My options for clam lighting with an IceCap Spot Pendant - please advise

[parliament28]

I'd like to add a clam to my 7 gallon mini-bow with an aquafuge(only for water volume). Total water volume is probably somewhere around 7 gallons with rock displacement calculated. I'd like not to turn this into a "not in a nano" discussion. The tank is 3 months old with all established live rock from my larger tank. The tank is running smoothly with auto-topoff of weak kalk, surface skimming, and a phosban reactor.

I have an IceCap spot pendant at my disposal with the 70 watt version being the light running currently over the tank. (Background - the design of this bulb achieves higher PAR values than a DE HQI - i.e. 150w spot = 250 DE per sanjay).

I have a 150 watt IceCap ballast, and I'm not concerned with heat or evaporation as this pendant generates very little heat. I could potentially run the 70w 1 or 2 inches over the tank open top with indirect fan cooling (yeah... it's that cool). So I can use the 70w 6.5K spot bulb I have currently, which would be equivalent to 110w DE were such a thing to exist, or I can throw in a 6.5K or 20K 150w bulb to make it the equivalent of a 250w DE.

So... over this a 7 gallon mini-bow (not considering heat) would you run the 70w (110w De) or 150w (250w DE) and in 6.5K or 20K? The tank is 10" from sandbed to water surface. I would like to place the clam 4 inches below the water surface.

Will the 150w be way too much for a clam?

 

[mbbuna]

ur going to have a hard time with keeping ur CA/ALK up in a small tank for that clam.as for lighting no higher then 10k

 

[parliament28]

I'm pretty sure that by adjusting the strength of the kalk and the Oceanic/IO mix I'm using I ought to be able to keep calcium and alkalinity within target ranges. If not there's always b-ionic.

Thanks for the advice on the spectrum, based on looks the Iwasaki spot bulb is more accurately described as 10K rather than 6.5K as they label it. So what do you think 70w or 150w?

 

[mbbuna]

eather would work. just figure what one is cheper and easer to get and what bulb is easer and cheeper to replace. u will be amazed how much CA a clam can suck

 

[Snprhed]

I agree about the wattage. Go with the cheapest and easiest. Or the one that looks best to you. I don't agree with the statement that it must be a 10 K bulb though. Bulbs vary too much to make a blanket statement like that. Some companies 14K should be fine, I use a 20K Ushio over a 20 gallon tank. My Crocea looks fabulous. I would suggest using DT's also though. Good luck I hope it looks great.

Cory