New lighting for the clam garden! Pics of Gigas!

[nudilove]

So my MH setup from Sunpod came today! WOO! It is SO gorgeous, although the legs were a b*tch to get on there.

Anyway, it is all installed in my 'upgraded 24g aquapod' and my Gigas looks pretty happy to me.

And another shot...

Basically the upgrading includes the lighting, installing a MUCH larger pump, and cutting holes in the grill that is the entrance to the filtration to get a better surface skim. The nano skimmer I got for it was basically useless so in the future I will probably get an HOB skimmer.

I am also running carbon and an 'everything' pad to get out the yuckies. When I go to my wholesaler this weekend I will be filling the back with rubble rock for increased filtration.

All for my clam gardening! I wish that darn Gigas would stop growing though! An inch in less than 8 months!

 

[a4twenty]

Re: New lighting for the clam garden! Pics of Gigas!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9084465#post9084465 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nudilove
When I go to my wholesaler this weekend I will be filling the back with rubble rock for increased filtration.

this usually backfires, the rubble turns into a detritus trap that increases nitrates.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9084465#post9084465 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nudilove
I wish that darn Gigas would stop growing though! An inch in less than 8 months!

unfortunately with the new lights he will likely grow faster

tank looks great and there's lots of new shell growth on your gigas

 

[nudilove]

Thank you for replying!

So, even if the intake, or I guess where the water goes through filtration first is that common blue spongey stuff, it will still collect detritus?

If so, can you recommend a better solution? I would like to have rather pristine water conditions.

Yes, he has grown a TON! He sucks calcium out of the water like no other!

 

[nudilove]

Also, is there any way that I can cut down on evaporation with the lid gone I am scared that the swings will bother the clam. I have marked where the water started before I installed the light today and have RODI at hand to add.

 

[a4twenty]

i guess as long as you clean the foam regularly, if not then the foam will become the nitrate factory.

the majority of us rely on the LR and sand for all our filtration. could you tell me a little more about your system? i see the over flow but do you have a sump? refugium? unless you are having ammonia or nitrite spikes then adding the rubble will not help keep the water clean. if your parameters are good, then you have a enough natural filtration from you LR and sand. IMO i would forget about the rubble and look into that better skimmer ( remove the organic waste before it becomes a problem )

for evaporation the best solution is to install an ATO ( Auto Top Off ). it can be quite simple, mine is 2 float switches located in my sump ( you could have them in your tank if you have no sump ). when the water level drops 1/8" - 1/4" the switches turn on a pump in my RO/DI reservoir and top up the system. when the water level goes back up and the float switches turn off the pump. before i installed this i used to just top manually every day.

HTH

PS does your three stripe try to chase you out of the tank? mine tries to bully everyone ( including me ) but everyone ignores him :lolspin:

 

[OrionN]

My Gigas grew 1/2 inches around his shell every month (increase 1 inches in length) when he was at 4 inches. In 4 years he goes from 2 inches to 20 inches. That included a period of 1.5 years when I was fighting PMD and he was not growing much at all.
If you give adequate light and nutrients and Ca, the Gigas will out grown the 24 AP in a few months.

 

[nudilove]

Thank you for replying!

Okay I dont have a sump but am thinking about it, in general my params are very stable and very good.

0 for amm, trite, trate, 8.1 PH Alk and Calcium fluctuate just a little because of the clam sucking out calcium so fast.

As for filtration.

On the right there is grates all the way down the side, 4 inches wide and as tall as the tank, behind the grates is the blue sponges wich are washed in fresh salt water every week during water changes.

Then is the basically empty side that I suppose an HOB skimmer would fit nicely onto since the lid is gone. Or an auto top off. It has carbon in the bottom and an 'everything' chemical absorbent pad.

The next chamber contains the Rio1200 to give me lots of good flow (not too much I promise :lol: )

I am now planning out a 72 corner bow that the clams will eventually migrate too, I am sure Henry will be outgrowing this tank post haste with the new lighting ahaha.

 

[reefkoi]

Although he appears to be growing and healthy, his mantle is almost translucent! I've never been able to see through a clams mantle and see the shell on the other side!
Does anyone else see this? I wonder if the change in light is going to be a shock or already is?

 

[nudilove]

He has been totally open and happy since the lighting change
so I am hoping he is fine, no adverse effects so far!

 

[nudilove]

Also today I went to my whole saler, they have some gorgeous crocea for 41.99 at about 3-4 inches.

Some smaller maxima that had awesome patterns but I passed up because they were too tiny.

I decided to go with filter floss instead of the sponges because then I can just throw it away when it gets full and traps the small particulate better than the sponges. I also got some live rock rubble to take the place of the bioballs.

 

[a4twenty]

remember to change the bioballs slowly. if you remove them all at once you may encounter a spike. just do a hand full every few days or so to allow the bacteria to spread over the new LR.

a 3" - 4" in crocea is nothing to worry about ( they only grow to about 6" )

good call on the small maxima's, they have a high mortality rate.

did you / are you slowly acclimatizing the clam to the new light? the easiest way i have found is to decrease the photo period, then slowly increase it by an hour every few days.

 

[nudilove]

The clam got moved under a ledge that offers some shade, and my photoperiod was decreased to around six hours, we are slowly going up and he seems to be doing great!

I passed on the croceas because I wasnt in LOVE with anything they had, and they plan on getting more in, this was the end of the batch and was a little picked over.

As for the bioballs, there were only around....Six in there, I took them out, but left the bag of ceramic media in there on top of the rock to seed it, do you think it will be okay?