can i fo clams under my T5s

[achilles tang]

I was wondering if someone could tell me if I could have clams under my T5s? I have four 54 watt bulbs two of the bulbs are
10k and the other two are Actinic Blue. I hear people say yeah I do have clams under my t5s I just placed them very high. Could it be possible?

 

[gemmy]

Tank size?

 

[btldreef]

If I'm not mistaken, it's a 55G tank. While clams can thrive under T5's, I don't think your 4 bulb fixture is enough, especially if you don't have individual reflectors.

 

[snakeblitz33]

I had some success with clams under an 8bulb t5 unit with standard bulbs. But four bulbs on a 55g is not enough ime.
I wouldn't put clams under anything other than metal halides or a good led unit now.
Plus, you have to consider water quality and feeding and filtration.

 

[florida joe]

You have to also factor in positioning when making a determination on t5s

 

[achilles tang]

Bummer I really wanted to have a clam my wife loves them so I wanted to get her some. But yeah it is a 55 gallon tank.

 

[florida joe]

I am by no means saying you can keep a clam under T5s BUT if I were to attempt it I would go with a T. derasa, they can be found all the way down to around 80 feet, which means they require the least amount of light. I would position the clam as high up in my tank as I can

 

[achilles tang]

I think if I had a lot more experience I would probably try one but I'm scared to. Wouldn't want it to just die. I think I'm better of just buying metal halides but not any time soon they are expansive and I need two of them. Maybe for my next tank. But thanks everyone for clearing everything up. By the way dose the protine skimmer really skim all the food and supplements for my coral?

 

[kylev]

i have two 6x54w ATI T5HO powermodulars on my 280g tank thats 2' tall and I keep clams at my sand bed and they have thrived and grown considerably. So i believe T5's can definitely support a clam its just the other factors that come into play. I'd just stay away from clams that are under 2.5". A protein skimmer is removing the waste from your water, which some of the waste could be considered coral food I believe. I'm sure someone will further clarify that for you

 

[florida joe]

Quote:
I think if I had a lot more experience I would probably try one but I'm scared to. Wouldn't want it to just die.
Congratulations you are on your way to becoming a conscientious hobbyist. As far as your skimmer taking out food for your coral, many hobbyists do not run their skimmer 24/7 if they fear that the skimmer is taking out all potential coral food

 

[snakeblitz33]

You got an ati fixture with ati bulbs. Ati has better par readings than standard bulbs.

 

[florida joe]

Just some useful info on PAR. It stands for Photosynthetically Active Radiation the measurement of spectral range of solar light from 400 to 700 nanometers that is needed by symbiotic zooanthellic algae

 

[mr. limpid]

Quote:
Originally Posted by florida joe http:///t/389547/can-i-fo-clams-under-my-t5s#post_3443769
Just some useful info on PAR. It stands for Photosynthetically Active Radiation the measurement of spectral range of solar light from 400 to 700 nanometers that is needed by symbiotic zooanthellic algae
Cool stuf even if I knew what you were talking about.

 

[achilles tang]

Really great stuff thank you every one for all the great help.