MH close enough for Tridacna?

[Chuck H.]

Hey All,

I have a 65 AGA RR, which is 24" deep and 36" long, and a dual 400w MH (Venture bulbs, 10,000k) canopy w/ 1 10,000k VHO and 1 Actinic VHO. I plan on only running 1 MH bulb for the time being and will have it on the side of the tank without the overflow. There will be a slight 3" wide shadow on the bottom left side of the tank caused by the center brace since the bulb is hanging just off center on the right side. The bottom of the canopy is approx. 40" away from the bare bottom of the tank (suspended 15" from the top). I'll have a slight sand bed of 1 to 2". Will I be able to keep clams on the sand bed under the MH? My LR aquascaping will probably favor the right side and I plan on putting all my SPS frags under the MH with some softies on the left side of the tank, but I definitely want to try a clam or two once the tank matures. So basically, how high would be too high to get the benefits of a 400w MH bulb? Thanks for your time and any thoughts or comments on the above would be great.

Chuck H.

 

[mike_ripple]

Sorry, I don't know how high would be too high. However, I have had experience with the venture 10k bulbs (actually a 175w), and they are quite a bit bluer and appear less intense than most 10k bulbs. I also experienced slow growth in my tank while using this bulb, probably because of a low PAR value. I don't know how well a clam would do at this depth with this bulb. What type of clams are you planning on getting?

 

[Chuck H.]

Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure what type of clam(s) I'll try. I'm about 6 mos. to a year from actually purchasing. As I type, I'm patiently waiting for FedEx to bring my first 90lbs of LR from Reefer Madness. I'm getting 30lbs from Gulf-View tomorrow. I plan on taking everything slow, so if the Venture 400watters don't seem to do anything for the first few "easy" corals I try, then I'll definitely try a different brand prior to getting a clam. I want a mixed reef, but several nice looking clams of whatever species would make a good focal point.

Chuck H.