Clam Filter ?

This is a 20 gallon refugium with a deep sand bed, connected to a main tank with many corals and well-fed fish. The clam filter houses clams and macro-algae which both serve as primary filtration for the main tank.

Has anybody done this our seen it before?
Do you think it would be a good idea or would a regular refugium be better?
 
2

25gator

Guest
no ! but it looks really cool! you have the ref. on display to right. now that would be awsome. untill a clam died then it might not be. sounds like a lot of clams$$$. sorry could'nt resist! :D
 
Yes I have my refugium so it is on display and I think this clam filter thing would be awesome!!!
But I have no Idea if it would give me the same benifits as a normal refugium.
I would not mind spending the $$$$ to set it up if it will give me the same benifits as a normall refugium
:)
Yes I know I need good lighting and it would cost big bucks to stock it so if there is no benifit or any drawbacks to doing this then I do not want to do it!!
I really need help and input from everybody to try and see if I should do this!!
:) Oh wouldn't that be awesome with macro algea and clams in the bottom tank !!!
Sorry for the pic and comment just cant get over how cool it would be if it is feasable!!!
 

fshhub

Active Member
i agree that would be awesome in your set up,adn very colorful, i imagine the clams would hep it, they are filter feeders, so they would more than likely remove nutrients from the water
 

cyn

Member
WOW! What a nice setup! I have no experience with the clam filter, but it sounds like in theory it should work. Keep us posted!
cyn
 

kelly

Member
I had read somewhere years ago (in a saltwater magazine) about the ability of clams to filter trememdous amounts of water in a relatively short period time. If you have proper lighting, I believe that this would be the best way to keep the water clean.
I have never heard of the concept referred to as a clam filter though. There is no reason why it should not work. The same effect would result if the clams were in the display tank.
 

ky

Member
My lfs guy believes that clams are the best filter that money can buy. I have seen TV shows where they put a few clams in a tank full of very cloudy water and the water was clear within about an hour. I have no data to back it up, but I think that clams provide great filtration. They don't break down things like nitrates, but they take out the suspended particles that cause the nitrates to go up. I have three huge clams in each of my three tanks. Maybe all of that money I spent on eco-systems was a waste of money, shoulda' just bought a few clams.
 
why not use a bunch of oysters?? i saw a show on tv that the people were using them the filter the ocean! they would be alot cheaper then the clams too! also, i've seen sponges used to filter out tanks too. that would be even cheaper since you don't need any lighting to keep them alive.
 

twoods71

Active Member
I have read from a couple different sources that clams are good at removing nitrates from a system.
Makes for a nice looking refugium.
 

fishfood

Member
Here is the info i know about oysters and thier ability to filter water... I have been working for the Florida DEP for 6 months now on a project where we are planting a salt marsh that is surrounded by a breakwater made up of oyster reefs. The idea is to filter out the street runoff and all the other runoff that flows into the bay. The plants that we are planting help a lot with this. According to the people on the oyster reef side, a single oyster can filter something like 30 to 50 gallons a day. We are in the construction stage but do hope to see a drastic improvement in the water quality in the bay. I would think that clams have a similar capasity when it comes to filtering the water. If not more because they do get larger.
 

dburr

Active Member
Do oysters need the same light that clams do?
Are oysters tropical or some of them?
What about mussels or any other branch of that family?
 

fishfood

Member
Here is some basic info on Oysters just for an overview.
The Eastern Oyster
(Crassostrea virginica)
Range:
Along the coast of North America from the Gulf of the St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico. It has also been introduced to Hawaii, the West Coast of North America, and other locations worldwide.
Oysters are typically found in estuaries, sounds and bays, from brackish water to very salty lagoons. They are very tolerant organisms, being able to withstand wide variations in temperature, salinity, suspended sediments, and dissolved oxygen. In the Bay, oysters are usually found in areas that have over 5ppt salinity.
Feeding:
Oyster are filter-feeders, drawing water in over it's gills through the beating of cillia. Suspended food (plankton) and particles are trapped in the mucus of the gills and transported to the mouth, where they will be eaten, digested and expelled as feces or expelled (spit out) as pseudo-feces. Feeding activity is greatest in oysters when water temperatures are above 50°F (~10°C).
Reproduction:
Oysters spawn when water temperatures become greater than 68°F (~20°C). They are broadcast spawners, releasing eggs and sperm into the water column. Fertilized eggs develop into a planktonic or swimming larval form. After about two weeks these larvae will "set", a process of cementing themselves to a hard substrate, and metamorphose. This newly attached oyster is known as a "spat".
I'm not sure how much of a problem they would be in destroying any amount of plankton in a tank and would maybe be concerned with the spats growing in the display tank.
 

jeff and grey

New Member
I just want to add my two cents. I think your clam filter is great. Anyone know where I can get Oysters? I've only seen thorny oysters for sale.
 
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