Avalanche1201
New member
Ive got a 3gal picotope w/ a 36w Current USA lighting system. I've fallen in love w/ the colors of clams, do you think a baby one would do well in a 3gal tank? Or should I not even bother?
Clams
- Thread starter Avalanche1201
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graveyardworm
Premium Member
Unless you can maintain very stable parameters in the tank I wouldnt do it. Even the smallest ones can get up to 12 inches, and require high lighting. Your lighting would not be enough for a clam. Also a small clam will need regular/daily phyto feeding.
Avalanche1201
New member
o man 
i didnt think it was possible but I was hoping. Guess Ill just have to wait for later on when I can set up a tank good enough for a clam
i didnt think it was possible but I was hoping. Guess Ill just have to wait for later on when I can set up a tank good enough for a clam
graveyardworm
Premium Member
Good thinkin :thumbsup: The clam gods will smile on you eventually.
plateboy3293
New member
I have a maxima in a 6 gallon and I keep the param's good but after the clam I never added anything else. The clam is 3 inches under actnics.
graveyardworm
Premium Member
Is there any light aside from actinics? How long have you had the clam?
plateboy3293
New member
1 year
el chupacabra
New member
PC?
How many watts? What do you feed him?
plateboy3293
New member
Kent Marine Micro Vert Its under 8 watts. The electric blue pattern has never faded. Water changes are done every month.
plateboy3293
New member
There is no other light besides actnic's.
graveyardworm
Premium Member
Your clam is either starving, which is very hard to tell with clams, or you are the exception to the rule. Suddenly one day the bristleworms are eating it and all thats left are bits of tissue and the death is blamed on the worms when in truth the worms are helping, and the clam died from other causes. Perhaps the only thing sustaining the clam is the regular feeding cause there is no way its getting enough light. As the clam matures it becomes more dependant upon light, although I'm not sure how this works in the absense of adequate light. Perhaps the clam just stays on the nipple so to speak.
plateboy3293
New member
The clam only gets fed once a week. The clam also responds to light turning on and off so it is not dead or starving.
phishcrazee
Member
Poor thing, get some better lights! When clams are under 2" they need to be fed phytoplankton several times a week. As they mature past 2-2.5" + they depend more on photosynthesis to survive and grow. A good indicator of how the clam is fairing, is how much it's grown in the year you've had it. If it's stayed the same size, not doing so well, as you should see a noticeable growth in a year's time.
Also, your other corals will need lighting other than the actinics too. They may be surviving now, the mushrooms might do ok for some time, but all the corals will need more down the road. Might as well upgrade sooner, rather than later. Coral do not need actinics, btw, to survive, they just show off certain corals better.
Also, your other corals will need lighting other than the actinics too. They may be surviving now, the mushrooms might do ok for some time, but all the corals will need more down the road. Might as well upgrade sooner, rather than later. Coral do not need actinics, btw, to survive, they just show off certain corals better.
matter1331
New member
Direct quote from James Fatherree's book, Giant Clams in the Sea and the Aquarium, "...the zooxanthellae can actually donate enough glucose to give a clam all the carbon/energy it needs to live, to grow, and to reproduce."
Basically, you don't have to feed clams, but it doesn't hurt. It's a common misconception that small clams have to be fed, if they've got good color, then there's enough zooxanthellae there to feed them. If you're going to keep one in a small tank I would be very careful about how much you feed. I made this mistake in my 7 gallon and sent the nutrient levels through the roof.
Basically, you don't have to feed clams, but it doesn't hurt. It's a common misconception that small clams have to be fed, if they've got good color, then there's enough zooxanthellae there to feed them. If you're going to keep one in a small tank I would be very careful about how much you feed. I made this mistake in my 7 gallon and sent the nutrient levels through the roof.
plateboy3293
New member
The clam as grown about 4 more shelves on it. The clam is now about 5 inches.
