derasa clam question

[jolson10450]

i was reading on a site today that a derasa clam only needs 3+ watts per gallon to be kept and was wonder what y'all thought.


i have 192w pc's in my 40 g tank with 5 inches of sand in the bottom and 45 pounds of live rock. my lvls are all perfect 0,0,0,8.2 and sal = 1.023

with these parameters could i keep a clam in my tank even if its not at the bottom??

 

[deepbelow]

what are the dimensions of your tank?? it says all bio, do you use carbon? two other things you would need to check would be your alk and calcium.

B

 

[jolson10450]

yeah im getting those tests today but i use a hangon floss and carbon filter bag and protein skimmer i also have a 40g refugium/sump as well... the dimensions for the actual tank are 30x18x12 i believe?? maybe 30x20x12 but its 40 g and i dont recall off the top of my head and im at work or i would measure it haha

calc and dhk is no problem i was just worried about my lights not being enough and if they were i was wondering if i could put it on the bottom of my tank.

 

[parothead22]

Durasa and Squamosa clams don't require intense lighting to that of Maxima's and Crocea's.
Placement in a deep sand bed is best with low water movement.
They are calcium and strontium hogs requiring added amounts over and above water change amounts.
Very important for clams to have ammonia and nitrates in your water, yes, I know what you are thinking-not suppose to have any in your water. Trust me, clams require it for food(zooxanthellae)proper oxygen/carbon dioxide transfer!!!!
Believe it or not nitrates stimulate coral growth, causing greater calcium usage though and depletes alkalinity in a closed system through the formation of nitric acid.

 

[critterkeeper]

Where did you read that they can get by on 3w/gal? I'd like to talk directly to whoever wrote that.

Yet another misconception, that derasa, squamosa, and gigas are "deep water" clams. Not true at all. The fact is 90% of them are found in water just as shallow as the other species, but for some reason, a few of these have the ability to live in deeper water at times. I've spent a lot of time diving in Japan and Indonesia and I see the same thing everywhere I look. The important thing to note is that this in no way implies that ALL of them can.

Bottom line - SOME derasas, squamosas, and gigas can live under less light than croceas and maximas, but not all. You should not assume that the clam you decide to buy is one of them...

 

[OrionN]

My tank never have detectable nitrates or ammonia with test kits available for us to use. I think the view that Clams requires detectable nitrates to do well in in error. They requires clean, stable water. I also never measure strontium not add any on purpose. My gigas grew from 2 inches to 22 inches over 5 years or so. I do have very strong light and add lots of Ca via kalk water top off and lots via Ca reactor using crushed coral as Ca source.
I never feed my clams and corals other than the usual food for the fishes.
IME, Gigas, Derassa and Squamosa can do with less light than Crocea and Maxima, but they do better with more intense light.

 

[a4twenty]

just on a side note, dersa's can get pretty darn big ( close to 2 feet )

 

[jmaneyapanda]

I second that. clams will geow quick too, when given the right environemnt.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Also, Id love to see the whole "watts per gallon" advice go in the dumper. It is a real misleading concept.

 

[derekman]

I have my derasa under 390 watts at the botom of the tank he survives, near the top he thrives, great extension great color, so I guess, it's really a matter of your satisfaction. sure, it might live, but chances are you'll have to put it at the very top, making it very hard to change water (they cannot be exposed to air) and they will never really do well. I suggest you at least upgrade to more wattage if you want him to have any real chance of more than just scraping by.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

clams can be exposed to air.