Lighting Requirements for Tridacnids

[mbbuna]

there in the tank in my basement

[ezcompany]

ohhh, thats right...with the sand tigers eyeing your wife...

[jaysonsd]

So, read the post and lighting requirements, but I think my tank's different than the standard clam keeper. Its a 3 gal, 6" H, 70 watt mh (think its 14k, not quite blue enough to be 20k) that is 4-5 inches from the surface, was thinking of a tridacnid in the foreground. Water's skimmed, charcoaled, and chemically filtered, already several species of sps growing in it.

Whatcha think?

[icy1155]

If its skimmed, charcoaled and chemically filtered it may not be the best for a clam. Clams use dissolved organics in the water as fertalizer for their zoxanthelle and if your filtration is as efficent as it sounds their growth might be stunted. I am not however saying that a clam is a fix to a nutrient problem or that they can be used to justify being lax in your water quaility, since the amount of nitrates that they use is barley discernable.

[jaysonsd]

well, wouldn't say its heavily skimmed, its a rio nano, and I have a carnation happily growing in the tank (trippy color on these guys) that is a passive feeder on nutrients (mixed reef so I had a phos problem from all the feeding which led to the resin); so I will take it all in and see, thanks

[mike777vick]

I have a 180 gallon with 3 150 watt hqi metal halides, can I keep any clam that I want? Could I keep soem of them in the botton of my tank?

[ezcompany]

it depends on the depth of your 180 tank.

[iamwhatiam52]

While you are all hauling out buckets of great info on clams, can I ask you to go to the well one more time and say something about the preferred substrate of each species?

Rock?

Sand?

Rock covered in sand?

Shag carpet?

[mbbuna]

Originally posted by iamwhatiam52
While you are all hauling out buckets of great info on clams, can I ask you to go to the well one more time and say something about the preferred substrate of each species?

Rock?

Sand?

Rock covered in sand?

Shag carpet?

considering that clams have no brains i would say they have no preference. but lets look at where they are found (most commonly) in nature. all of the clams we keep will most commonly be found up on the reef. some of the larger, faster growing ones CAN be found in sheltered sandy areas. "sand" is dynamic, it blows and moves, and will quickly cover any small/slow growing clam. this is why you wont find the smaller clams in sand and also why the others are most commonly found on the reef.

[Project Reef]

Stuck!

[Embowe]

I know it has been asked before ..I just cant find the thread... 38gallon tank...17" deep...t5 lights...is it possible...I dont see much on keeping clams in a t5 envirornment...thats why I am asking

[jsl6v8]

Wow this is some great info, I didn't know any clams would be ok in VHO, I might consider getting one for my 125 gal and put it at the top now. I just got my first clams, a derasa and a crocea for my 20 gallon (the derasa isn't to big for it yet but may be later in which case by then my 90 should be clam ready). I run a 150W viper on my 20g I believe they are 14k bulbs but it looks more white than anything else but I'll be moving to a 10k when I get ready to change this one out. Both of the clams to the best of my knowledge are doing FANTASTIC although i got a little pygmy angel in there who i'm trying to get out, hasn't bothered anything yet but I'm not going to wait for him to get bored.
Solaris- my local fish store has a 20" one over a zero-edge tank (fantastic tank and light) and they have some clams in there and they look fantastic and they seem to be getting good growth on all sorts of corals and the clams with it, I was thinking about it and really if you ahve the start up capital the solaris is a good deal I mean what is it 80bucks or so for a new MH bulb x10 years 800 bucks ballast and fixture start up you are banking near 1100-1200 and then the probably that you will have to replace the ballast at least once in there, but I'm with everyone else on waiting for a cheaper version, I hear PFO is making a cheaper one without all the fancy cloud effects and other programming to launch later this year.
Only a suggestion but it might be worth it to mention if the clams would do better on rock or sand, for instance i understand my derasa prefers to be in the sand while the crocea should be placed on a rock for it to hold onto.
Off topic a bit, but why the heck are black and white maximas so expensive, everywhere I've seen they sell for like 350ish.

[ezcompany]

embow, clams can be kept in a t5 environment no problem, just make sure you have decent output for the higher light loving clams.

jsl6v8, black and whites are just darn right hard to find

[Mr_Jarhead]

I know some people have been asking about the LED lights and clams. I have a Solaris and I have to say I am impressed. I have had it over my tank since September 2006. My clams look good and are growing. It is the 20k unit. These pictures look much more blue than the light appears to the eye. It must be a setting on my camera or something, but you will get the idea.[

[Musho3210]

150 watt, 14,000k HQI MH light on a 20 gallon high tank, what clam should i get? 24 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 16 3/4

[jsl6v8]

With that kinda light you should be able to keep anything, I would put croceas up high as you can thought, I have a 20gallon standard with a 150 14k viper HQI and I keep croceas and derasas without a problem.

[jsl6v8]

With that kinda light you should be able to keep anything, I would put croceas up high as you can though, I have a 20gallon standard with a 150 14k viper HQI and I keep croceas and derasas without a problem. I would think you could probably keep a derasa in the sand.

[Musho3210]

what height is the minimum height (with my tanks light) for maxima clams? I would of course like it at the bottom but what hight should it be?

[jsl6v8]

couldn't tell you, I don't have a maxima but they like high light if I remember right similar to the crocea so the higher the better but your tank isn't all that deep really so you might be able to, wait for someone who knows more than me to answer though.

[Musho3210]

its ok, thanks for your help so far anyway, im in no rush, i dont even have the tank yet.....

[mbbuna]

1/3rd to 1/2 way up with 14k

[jsl6v8]

sorry mbbuna just to clarify do you mean the top half of the tank but basically not at the very top?

[mbbuna]

Originally posted by Musho3210
150 watt, 14,000k HQI MH light on a 20 gallon high tank, what clam should i get? 24 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 16 3/4

im reading the dimensions as 16 3/4" high, add another 6" or so to the light. so IMO on the bottom would be pushing it. anywhere from 1/3rd from the bottom up to the top.

[jsl6v8]

ok cool kinda what I figured, just wanted to make sure. So basically Musho get yourself a DEEP sandbed :-)

[Musho3210]

Originally posted by jsl6v8
ok cool kinda what I figured, just wanted to make sure. So basically Musho get yourself a DEEP sandbed :-)

uhh i think i'll just put it high up rather than waste that space lol.

Its an open top tank so i will have it somewhere at maybe 1/4 away from the top of the tank or something