Flame Scallop, In Danger?

[excite74]

I have a 55 gallon aquarium with 80# of live rock and the following fish: 1 Six-line wrasse, 1 Heniochus Butterflyfish, 1 Blue Damselfish, and 1 firefish. I am very interested in getting a Flame scallop I have done alot of research on them and I have decided to purchase one. I am aware they need spot feeding and excellent water conditions. So, do you think the scallop will be OK with all the fish I mentioned along with 3 peppermint shrimp? (All replies and comments are welcome....thankyou in advance)

 

[psychoskater]

Im not sure if it will be ok with those fish but just make sure you dont put it in with angels! i have gotten one and it died 6 months later. Some people tell me they never live very long but a couple of people told me they do live long. They are very difficult to take care of.

 

[harlequinnut]

I bought a couple a while ago and it didn't live very long. They kept hiding in the rocks everytime I put them out in the open for viewing. after a while I don't bother putting them out anymore and just let them go where they want to. They hid in the rocks and later died.

 

[daniel411]

They almost always perish in home aquariums. They actually require an almost dirty water condition, high in nutrients, phytoplankton.

 

[moopiespoo]

I have a flame scallop and just yesterday I put it in a 1.75 gallon I had laying around. This is just an experament(sp) I want to see if I can do a nano. Does anyone see a problem with this. The scallop seems happier in this than he was in my 55.

 

[daniel411]

I've been told its really easy to overdose on dt's phytoplankton and pollute the water.

 

[moopiespoo]

They like "dirty" water though. Right. So besides top offs, should I change the water at all, like 3-4 oz or just leave it be? Maybe I should post this in the nano forum.

 

[ophiura]

I think doing it as a nano is not a particularly good idea either. Basically, they don't survive all that long...large tank or not. They don't typically feed well when 'spot' fed, either. I certainly wouldn't put one in a really small nano, and one that was recently set up. 'Dirty" tanks, IMO, means a mature tank with a lot of bioload (eg spawning critters) without skimming. Not a small cycling tank without water changes.

 

[moopiespoo]

By setting up I meant I took the ls, lr, and water from my established tank. It is not cycling. As for spawing creatures, do you mean my lr critters? Anyways I didn't really want this scallop it was a 'suprise' from my husband and I couldn't take it back to the lfs. So this is just an expierament(sp). And if it dies(probably) I didn't want it dying in my main,30g or qt.

 

[ophiura]

Darn husbands. Why can't they just give cash? LOL
Yes, in part the critters in LR and in a deep sand bed, but also all the stuff that one finds in a big healthy reef tank with little skimming...lots of organics, larvae, etc. But that is really somewhat difficult to acheive, IMO, in smaller tanks without the tank actually crashing.