Quahog Clams vs. Algal Scrubber

[aquaenthusiast]

I'm looking for a form off nutrient export, an Algal scrubber has been proven to be very effective, but it requires extra equipment and consumes more power contributing to the electric bill. Plus I have a small tank so even just fitting an agal turf scrubber or building an external one would be challenging.
Does anyone have any experience with quahog clams being successful in a reef tank, maybe in their sump. The reason I ask is becuase I live on the NC coast and can get these for free. I know that clams pull out nutrients out of the water but does anyone happen to know how well these clams do it?

Or maybe even mussels?

 

[billsreef]

They need to eat lots, and lots of phytoplankton. Not going to do well in a typical tank long term. They also don't really do much for nutrient removal. An algal turf scrubber, on the other hand, will provide some decent nutrient removal.

 

[fishhead79]

You could have the water gravity feed over the scrubber and use a florescent bulb relatively inexpensive.