Just curious what type of metal halides were you planning on getting? Because the spectrum is important in order to make sure the zooxanthae make enough food. Usually you would want bulbs that peak in the red and blue spectrums because most plants, including algae, photosynthesis best in that color spectrum. But as far as what species of clam you can get is really up to you. With sufficent lighting it should not be difficult to keep many different clam species provided you have the room, they are not called giant clams for no reason. Personally I like dersa clams because they are easy to take care of and do well on the sand bed. If you would like something more colorful then I woudl suggest crocea or maxima clams. Know this though crocea clams, also known as boreing clams, do not appreciate being left on the sand bed and would much rather be placed on the rockwork because they use thier bysis threads and acid to burrow into the calcarious rock and thus staying there. The advantage to crocea clams is they do not grow as large as other clams, like dersa or squamosa, but they do require copious amounts of light. Overall just as long as you have excellent water conditions and lighting, conditions similar to keeping sps corals, then clams would be great for you. Also remember to buy aquacultured clams, almost all of the ones I see for sale are grown on farms so there is no reason to buy wild caught clams not only because they have a lower survival rate, but they are an important part of the ecosystem and should be not be harvested. Plus I think the aquacultured clams have many more colors and variety to choose from.
. Thanks guys
