Tank mature enough for a clam yet?

[Someone]

I have a 54 gal. tank, everything going well, except that im having some trouble with microbubbles. I have a 400w 20k coralvue metal halide over the tank. I currently have several acros and other sps that are all doing very well for a month or so,. I heard that if you can succesfully keep an acro for a couple weeks then your tank is stable/mature enough for a clam. Is this anywhere near true? btw my tank is about 5 months old,. Do you think my tank is ready for a clam? and what size and type of clam is best? - i was thinking about a 3 in. maxima...

 

[chadfarmer]

i have no problem with clams but can only keep a few acros alive


make shur that you keep alk and calcium stable clams can hog them up

 

[iCam]

As long as your parameters are, and have remained, stable, I think it should be fine.

I heard that if you can succesfully keep an acro for a couple weeks then your tank is stable/mature enough for a clam. Is this anywhere near true?

Not necessarily true. Different invertebrates require different things. But, if they have looked healthy thus far, it's likely your tank is becoming more stable.

and what size and type of clam is best?

Generally, clams under 3" should be fed with live phytoplankton. For this reason, (and considering you have ample lighting), I would suggest a clam at least 3" or larger, unless feeding is no problem for you, and you don't have any issues with keeping good water quality.

As far as type of clam, it is personal preference. I would probably suggest a maxima or crocea (both have high lighting needs) for a tank your size, as they stay fairly small, as compared to other tridacnids.


By the way, what are of Texas are you in?

 

[Someone]

ok, well i got my first clam mon. :-D Its about a 3.5 in. derasa, and looks great, no parasites or anything. And so far its open all the time, and looks great. I currently have it on the sand bed. Is there anything in particular about derasas that I should know? except they suck up cal. and grow big and fast. tia

 

[iCam]

Is there anything in particular about derasas that I should know? except they suck up cal. and grow big and fast. tia

You pretty much got it. Make sure you have ample room for it to grow, or before too long, it will be outgrowing your tank.

 

[Johnsteph10]

Derasas like to be on the sandbed and aren't one of the really high light requiring clams (not that it matters in your case).

Key Point to Derasas - for some reason, they are ESPECIALLY sensitive to sudden changes in SG/salinity and don't handle it very well. Make sure you keep it nice and steady with no sudden shocks to the system.

Derasas are beautiful and can live a long life and get to be very large.

Congrats on a cool clam!

John

 

[Someone]

k, thx. My dad wants me to get some more clams too. (i want more too btw) but I was wondering if there is a certain amount of time that you should wait before adding another clam?