clams under VHO?

[spsfreak100]

Originally posted by Jon-Paul
Okay
I'm wayyyy too tired to read this

Reading it would have answered every question. In fact, I'm sure it would take you around the same time to read this thread as it would to post that post
I also want to keep a clam in my tank (37 Gallon 4x75 watts VHO [8 watts per gallon]).
"Watts per gallon (w/g) is not a very good method of determining how much intensity you have to keep a clam. Following this "rule of thumb", 100 watts over a five-gallon tank (20wpg) appears much better than that same 100 watts over a ten-gallon tank (10wpg), but the intensity is lacking in both cases. One hundred watts is still one hundred watts, no matter how you slice it. Intensity is the key, not wattage. Eric Borneman Stated, 'if a coral, for example, requires 15,000 lux to saturate, it needs to get that amount of light regardless of tank size. So, if a 175 watt metal halide puts out 17,500 lux at the water surface and 8,000 lux ten inches down, it’s enough light for the coral at the surface but not at the bottom.'" 300wts of not enough to sustain a clam, no matter what size tank it's put under. We're still debating if 660wts is good enough for a clam. I wouldn't try a clam under only 300wts. If you wish to keep a clam, I would highly recommend halides.
#1 I'm not experienced enough
Then Wait...
One thing that troubles me SPSfreak100 is that you don't express as much zeal and protective prowess for your fellow humans as you do clams.
The subject was based on clams. I didn't want to get into the subject of starving children as that extremely off topic.
but like already mentioned our tanks our not the ocean and keeping any marine life at all is against nature since we cannot provide the most pristine conditions.
True, we usually cannot provide the exact conditions that the corals would be receiving in nature, but, we should try to mock their environment as best as possible.
Take Care,
Graham

 

[jon-paul]

Yeah thats what I thought SPSfreak thanx fer cleaaring it up. I think I will just go with LPS and softies they all look pretty cool anyway .
On anotehr topic when I did go up just yesterday to get my corals I noticed a Maxima Clam under NO Bulbs. I told the LFS guys right away and they said that he's doing fine because he was under so many fluorescent NO bulbs (I think it was like 6 tubes). Just thought I would share the story. It sadened me . OH and another one was underneath a rock.
Thanx fer the reply SPSfreak
Jon-Paul

 

[wyldgunz]

Ive seen the difference in VHO/PC and halide lighting in effect of corals and clams.
you can do with the lesser under certain situations but for the sake of the creature beeing submitted to it ,unless your an expert i would say halides all the way. You just wont be doing the specimin any favors by slowly letting it die under improper lighting.

 

[krishj39]

I'm going to assume this whole yeast mixture thing I've heard about is basically not useful? Anyone know what I'm even talking about?

 

[krishj39]

I just bought a Squamosa clam today from my LFS. It's shell is about 3 inches long. How much do I need to dose phyto? I'll post a pic as soon as I can. I also got a beautiful, but small, elegance coral, but that's another story. I just thought I'd revive this thread to let you all know I made the plunge, I'll keep you posted on any news with the clam, as it is still under VHO. If it lives for the first month, I'll stop worrying. I'm not worried about it dying from my tank conditions (which are good), but by mistreatment before I bought it (which I can never tell).

 

[sammystingray]

One month means nothing.....seriously.....light starved clams can live for a year as they get uglier and uglier. I don't put a one month life expectancy on anything..unless of course that is it's natural lifespan. Bad lighting will take longer than one month to kill a clam.....I'm not saying your lights are bad, just commenting on the "one month" thing. Obviously clams don't need any light....the zooxanthellae that lives in their tissue does.....the zooxanthellae feeds the clam, so lighting doesn't directly even effect the clam....the clam animal itself can not use light at all, the clam basically starves slowly because the zooxanthellae, a completely seperate lifeform, can not photosynthesize enough to feed the clam....this is why it takes a clam in poor lighting quite awhile to die....the lights are not the cause directly, it is starvation from the foods the zooxanthellae would be producing in exchange for an animal host to live in.

 

[krishj39]

I know sammy, the one month I mentioned was simply a mile stone meaning that after a month, if it dies, it was probably my fault for any number of reasons. I don't anticipate loosing the clam for any reason of my own fault, but I can't know what happened to the clam before I purchased it. Of course the clam can be dying for months and months before it ends up dead. The difference, in my mind, is that after a month in my tank, I don't have anyone to blame but myself. But, also, as I said, I fully believe that if I purchased a healthy squamosa, then I will have complete success with it in my tank. The same thing is true for the linckia multiflora I bought last week. If it dies within the first month, chances are high it was mistreated before I bought it (ie, acclimated too quickly into the LFS tank). If it doesn't die within that first month, chances are very good that it won't die for a long time because I know I have the knowledge and tank requirements to keep the starfish alive.

 

[sammystingray]

"If it dies within the first month, chances are high it was mistreated before I bought it (ie, acclimated too quickly into the LFS tank)."
I tend to disagree to a point, but that's fine. Lots of people have killed things quite quickly, and it was their fault. I do see your point as well, but either way....it won't be the lights in the first month. Clams are quite hardy in my opinion....I have had them live through ammonia levels that killed softies. Not one of three died in water temps over 95 for a weeks span, but many corals did.....tough creatures in my opinion...the lighting thing drives me nuts though....and it's not your lights I refer to, it's the people who can't except that they need more than 20 watts.....you know the people. Best of luck....get a pic as soon as possible, that way you have a newly bought pic to compare to pics taken as time goes by....what lights was he under at the store?

 

[krishj39]

I agree with you that if an animal dies within a month, that doesn't mean it was the LFS (or whoever the animal was purchased from) fault. Indeed, by far most of the animals that die in our aquariums probably die within the first month, and by far most of those are the fault of the hobbist doing something wrong. All I'm saying is that in my case, I'm confident that I know enough about keeping the clam that I'm not going to kill the clam. Of course I could still be wrong, I could still have made, or will make, a fatal mistake, but in all likelyhood, if it dies now, it was the fault of the LFS or those that came before.
He was at the store for about 2 weeks, and he was under VHO. I don't know why they didn't stick it in the tank above the one it was in, which has MH and VHO, but whatever. Usually the people that put the animals into the tanks at this LFS aren't employees who know much about caring for them.

 

[spsfreak100]

How much do I need to dose phyto?
The larger the clam gets, the less it depends on phytoplankton for its nutrients. A 3" clam would receive most of its nutrients through zooxanthellae, although it will still feed on phytoplankton. I would add in a shotglass of DT's weekly. Always remember to turn the protien skimmer off for a few hours after dosing phytoplankton.
but by mistreatment before I bought it (which I can never tell).
More than likely if it was living in your LFS's tank and was mistreated, it would have already shown signs of stress by the time you bought it.
If it lives for the first month, I'll stop worrying. I'm not worried about it dying from my tank conditions (which are good),
If it dies in the first month it doesn't mean that it was mistreated before you bought it, or that your water are good. A clams death could lead to many reasons, including poor aclamation, poor placement, stress, etc.
I don't have anyone to blame but myself.
So blame other people before one month is up!
If it dies within the first month, chances are high it was mistreated before I bought it (ie, acclimated too quickly into the LFS tank).
As said above, there are plenty of reasons that could cause a Linkia to die in your tank, within a month. It may take up to 4 months if the Linkia had Hydrovascular stress. Linkia starfish often take around 1-3 weeks to get from the ocean to the LFS, meaning that the one month period could be up in your tank, while it dies 2 months later from something not associated with your tank. The one month method isn't really anything you should depend on to tell if something was mistreated before you bought it.
I have the knowledge and tank requirements to keep the starfish alive.
It could take up to 7 months for a Linkia to starve. One month isn't long enough to tell anything. I personally think a year or longer is enough time to tell if you're successfully keeping something (Unless of course the linkia reproduces in your tank and produces offspring).
I know enough about keeping the clam that I'm not going to kill the clam.
Knowing the care requirements doesn't help the clams health directly, tank conditions do. Of course, your knowing helps creat the perfect conditions for the clam in your tank. It's really the tank conditions, livestock and placement that really can affect a clam.
Take Care,
Graham
If it doesn't die within that first month, chances are very good that it won't die for a long time because I know I have the knowledge and tank requirements to keep the starfish alive.