Supplimenting food along with lighting, does this really help?

[Cody Ray]

I have heard of people removing their clams from the aquarium and placing them in containters saturated with phyto to help compensate for a lack of lighting. Does this really work? My 29 gal only has 2x65W pcs for lighting, but I would really like a clam. If I were to feed the clam like this every few days, would this help?

 

[Peabody]

No, that doesn't compensate for lack of lighting. It's because a clam under 3 inches needs supplemented with phyto...they still need their light.

 

[Cody Ray]

Aww, ok, thanks.

 

[cnovak]

i run 2-65watt pcs on my 29 also and have a derasa that's been with me for some time now. They are less demanding on lighting. When i got it it was about 5" so i didn't have to worry about spot feeding it.

 

[Cody Ray]

How high up in the tank is he? My rockwork doesn't reach up very high.

 

[Peabody]

That's the problem...they prefer being in the sand, and down there they don't get much light. When placed on rock they can jump, with disaterous results. I had a squamosa do that once when I first started....I'm lucky he didn't bust up half my tank when he jumped.

 

[Cody Ray]

Well, besides a corky sea finger, there isn't much for him to knock over, unless it can actually damage equipment when it jumps.

 

[SaltwaterSensei]

they can also damage themselves when they jump..... my squamosa fell/jumped and it broke off one scute and chipped a few others. Now thats hes a big boy (7") hes on the sand....

 

[Peabody]

Bingo...they can hurt themselves, even seriously is possible

 

[Bayliner]

i run 2-65watt pcs on my 29 also and have a derasa that's been with me for some time now. They are less demanding on lighting. When i got it it was about 5" so i didn't have to worry about spot feeding it.

Cnovak, how long have you had him ?

Cam

 

[cnovak]

i've had mine for almost 6 months now. He sits on the botom of the tank. My maroon hosts in it. Very weird to watch!!

 

[Cody Ray]

That's odd. So yours sits on the bottom, yet 2x65W pcs is enough lighting for him. Has it grown any that you can notice? If you are trully having success with him, thats great, but I hope that it isn't just surviving off of stored energy. I have been looking for something to take up some of the calcium in my system. I added 1 of those calcium blocks and my calcium went clear up to 720!!! I took it out for now, but there isn't anything in my system that uses much calcium besides coralline algae, and that is really starting to grow.

 

[cnovak]

When i got him he was close to 5" now i'd say 6"-6 1/2". He's definatly growing, he moved around for awhile at first though.

 

[Cody Ray]

Sounds good.

 

[culdublvd]

InuYasha: What test kit are you using to measure calcium? You said your's was at 720??? I think at that level you would have calcium precipating out of the water and the water would look cloudy?

 

[Cody Ray]

It did look a bit cloudy, but after removing the block and doing a water change, it wasn't cloudy anymore. The test kit is a hagen brand, but I did take it down to a lfs to double check my readings.

 

[culdublvd]

Crazy reading..Did the LFS use a Hagen test kit also or a different one. I'm no expert but I doubt it was that high. Check in the chemistry forum with Rand Holmes-Farley and see if that is actually possible. You might need a new test kit..

 

[Cody Ray]

They used salifert, and their test came at as being higher than the chart would read. They tried it again, same results. I am getting it tested this weekend, it may be different this time.