How much light do clams need?

Trumpet12

Trumpet12

Premium Member
I would like some opinions about how much light Tridacnid clams need if they are about a foot below the lights. I would also like to know if this light needs to come from Metal Halides.

Thank you in advance for your replies.


Trumpet12
 
The thing that I have usually heard is that clams need MH lights, but I wanted to check that here. Anyone?
 
Yes, they usually need MH light. Enough T5 lighting is working for a few people now too.

What kind of lights do you have?
 
This depends on the type of clam...
MH is recommended for Maximas and Croceas.
VHO/PC will suffice for Squamosas, Derasas, Hippopus, and Gigas.

Edit: Some people say that they have successfully kept Maximas without MH's, but you will be taking a chance and won't get optimal growth.
 
I currently have 195 watts of 10K PC light and 65 watts of actinic PC light. I could get another 260 or 130 watts of PC light if that would make the difference. The clams would be about a foot from the lights.

When I saw T5's for sale I had understood that they were less good than PC's. Was I wrong about that?
 
You might be able to ge away with a Squamosa or Derasa under those lighs, but the problem is they usually prefer to be on the substrate, and will jump.

For maximas and croceas, I'm sorry to say that PCs aren't enough to keep them. 99.9% of the time they don't make it, even under massive amounts of PCs.
 
T5's, are much, MUCH better than PCs. Make sure you get enough intensity from your T5 fixture for clam keeping...check out "Moonpod's" setup
 
Maybe I should ask this in the lighting post, but I know I will get 1,000 different opinions. Peabody, why do you say T5s are so much better than PC's?

Jimmy
 
Having read all the info on here about them and seeing tanks lit by them is why I think that......it is also the opinion of most others here I think. They are quite a bit more inense than PCs.
 
Search for his thread on T5s and clams. For inensity, you want a whole bunch of T5 tubes and a proper reflector. One or 2 T5 tubes isn't going to cut it :)
 
Peabody,
Thank you for your help! I found the thread (I think) and looked at it. Could you give us the simple answer please?:) How many T-5's would you recommend for a 75 gallon?
Also, how does a T-5 fixture with six 54 watt tubes compare to a fixture with two 175 watt metal halide bulbs and two 65 watt actinics? What about a fixture with eight T-5 54 watt tubes?
 
lol....simple answer? With reefs? No such thing! ;)

Honestly, I'm not qualified to answer that. Maybe start a new thread about it to get more attention and qualified answer. Maybe sttart a thread called "How many T5s on a 75 for clams?" or something simlar.

About the 2x175, on a 75 gallon, as deep as a 75 is, most people do 2 250s....you don't even need supplimentation with some bulbs. If money is an issue (as it was with my setup) buy used here on RC. I got my 2 175 watt pendants for less than I paid for my old PC setup! :)
 
Peabody said:
You might be able to ge away with a Squamosa or Derasa under those lighs, but the problem is they usually prefer to be on the substrate, and will jump.
Click to expand...

How good are the chances that keeping Squamosas or Deresas on the subsrate (with my current lights) would work?
 
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