do i have enough for ultragrade maxima clam

Reef junky 305

New member
i am thinking about buying an ultragrade maxima clam on monday but im worried about not having enough light. i have a 175 bowfront with a light fixture with 3 150 watt metal halides with pheonix 14k bulbs (new) & 8 39watt t5...4atnic &4violet.. The fixture is about 4 inches over the tank the tank is 29 inches tall....i have about 4 inches of sand...The question is will it be happy at the bottom of the tank or am i gonna have a problem.......
any advice is apreciate it thanks
 
i would actually go with 250's i dont think 150's will have enough punch to reach that far in your tank.
 
With 150w MH you are probably a bit short on light. Keeping the clam higher in the rocks can help, but clams don't always stay where you want them. I'd try a cheaper, heartier clam first and if you are successful, go after the expensive one 9-12 months later.

From Live Aquaria:

In the home aquarium, the Maxima Clams require intense lighting to thrive as they contain the symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae, and receive the majority of their nutrition from the light through photosynthesis. Smaller T. maxima that are 2” or less in size are much more sensitive to very intense lighting as their membrane is much thinner than larger specimens. For this reason care should be taken to properly photo-adapt them to the existing reef aquarium lighting in a similar manner to newly introduced stony and soft corals. When adapting a new Maxima Clam to very intense lighting, it is ideal to set them on a small rock or in a plastic dish with coarse substrate at the bottom of the aquarium. Over time the clam can then be slowly moved up higher in the aquarium.

Tridacna clams are also filter feeders and constantly filter the water for small particulates. Maxima Clams larger than 2” do not require supplemental feedings, but smaller T. maxima that are less than 2” should be fed a phytoplankton or greenwater supplement several times per week if maintained in a nutrient poor reef aquarium.

For the full scoop:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+529+586&pcatid=586
 
im picking up a coralife fixture up now with 3x250 mh &4x96 t5 hopefully i should be okay with that thanks guys and monday i will be picking up my clam
 
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