what clams can i keep with this?

[kevin21]

hey,

i have a 6-54w t5 tek light. this is the light with the individual reflectors.

i was told by many i can keep any coral anywhere in the tank with these lights.

with you clam experts, what clams can i keep with these light?

this is a 75g AGA tank.

 

[Snprhed]

I disagree, I really think with a 75 you would probably need an 8 tube system as a minimum. You might be able to do a Gigas, or hippopus. They are pretty low light. I would be leary though.

 

[Bojan]

6-54w t5 for 75g tank is quite a lot of light. I am sure that you can keep all Tridacna species.

 

[MadTownMax]

I wouldnt keep maximas, but have known people who kept Croeca's under a 6-bulb T5 Tek light (same as you described above) and they do well. Make sure to keep the light as close as possible to the water - flourescents can lose a lot of intensity when more than 4" from the water. The depth is the issue, and at 24" you're really pushing the limits of a T5 bulb, but it will work.

snprhed - the extra two bulbs are in the front and back of the fixture(16" wide), adding very little light to a 75-gallon tank that is only 18" wide

 

[kevin21]

wow...i was told 6-54w tek fixture and i could keep any coral whatsoever. people in my reef club(LIRA) said that i would be able to keep all sps,clams..etc.

thanks

 

[kevin21]

wow...i was told 6-54w tek fixture and i could keep any coral whatsoever. people in my reef club(LIRA) said that i would be able to keep all sps,clams..etc.

thanks

 

[kevin21]

sorry, double post

im going to have the light 2 inches above surface, btw.

 

[Snprhed]

I am saying that from the look of it you have 7-10 months of exp with corals. I think that with a T5 system you could be skirting the lower limits of par at depth and if there is a dip in quality of the water the clam could pay the price.

 

[MadTownMax]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6600263#post6600263 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Snprhed
I am saying that from the look of it you have 7-10 months of exp with corals. I think that with a T5 system you could be skirting the lower limits of par at depth and if there is a dip in quality of the water the clam could pay the price.

I'd agree for maximas, and maybe Croecas, depending on how bad of a swing you might get in water quality.

Deresas and Hippopus (sp?) would definatly be good for a beginner though - and there are some really nice deresa's out there FWIW.

I didn't want to mention this before, as I'm pretty "anti"- sand bed, but that aside, if you have a deep sand bed in the tank, you'll be getting a lot more light to the clam as it will be in 18" of water vs 24" - a world of difference when it comes to the amount of light penetrating from a flourescent bulb.

And - you could always set them on the rocks - maximas would probably be fine in the top 1/2 of the tank if that were the case.

Kevin - with the above caveats mentioned (water quality prestine and stable) you could probably keep even the most light-loving corals and clams, although with the more light-loving species, you will just not get the fastest growth out of clams on the sand bed.

I'd say it is possible, but as Snprhed mentioned, it's good to be cautious when giving advice to someone who has been in the hobby a short time (and I'm definatly no expert either).

0.02

 

[kevin21]

i only want the corals to be in th ebest care, meaning best light for them. if i were to keep a maxima i would keep it in the upper half.

thanks

 

[Bojan]

It is possible to keep Tridacna maxima under 6-54w t5 tek light.

I have my Tridacna Maxima 8 years and grow from 1" to 5"

I had this clam 6 years under T8 and HQI and
after that I replaced HQi with T5 so I had this clam under 6-54w T5 additinal 2 years.

I have experiences that is possible to keep
Tridacna crocea
Tridacna maxima and
Tridacna squamosa

under T5

 

[Snprhed]

Bojan you are making half my point, you had quite a bit of experience before you ever had T5. Do you not agree that a mh would give a larger margin for error?

 

[Bojan]

I agree that light is very important for Tridacna clams and that is never too much light.

More light the better colors of the Tridacna will be, but if you only want that clam survive base on my experiences T5 and even T8 bulbs are enough.

 

[kevin21]

i would like the clams to be very healthy, maxima's and croceas will be up on the rockwork, i keep others lower....i plan on having only 2-3 clams in the tank, as they can get rather large!