Starter Clam Advice Needed

[Reefmongrel]

Have a successful 90g reef tank with fish and corals. Recently added a new 26 bow front with a 250w MH, live rock etc... Want to have a clam or 2 in there along with zoos etc.. One small scopus tang present now - that will limit the bioload. So 2 questions:

What is the best starter clam, and secondly, what is your opinion of having a green brittle star and a sand sifter star in there with clams?

Thanks.

Craig

 

[mbbuna]

imo the best starter clam would be a Derasa.as for the star's you will need to find out exatcly what kind they are because some will feed on clams

 

[Electrobes]

Okay lets give you a crash course on clams.. on lighting and ground.

Maxima and Crocea - Normally should be kept under metal halides and minimally HO T5's. They are high light (shallow water) clams, plus they are also rock boring clams. If you perfer to keep them in the sand area, place a rock under them in the sand.

Derasa, Squamosa, and Gigas - These are considered lower light clams, with the gigas still filter feeding when it matures. The problem with these guys is that they grow very quickly.. they do not stay small. I have seen people keep them in Pc's, but to be on a safer side I would put them under a good amount of PC lighting, or better. Remember it is not necessarily the number of watts per gallon, its all about the penetration of light in water for corals and clams. Also the lower light clams are generally sand dwelling clams. If possible keep them there as they are not shallow water clams, and they are not natural rock borers.

Size: Crocea on average gets to be about 6 inches (it is the smallest of the giant clam family)

Maxima: usually reaches around 16 inches
Derasa: usually reaches around 16-18 inches
Squamosa: usually reaches around 16-19 inches
Gigas: usually reaches about 5 feet

Also remember that older clams (typically larger) are hardier than the younger ones, they fair a lot better in aquariums. I do not suggest a clam smaller than 3 inches to a beginner.

I would suggest a derasa as well

 

[yuhsuen]

My vote is for squamosa, crocea, derasa, then maxima in that order based on the bang for the buck. squamosas have eye popping colors and are relatively cheap, the croceas are a little more expensive, but very colorful, the derasa is cheap, but colors a bit duller than the others. I love maximas, but way too pricy for me so I place them last on my list.

 

[Reefmongrel]

Thanks for all the replies - and the crash course. I have the Knopf book - lots of info - but not much practical reefkeeping of clams.
Craig

 

[shel3702]

Any advice about putting a serpant star in with the clams? One would think that if the clam were on the rock up by the lights that a serpant star would stay away due to the openess and the light intensity, but I'm a newbie, so I'm not sure.