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I had an article forwarded to me to help in some research on clams. The question of the utility of clams as filters in aquaria arises frequently. This article identified T.derasa as a good choice for filtration given it's nutrient uptake and growth in aquaculture effluent compared to T. gigas,maxima and squamosa.
This article(J. shellfish research 2001; Sparsis et al) had a small sampling and was for 2 months duration only. The second part of the study addressed nutrient uptake(nitrate & phosphate). More efficient removal was noted during the 12hr light period as opposed to darkness. T.derasa had higher uptakes but were comparable to other species when size was considered.
Overall, clams can be used as efficient filters. T.derasa being a better choice based on growth, survivorship and nutrient uptake.
I'm still looking for articles that address #clams per square ft of tank space to determine size of biofilter needed to process nutrients.
Adam
This article(J. shellfish research 2001; Sparsis et al) had a small sampling and was for 2 months duration only. The second part of the study addressed nutrient uptake(nitrate & phosphate). More efficient removal was noted during the 12hr light period as opposed to darkness. T.derasa had higher uptakes but were comparable to other species when size was considered.
Overall, clams can be used as efficient filters. T.derasa being a better choice based on growth, survivorship and nutrient uptake.
I'm still looking for articles that address #clams per square ft of tank space to determine size of biofilter needed to process nutrients.
Adam