New to clams

N

nick18tjetta

New member
I am planning on adding a few clams to my new 125 reef tank. The lighting will have 4 72" vhos, i haven't decided on what type of bulbs yet, and 2 175 watt 10K mh's. I am going with 175watters because this will be mainly a soft coral tank and i don't want to burn any of my corals. I would like to know what kind of clams i can keep under this lighting, i have read conflicting info on many different websites, and your input would be greatly appreiciated.

Thanks

Nick
 
I'd go with more than 175w MH. I don't think you'll burn up your softies, as long as you acclimate them correct. I'm putting 400w of MH plus 120w of pc on my little 29 and it has softies. Don't have it set up yet so I'm not sure how its going to work but I know clams love lots of light. There might be some that don't reuire quite as much light so maybe a clam expert can help you out on that. You could try a search on here for clams/lighting and see what you can find. :)
 
I am going with 175's for more reasons than to just not burn my softies. One is cost, of initial startup, bulb cost and electricity cost. Many people are upgrading to 250 and 400's and the 175's used are dirt cheap. Two is heat. I live in south louisiana and it is hot down here, and having 2 400 watt heaters 8" from my tank would make it impossible to cool. So, what clams can i keep???

Nick
 
i almost went with 175 when i upgraded to halides for the very same reasons. one of the local guys i get clams from really pushed me to go with 250 watt so i priced them and really they dont come out that much more expensive. i was also concerned about keeping the tank cool because i live in south florida and it is always hot but i built a hood with computer fans and have no trouble at all keeping the tank cool. in fact it is easier to keep cool now than it was with my pc close to the water. as far as clams go they will definitaly love the 250 watt. i have 22 clams in my tank and they love the lighting.
 
well, since i have already went with the 175 vs 250 debate and decided on 175's and lined up a deal for getting a dual setup with bulbs and reflectors for less than a ballast for a single 250, i am concerned with what clams can i keep. I only want to keep 2-3 clams. What can i keep??????????

nick
 
first off i would buy clams that are over three inches. this way you don't have to feed in a bowl every few days. still a good idea to feed every few days with phytoplankton. squamossas are good clams and so are dersas. you could keep maximas as well just put them up highier in your rock work.
 
Are there any corals that i should avoid putting near clams, or in a tank with clams? I killed a couple of clams using my lfs's advice when i had 220 watts of pc's on my 55. They said that all my 1 inch maxima's needed was to be placed in the bed and left alone........ Well they became brisstle worm food...

Nick
 
Nick,
I think you'll find that the cause of death for those clams was not actually the bristleworms. It is likely that your clams died from some other cause and the bristleworms who are scavengers, took advantage of the dying clams and ate them.

As for corals, clams will not be stung but corals but can be stung by anemones with debate over things like zoanthids and corallimorphs.
 
I know the clams died before the bristle worms got to them, I believe they died from not being fed and they were kept on the sandbed in a tank lit by pc's. I think im going to try a blue rim squamossa and a crocea. I guess i better get in touch with east coast clams...

Later

Nick
 
Probably a squamosa and a derasa would be a better choice, or a maxima, as I hear they are hardier than croceas. Although all I have ever kept are croceas and they seem pretty straightforward to me, I just keep all specs stable.
 
Nick-
I agree with most of what was said above. Additionally I have seen some spectacular tanks w/sps/clams under 175W MH. The inhabitants were thriving and the clams were growing. I think your choice of 175W bulb is important. The best results I have seen have been with 10K(IMO).
Another option is 150W DE 10K pendant for your tank. The heat is comparable but there is the initial setup cost since they require pendant type fixture and HQI ballast. The replacement costs of these bulbs are very reasonable.
Most do upgrade to 250W over time as inhabitants and tanks change size. Used deals now are great.
As for clams, I have seen some good results with various types of light including pc's for clams.
With 175W MH you should be fine with maximas high in the water column. I would avoid croceas and even some of the wild maximas
which are exposed to more intense natural light. Farmed maximas seem more hardy and light tolerant(IMO). Adam
 
ok, so a maxima and squamosa should be two good clams to start with? I am getting 2 175 watt with 10k bulbs that are 4 months old.... I would like 3 DE 250's but you know, you have to get what you can afford.
 
info..

info..

hey.. i found this post... through a search. so just tagging along

but i was wondering what other things affect the health of the clams.. as a post mentioned above they dont like sand storms, i see so much people put it in their sandbeds though :o

well . i just wondering if you guys have links and what not... to point me to further reading... about clams.. and disease and what not..

thanks
 
My gsm loves to stir the sand, and since i am using all new sand, it takes a long time to settle, will this hurt a clam if i decide to put one in my tank.

Nick
 
Nick, sorry, I just had to laugh at the start of this thread:
Q: What kind of clam can I have?
A: Get 400 watt halides!
Q: No, what kind of clam can I have?
A: Upgrade your lights!

hehe, no offense guys, I'm not knocking anyone, it just looked funny.

Nick, I'm fairly new at this, but I beleive when the clam inhales the sand it's not good. They may cough it out or some may stay in. If you have too much flow or the GSM stirs the sand in a particular area, you can build a lagoon with your live rock blocking much of the sand storm. This will reduce the flow and hopefully keep the sand outa the faces of the clams. It seems that Squamosa & Deresa require less light than the Max, but I think the Max should also be fine with your lights. Like all the good advise above, you might want to put the Max further up the rocks closer to the lamps.
 
Right now I have a green water problem. I was told that if I put in a clam, it would help clear it up. I have 220 watts of PC on my 75. Will adding a clam help my tank, or hurt the clam?
 
LittleMatt-
While clams do filter water they(or 1) should not be the solution to any water quality problem.
Large clam 'filters' can be used but I would recommend correcting the algae problem by evaluating bioload/filtration/water source.
Adam
 
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