Crocea in a nano

[Newreeflady]

Hello! I'm still considering what to do with the nano i'm setting up. I haven't purchased lighting yet for the tank and am considering going ahead with a 150W 14k halide over a 12g nanocube. The tank will have a maxijet 900 with hydorflow return.

I would want to stay with a Crocea because they are the smallest of the clam species when full-grown and are also beautiful and light loving. I would purchase a specimen >3", which I understand will be OK without supplemental feeding (correct?)

So, has anyone kept these in a nano? How were you keeping calcium levels stable? I could consider B-ionic which would be cost effective for this system I believe. I do not want to run a Ca reactor or any such device on this small system, would this be OK?

Any other considerations aside from having the tank stable before the addition of a clam?

Thanks,
Angela.

 

[Don Berry]

You would have plenty of light and B-Ionic will work just fine. I use B-Ionic and Kalk on my 72gl bow with 4 clams and tons of sps, and am able to keep stable alk and ca. Watch out for temp spikes and keep up with evaporation on a tank that small and you should be ok. You will need fans for sure to keep temp down.

 

[discus010]

Dosing a 2 part supplement in a nano tank in a clam can be risky IMO. 2 part supplements are generally dosed in the morning to stabalize alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, etc. As the day progresses, a clam will utilize calcium and other minerals for growth. So by the end of the day, these minerals may be completely utilized by the clam especially in a 12 gallon tank with a small volume of water. A way to provide a steady supply of calcium and to keep the alk up would be to use a calcium reactor.

 

[Newreeflady]

No chance on a calcium reactor for this little thing. Not even for sure getting the 150 watt halide, i'm still on the edge and might do a 70w halide. I suppose I could try it, see if it works out, and trade the clam if it seems to be stressed in the system.

I suppose after I get the lighting up and the tank running and stable i'll add some sps and see how that goes and if they look well, then maybe consider a clam? I don't want to hurt one of these awesome creatures. I have heard of people keep them high up in small tanks with pc lighting, so i'd assume it'd be ok under even a 70w halide if up at the top. Would they be bothered by too much water flow?

Discus, have you tried doing b-ionic in a nano before? I used to dose it in my 65g, but it was really an expensive supplement for such a large tank. I was thinking it'd be perfect for this little tank, and that I could run a reverse-phase refugium in one of my compartments to keep stable pH at night.

I still have some thinking through to do on this. Any other comments about b-ionic in a small reef?

Thanks,
Angela.

 

[Don Berry]

Who uses a calcium reactor on a 12gl? I've seen plenty of people use 2 parts on a small tank with no problem. It's really the only option.

 

[Peabody]

I used a CA reactor on a 15 (with a sump) because my 2 baby maximas used too much CA and Alk every day.

Looking back, I would not put a clam in a nano again...it's just too risky, and when they look bad, it's already too late.

 

[Newreeflady]

Wow, are you sure that you didn't have unbalanced Mg or other things going on? I am amazed you couldn't keep up with the demands of two clams with b-ionic, although admittedly it does become expensive (I don't know how large your sump is.) Anyhow, this doesn't have a sump, it is just a little 12g tank. It is something I could feasibly dose daily and do water changes on weekly with TM pro-reef which is supposed to have good params, although I haven't mixed any up yet. How often do you do water changes to replenish other important ions?

Thanks for the comments, definitely something to consider. It would be great to hear from others who have tried b-ionic with or without success. I am suprised that so far only one person is having good results.

-A

 

[Peabody]

I had about 25 growing frags and 2 fast growing clams. It just took too much B-Ionic to get everything to stay put. Those clams were growing as much as 1/4" a month! It wasa pretty crazy litle tank

 

[Newreeflady]

Sounds awesome! Wow, 25 sps and two clams in a 15g, that's definitely demanding.

I thought croceas were slow growers, guess not, lol!

-A

 

[Peabody]

For the record, the clams that grew that quickly were maximas....I should have specified that. I loved that crazy little tank, but one bad little move could have wiped ou the whole thing!

 

[wetWolger]

IMO you are walking a fine wire with this sort of plan. And by not running a Ca reactor your making that wire even thiner. I would not risk it unless you wanted to take the extra measures just for the clam, like the Ca ractor. Just my opinion.....

 

[Newreeflady]

Thanks to all for their opinions.

-A