let's put a big derasa in a 10gal....

[sjfishguy]

Now that I have you attention..... I just wanted to get people's opinions... People say that you can't have certain things in small tanks because of lighting etc. But if you have a 250 halide over a 10gal, what is the difference than having it over a 100 gal and having the corals right underneath it, up high in the tank? So my real question is, I see people say "getting rid of my clam because it has outgrown my tank...." and the thing is 8'' long in 90g. How is that outgrowing? Does it suck up too many nutrients too quickly to be maintained? It isnt really physically too big is it? Will it suck all the calcium out of the water so fast that the corals wont get enough? I would like some input. I hope I was clear on what I am asking.....

 

[Andrew]

250 watts over a 10 gallon tank is alot of light. The clam would be good under that lighting bu the question would be, do you have good enough filteration and a good source of calcium? Also, clams do grow rather on a fast rate and the clam would need a new home over time. I myself wouldn't put a clam in a 10 gallon tank.

 

[ramone]

This clam is perfectly suitable for a 90 gal. tank. These animals filter feed and if your's is growing, we'll assume it's getting what it needs in terms of nutrients. While it does this, it "exports" nutrients from your tank which contributes to good water quality. I see no reason to rid yourself of this clam, just give it room. Just my .02.

 

[ramone]

Yours. Not your's. Sorry. Grammar police.

 

[SDguy]

A clam is not a fish. The only way for it to "outgrow" your tank is:

1. You can not keep up with its mineral/nutrient/lighting needs.

2. It physically cannot open as much as it needs to

3. If it closes quickly, it shoots water out of the tank, shorting out your lights and causing a fire (don't laugh, this has happened before)

If 1-3 do not apply to you, then you're fine

 

[dhoch]

I've got a dersa that I've had for a couple of years now... started out at 4" it's easily 7" maybe 8" now... I have to start thinking about sand bed space and one of my clams will probably have to go...

As SDguy said it is coming down to space... no problem with it's other needs... and it hasn't yet shot water out of the tank..

Dave

 

[sjfishguy]

Thanks for this. Guess most of you guys agree with me. Pretty hard for clam to "outgrow" a big tank. Thanks.

 

[FDinPA]

I have a Deresa in a 50 breeder. Over time (5-6 years) he (Dexter) has kind of become the focal point of the tank. I didn't intend for it to be that way but it is what it is. His shell alone is just over a foot right now. He could grow to about 18 inches or so ultimately. That is kind of a problem in a 36" long tank. I figure that in a year or two, I will need to either move him to a bigger tank or move just about everything else currently in the tank out. He even has his own french fry light (175 MH)!

 

[XeniaMania]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6920325#post6920325 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SDguy

3. If it closes quickly, it shoots water out of the tank, shorting out your lights and causing a fire (don't laugh, this has happened before)

Nice!

 

[FDinPA]

Oh yeah, I also can't tell you how many things he has knocked over when he 'coughs'. He actually blew a 5 head frogspawn over last year which ultimately killed one of the heads. And let me tell you, that frogspawn's base was wedged pretty tightly between two good sized pieces of rock. I'm really amazed at how much force he can blast out when he sucks in some larger particulate matter.
The other thing that I find funny is that I never know which direction he will be facing on a given day. His foot atrophied off long ago and he is sitting in a sand bed. Sometimes when he coughs he spins himself completely around.