Light for Crocea clams

jcg1lv22

New member
I was at the LFS today and I was told to get rid of my Crocea clams because they will not do good with PC lights, and that if I want them to live I would have to go with MH lighting. I have 432w PC lights. LFS said my clams need more light, that they would go dark and die. The LFS that I bought them from said the the 432w PC's are enough.
I have two, they seem to be thriving, with good color.
So....what do you all recommend.

Thanks,
J
 
of course your lfs is going to tell you that 432w of pc is enough
they want u to buy the clam

get some mh asap
 
I would recomend MH lights, however.... Here is a vague summery.

croceas are usually found in shallow water. As mbuna will tell you, they need max full spectrum light. So figure about a 10k spectrum. I suppose if you have the bulbs a few inches away, it may work. My croacea is about 4" under the water level, and the light is 9" above the water, 250W MH. MH will definately work and you'll be able to keep about anything with the light.
 
Thanks for the replys.
I guess I need to check the internet for MH's.
I also read the sticky on lighting for clams after I started the thread. They seam to be doing well, I was hoping I would be able to keep my PC's

Thanks for the advice.
J...
 
Im going to go ahead and blow a myth about croceas... as far as light goes, they really dont need all that much. PAR meter in hand, I have been doing surveys of the light levels in most people's tanks, and although many tanks may be considered 'high light' the clams are placed at the bottom, or off in a corner, where their light levels are only in the PAR ranges of 100-120! And they look very nice, colored in, and happy.

I think that our standards have changed over the years, and at one time, the light levels we may have needed just to get by were pretty high, but since then, reflector technology has vastly improved, bulb outputs have improved, etc... yet our 'idealogy' of what wattages and sorts of lights we need hasnt. 8 years ago, a 250wattSE halide 10,000K Ushio with a flat reflector and a couple VHO actinics, or even PC actinics was the norm... and now, a couple 150wattDE 10,000Ks with two strips of T5 bulbs, all in decent reflectors, can produce just as much light, sometimes more.

While Croceas are some of the most tolerant of high light (Dana Riddle's experiments have shown us that), that doesnt mean they need it.

Look at these two examples, and the light levels I recorded... and the croceas have been happy as can be...
EvanJones7.jpg

BoydsPARBack.jpg

BoydsPARFront.jpg


Look at em... croceas in the 100-120 range... and looking pretty!

You might need a little more than what you have, but I wouldnt worry too much, or get too drastic. Perhaps simply switching from PC to T5s would be a good idea... switching from PC to T5 should pay for itself in a couple years in your case... lower running costs, lower electric, lower bulb replacement costs/longer bulb life.
 
I agree. I have t-5's and they are keeping my corcea happy on the bottom of a 20 inch tank. If your clam isnt attached you could just place it really high in the tank. HTH
 
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