on the bottom...
Third, every clam is different, and there are instances where one clam may thrive under fluorescents at a given depth while dozens of others (of the same species) may slowly starve under the exact same lights and depth. Thus, there will be people from time to time that really do succeed at keeping high-light clams (like croceas) under fluorescents at a significant depth. But, when you buy a clam there's no way to know if it's a "tough one" or not. So, you need to provide an approproate amount of light for any clam of that species, rather than take a chance on perhaps getting an individual that can survive on less than it's cousins.
Fourth, it is true that clams can take many months, rather than days or weeks, to starve to death when kept under insufficient lighting. So, anyone that hasn't had one for about a year or more cannot claim success, unless there is obvious shell growth.
When it comes down to it, you can't go wrong with MH unless you've got a really, really deep tank. Using anything else can be taking a chance when it comes to most clams, croceas in particular. Still, I hope to soon see some real data from controlled experiments comparing T5 to MH, which may be enlightening (har, har), but until I see real data with comparable numbers, this reefer won't be taking any more chances than absolutely required.
James Fatherree
http://www.fatherree.com/james/bibliography.htm
So you seem to agree, yes you can keep clams, which require a lot of light if you keep them close enough under high wattage fluorescents. This is something that many have been saying for a long time now only to be attacked by the select few who think they are experts in this forum. I am also sure you would agree that limited anecdotal evidence from an internet forum or real life is hardly statistically valid. Yes they require strong lighting, but if its mantle is receiving enough photonic energy, it doesn’t matter if it is from MH, PC or other means. I see no reason why someone couldn’t keep light loving clams under high wattage fluorescents if kept close enough. The exact minimum wattage/distance recommendation is something that needs to be quantified. They may not be in the best position for viewing but this is purely subjective.
Yet, many in this forum believe they are the final word. They believe by looking at a photograph they can deduce the age of a tank based on if they see algae and thus question or ridicule the validity of others. They seem to believe that every crocea or maxima clam under PC that dies is because of poor lighting. They discount the experiences of many others who have had maximas or croceas under fluorescents with new shell growth. They think all croceas or maximas that survive under fluorescents is because of luck and refuse to look for a scientific explanation. The above post suggesting that all these people are lying and they have their tanks near a window is preposterous.
The immature antics and unscientific conclusions by these so-called experts keep many of us laughing at our computer screens.
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