<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