newbie to clams ?'s

[Travis]

I just finished reading Daniel Knop's Giant Clams. I've never kept a clam before but I think I'm ready to take the plunge. Just had a couple questions to ask first.

1. Flow--I have an sps tank with a turnover rate of approximately 56x. Most of the turbulence is in the upper third of the tank. Occasionally a jet of flow will stir up a little sand (only 10 - 20 grains of very fine sand at a time). Will this be too much stress for a clam positioned close to the bottom of the tank?

2. Lighting--Are clams similar to sps where higher color temps produce prettier colors with slow growth and lower color temps produce less attractive colors with fast growth? Just trying to figure out what parts of the tank I will be placing my clams.

3. Acclimation--How should I acclimate my clams to my lighting? I don't want to burn my clams up right away but I don't want to have to dim my tank for so long that it will adversely effect my sps.

Travis

 

[Potsy]

1. I don't think clams mind occasional turbulence. With some creative positioning, you could construct small barriers that deflect current. Croceas are a more tolerant of turbulence - some can be found on the forereef where there's a lot of water movement.

2.What's good for your sps is good for your clams. Some clam retailers and reefers keep their specimens under 400 watt 20,000k radiums and they do very well.

3.Yes, acclimate your clams. Place them on top of a scallop shell or rock on the sand and slowly move them up - no need to dim the lights. If your mh lighting is 250watts or more, they could reside on the sand - depending on how deep your tank is of course.

 

[holeinone1972]

Potsy, gave you some good advice.

Rob

 

[Travis]

Place them on top of a scallop shell or rock on the sand and slowly move them up - no need to dim the lights.

I am running 250's. I have a 6" dsb in my 75 so the clams would be about 14" from the top of the tank and 21" from the bulbs. Will this be ok or should I do something to dim the lights or shorten the photoperiod for a bit?

Also, I hear a lot of you talking about using scallop shells for the clam to attach to so you can move it around. This is something that I would like to do. Where do I get these shells?

Travis

 

[BigDaddy]

Travis, w/ your lighting and depth, anywhere from sandbed up is fine for your tank. If your going to buy a Gigas, Derasa or Squa, I would leave them towards the bottom of the tank.

 

[Travis]

Sorry, should've been more clear in my last post.

I am running 250's. I have a 6" dsb in my 75 so the clams would be about 14" from the top of the tank and 21" from the bulbs. Will this be ok or should I do something to dim the lights or shorten the photoperiod for a bit?

Do I need to do anything special to acclimate them to my lighting?

 

[Potsy]

I run 2 x 250 watt 10,000k mh. I always placed my newly acquired clams on the sand and did nothing to alter the lighting intensity or photoperiod. I have five clams - 3 maximas, 1 squamosa, and 1 crocea. One of the maximas and the squamosa were under regular fluorescents at the lfs and had no problems adjusting to my lighting. The crocea was under 175watt halides at the lfs toward the middle of the tank and when I brought it home I immediately placed it about 14-16" directly beneath one of my bulbs and it attached to the rock within a few minutes.

Where to get scallop shells? Eat some fresh scallops for dinner - if you like seafood - and use the empty shells. Or, use Oatey plumber epoxy and make a concave shell yourself. Some people rest their clams on pvc - they have a hard time jumping off or falling from the concave of the pipe opening. Or, just rest them on the sand.