ridinfast03
New member
Has anyone out there had luck with PC lighting and Clams? If so, which ones? And where did you place them?
Clams and PC
- Thread starter ridinfast03
- Start date
castor
New member
PC's and clams can be done, but you need enough pcs and the right kind of clam.
A derasa and squamosa need the least light of the clams, with crocea and maximas needing the most (ie, really need MH)
I have a small derasa in my 29g on the sandbed with 220w of pc doing very well. Take into account it is a pretty decent amount of watts on a 29g.
With less intense light though, to help them out, supplimental feedings of live phytoplankton can help keep them happy and growing too.
A derasa and squamosa need the least light of the clams, with crocea and maximas needing the most (ie, really need MH)
I have a small derasa in my 29g on the sandbed with 220w of pc doing very well. Take into account it is a pretty decent amount of watts on a 29g.
With less intense light though, to help them out, supplimental feedings of live phytoplankton can help keep them happy and growing too.
Reefmaniac1
Active member
My in-laws have a T. crocea in their tank; a 90g with 440 watts VHO. The clam is positioned as high in the tank as possible. They feed it a few times each week. The clam has been in their tank for about 5 months and is growing (new scutes can be seen).
castor
New member
A clam in a 10g isn't that great of an idea. I debated it myself for a while but decided against it.
A few reasons
Yes, it is 96w - 9.6w per gallon. But the watt per gallon rule isn't a good thing to go by. 96 watts is still only 96w, even though it's over a smaller area, it still doesn't give off enough par. (if you aren't familiar with par do a search on here and you should find plenty)
The two main clams that require lower light are also the faster growers and grow to the biggest sizes which means even if you buy a small clam, it won't be too long until it outgrows your tank. Another problem with that is if you do buy a baby, they need constant feedings and are that much harder to take care of. The constant feedings would also pollute a 10g a lot faster than a larger tank.
Croceas and maximas don't grow as fast or as big but they need the most light and I wouldn't reccomend them under pcs no matter how many you have.
Clams also need very stable water params, it's much harder to keep them stable in a 10g. Now, if you had an automatic topoff and all the other gadgets that keep things stable all the time, this wouldn't be as much of an issue.
Now, SOME do keep clams in nanos and successfully. It can be done, but the number of people that have failed out weighs the number that have been successfull by a lot.
A few reasons
Yes, it is 96w - 9.6w per gallon. But the watt per gallon rule isn't a good thing to go by. 96 watts is still only 96w, even though it's over a smaller area, it still doesn't give off enough par. (if you aren't familiar with par do a search on here and you should find plenty)
The two main clams that require lower light are also the faster growers and grow to the biggest sizes which means even if you buy a small clam, it won't be too long until it outgrows your tank. Another problem with that is if you do buy a baby, they need constant feedings and are that much harder to take care of. The constant feedings would also pollute a 10g a lot faster than a larger tank.
Croceas and maximas don't grow as fast or as big but they need the most light and I wouldn't reccomend them under pcs no matter how many you have.
Clams also need very stable water params, it's much harder to keep them stable in a 10g. Now, if you had an automatic topoff and all the other gadgets that keep things stable all the time, this wouldn't be as much of an issue.
Now, SOME do keep clams in nanos and successfully. It can be done, but the number of people that have failed out weighs the number that have been successfull by a lot.
WHy not use the HQI? I've seen two people (one being my LFS) try maximas with a 96w powerquad over a 10 gallon. They didn't make it to the 6 month mark. It's possible, but risky, IMO. Throw one of your halides over the thing and eliminate the risk. If you want till a clam looks like it's not doing well it's often too alte, IME.
Zeppelin52
New member
i have a 3" maxima under 260 watt of pc in my 75g. But no growth
well i talked to my lfs and they showed me a hqi pendent from coralife and it would be perfect for my 10g. now my question should i use the 10k bulb it comes with or buy a 20k bulb. also the pendent is 150 watts. i thought about it and dont want to spend 80bucks on a clam and have it die because i did not give it the right light.
chadfarmer
Premium Member
if you do 10k
a 10 gal water perameters will change so quick
i would have the water checked before the clam and it will use up a lot of calicium
you will also have to deal with heat issues unless you raise the light high on the tank
dont want to ruin your day i just wanted to give a little info
a 10 gal water perameters will change so quick
i would have the water checked before the clam and it will use up a lot of calicium
you will also have to deal with heat issues unless you raise the light high on the tank
dont want to ruin your day i just wanted to give a little info