Is my tank ready and what's a good beginner clam?

[SanFranTodd]

I have a 15g nano w/ 5g sump that has been running for about 6 months. I'm not new to the hobby and have several other reef tanks established for a few years, but never kept clams before. The nano has a 175w 20k MH and currently houses mixed LPS and a pigmy angel. It's closed loop and I run a CPR skimmer. My water parameters are excellent and stable for 4+ months.

The current livestock thrives so I assume it's stable enough for a clam. Any good recommendations and advice on placement - I have some dark/shadow spots but overall the MH lights the cube pretty well.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Peabody]

Equipment wise you're fine Be sure to keep that CA and ALK stable and high....the clam will cause a much larger and quicker depletion.

You will likely need to lose the pygmy angel. They are known clam nippers/killers.

Just place him where he gets plenty of light, and not too much flow. You might want to wait a few more months, though...a lot of people wait until closer to a year to add a clam.

 

[SanFranTodd]

Hey thanks for the reply! It will be easy to transfer the pygmy into one of my other tanks, I'm glad you pointed that out. Do you have a recommendation on what species of clam would work well in my setup?

 

[Peabody]

You're probably fien with any, just be aware that squamosa and derasa will get too big for the tank in time. I'd start maybe with a small squamosa and/or maxima.

 

[thedude]

Agreed on the derasa outgrowing the tank. I've had mine for about 9 months now and it has already grown almost an inch.