Clams for my reef?

[Big Jay]

I have always had a fascination with Tridac's. Recently finished setting up a 20g (high unfortunately) reef.

This system is running very nice with a HOB AQ500 Fuge, Remora Skimmer, and some supplimental flow (ph's).

My only concern with keeping clams is the lighting. The setup currently has 2x65x PC's which are a 10k and Actinic.

I know there is alot of debate about keeping clams under PC's. How bout the less light intensive ones such as derasa or squamosa. My LFS has some nice derasa's and squamosa's for sale and cheap too.

What ya think?

EDIT: I do understand that these clams will outgrow my aquarium. Upgrading to a 120 gallon reef soon.

 

[calvin415]

Problem is that the low light clams such as Derasa, Hippo, and Squamosa all like a sand bed. If you could get them higher I think it's a possiblity...

 

[Big Jay]

I went and purchased a healthy looking 4-5" Derasa Clam from my LFS, the price was way too good to pass up.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I'll keep you updated on how it goes.

 

[Leviathan]

the price was way too good to pass up.

Even at the expense of an animals life?


IMHO, you do not have enough light to keep a clam thriving.

You may very well get away with it for a while and think you have accomplished something, but really why even ask for peoples opinions if you are not even going to wait for some responses?

Impluses purchases combined with a lack of understanding ( of a specific animals needs ) NEVER leads to a positive outcome.

I wish your clam luck.

 

[Big Jay]

And on the same token i might mention that the clam was being kept in a "mish-mosh" tank at the LFS over 30" from the lights which were not MH's.

Now its being kept closer to the lights in a virtually empty tank (except for one brain coral, excuse me) on a sand bed (rather than a bare bottom) where i plan to actually feed it and do my best to take care of it. So you pick the lesser of the two evils.

Excuse me for not knowing everything about clams, or being able to get a straightforward response from someone other than Calvin (thank you).

It just seems no one can give me a straighforward response to this question. Everyone on here says PC's and clams = bad. Yet a personal friend has kept Derasa's, Squamosas, and even a Crocea under PC lighting until they grew to the point where he moved them to his 120 gal. reef.

Once again, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Hopefully, the experience will turn out positive to the point where i can maybe provide you with some information, or even if it does take a turn for the worse i can reaffirm the popular opinions about the matter.

 

[Scuba Dog]

Big Jay

Its a debate Jay. I see more and more "yes you can keep clams under PC lighting" threads now. But I have also read several acounts where the clams did not do all that hot ither, But I have yet to read that My 250 halides just were not enough light for a clam. So since I wanted sps and mucho clams I went with 250 DE's.

I have a singe 14kAC 250 DE over my 57 gallon clam tank, since I love the color of the bulb there is no need for PC or t5 or VHO actinics.....The main reason I dont like VHO PC or T5s is that they have to be set real close to the water line to maximize the lack of penitration...thus more heat and spash.....the main thing is I hate changing out floursent bulbs and seating them properly a major pita...

I have my PFO mini pendant abouyt 10 to twelve inches off the water line...so heat isnt an problem....

To properly light my tank with out the halide I would have had to use like 440 to 660 watts of VHO to even come close to to cover the tank...with the DE pendant I managed to do that with only 250 Watts....plus four to six vho tubes over my look down tank would have had a real ghetto look to it....

I only invested 300 bucks in my single halide pendant set up....but its saving me major bucks down the road, and I dont have to cross my fingers and hope that the light system is enough!

 

[Big Jay]

I hear ya. I wanted to go the MH route but my brother and I have decided to venture into a larger reef setup so we are saving the pennies as that will definately be lit via MH.

The clam looks tons better than it did in the LFS system for now. I also know "for now" is very subjective and 6 months down the road to a year is what will really tell how it does. The mantle is extended there is no "gaping" or anything of that nature.

It is over the 3" mark so bowl feeding is not necessary. It will receive its nutrition via DT's Phytoplankton either weekly or bi-weekly, which i have to decide. Top off water will be Kalk, and I will add the necessary trace elements as necessary. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

 

[Omar H]

As Leviathan and Scuba Dog say, good luck.

I tried many, many times to keep clams under NO's and PC's. Kept them for a few months all the time, and then they would die without any apparent reason. now that IÃ"šÃ‚´ve got MH and feed phyto, I've had them for at least a year now and they are not just surviving, but also growing.

You may be able to do it.

How soon before the 120 is up and running? a clam of 5" requires a lot of nutrients and calcium.

Also, look at the pendants, itÃ"šÃ‚´s just easier to get a $300+ set up and slowly get all the lamps you need than try to get a larger setup (sometimes 1'000+) with multiple MH and actinics.

finally, while old now, may I suggest two books: The Reef Aquarium vol 1 by Sprung and Delbeek and Giant Clams by Daniel Knop. Very good reading for those interested in clams.

JMO

Omar

 

[Snprhed]

Leviathan is right, you came in here and asked the question. Will it live I would give it chances of living past a year and a half slim. I used to be on the PC bandwagon. About six months ago I got a MH. 260 watts of PC compared to a 150 watt MH. Its so not even close its amazing. Yesterday I tested the light at water Level. (lux meter) With the MH at about 13 inches from the water it was running 27.3 on the 200k setting (new toy I don't know exactly what that translates too) on the PC tank with the lights so close to the tank it was hard to get the sensor under it I was getting 11.4. Lastly, If you are using the LFS as a reason I hope you have a lot of money and a lot of tanks.

 

[Electrobes]

I too run into this debate and see it often. At the store I work, I try to convince my customers to wait until they get metal halides. And if they absolutely insist, all I can tell them is to put the clam as close to the light as possible.. on the rock if its a crocea and maxima, and the sandbed if its a derasa, etc.

Clams do not "Gape" when there is not enough light, they gape as a passive stress response to a difference in water quality or salinity change. The usual way, but more difficult "self-judement" way to determine if the clam is not getting enough light is over extension of the mantle. Over time they extend their mantle further and further, which actually harms the animal for a number of reasons.