lighting for clams

[biggdriver]

First of all thanks for all the info on my last post..I'm setting up a s60 hex due to space..anyway if I go with at least a 10,00k or a 20,00k 400 watt MH and place the clams closer to the top of the tank. WIll I have a problem.. I want a crocea and maybe a tridacna.. they seem to have the most color and I used to have another reef witha green crocea but the tank wasn't as deep..Also what is the "best" calcium level, temp etc...As I said before I had a green crocea and It seemed to me It did ok but I want them to do better than just get by..Thanks for keeping up the excellent board and I hope I too can help anyone I can here...I was looking for a cleanup crew and see that they have many different packs..they go by gallons does this make a diffence if the tank has less surface area (my 60 hex) or can I go by their "gallons"

 

[adrian]

I think a 400 watt halide over a 60 hex will provide plenty of light for you clams, although I think you would be better off with a more intense bulb than a 20K, I would look into an iwasaki 65k or a ushio 10k. This would give a wider range in which you could place your clams, especially the T.crocea, I assume by tridacna you meant maxima, Tridacna is the genus and crocea, maixma, derasa, squamosa, are just a few of the species. Temp is really highly debated, some say 78, some say 80, some say 81, and so on, in the past is was even suggested to keep the temp at 84. I try to keep my tanks between 80-82. Calcium should be maintained around 450ppm, some say less, some say more, I keep my between 480-500ppm, another debated subject. Your alkalinity which is just as important as Ca if not more so should be kept between 8-14dKH, another debated subject, I try to keep mine around 10dKH these days as I seem to get better coloration and faster coralline growth than I did keeping it at 12-14dKH. As for the clean up crew, I really cant help you there, I feel that tank size is irrelevant when it comes to how many snails, crabs ect. can survive in a given tank. I usually add critters as I go instead of buying them all at once. HTH

 

[biggdriver]

sorry for the mis infor i did mean maxima though thanks for the help...So a 20,000 k bulb 400 watt is problably not so great ...I was thinking of adding a couple of actinicts also...I thought the 20,000was the highest kelvin bulb made...Sorry but I only have a 5500k 175 watt on my 40 breeder tank..

 

[adrian]

20k bulbs are awesome in color, but lack intensity, ie they are not as bright as other bulbs, spectrum has nothing to with how intense a certain bulb is only the color If your going to use actinics, you would be better off with a lower K bulb, a lower K bulb would give you the intensity, and the actinics would provide the blue color. However, the ushio 10k is a very intense bulb, and has a nice crisp white color, and you may not need actinics, they would provide more intesity, but you may not like the color they create. The color of the bulb has mostly to do with looks, ie what color you would like your corals and tank to appear. Some say higher K bulbs creat better coloration in corals, but that hasnt been proven. With a 20k bulb the colors may be fantastic, but you may have to place your crocea right at the top for it to do well, with a lower K bulb youll most likely want actinics to provide a blue tint but it will allow more options when placing your clams. Its really up to you, of course, just keep in mind higher K bulbs are more expensive to replace, need replaced more often, and dont provide much intensity as compared to lower K bulbs which have more inesity, last longer, and are cheaper to replace. I really like both, but I prefer the look and performance of a lower K bulb combined with actinic supplementation vs. a lower K bulb by itself. HTH

 

[biggdriver]

thanks sammy that just took care of my first thought on the blue color spectrum of the higher bulbs..

 

[paulkai]

Question regarding clams: Should they be set in the sand bed, or can you keep them up high sitting on LR. I've never seen a clam sitting on LR, only sand. Just curious

 

[paulkai]

They will literally glue themselves down. Can you elaborate?

 

[adrian]

paulkai, depends what species of clam it is, some prefer sand, some like rubble, some prefer rock, some even bore into rock or hard corals. Although come to think of it I think most farmers grow there clams on sand or rubble, so it may depend whether its captive bred or not, but I still think they would prefer their natural habitat. HTH

 

[paulkai]

Recently purchased a Pohnpei Ultra Maxima. Is doing great and I have him in the sand. What do you think? Should Maximas be in the sand or on rock?

 

[adrian]

Most T. maximas are found attached to a hard substrate. I would try to place a rock underneath it and give it time to attach. It can be tricky sometimes, it usually helps to baracade the clam in using smaller rocks while its attaching to prevent it from falling. Once it has attached you can either leave it on the sand or move it onto the rock work, maximas are generally kept higher in the water column because they appreciate a lot of light. If you notice a clam moving around a lot its generally a good sign its not happy with its current position and hould be moved to an appropriate spot. Clams can actually die from stress if left to "wander". HTH

 

[biggdriver]

Ok then how about bristle/christmas tree worms> I have heard they are beneficial to have in an established tank but can harm clams in the sandbed..Will they get to clams put up higher on the live rock..???And what is your opionion on having these worms??

 

[adrian]

Most bristle worms are totally safe and are actually benificial to LS and LR because they make excellent scavengers and can provide zooplankton to the tank via breeding. If your reffering to a statement made in reef books of the past, like The Reef Aquarium V.1, that states certain bristle worms bore into clams shells adn eat them from the inside out, that is no thought false, and small snails, Tatherella sp., are now said to be responsible. Ive never heard anything about X-mas tree worms being a threat to clams. They are quite desirable. I guess if you were lucky enough to have these reproducing in your tank and one landed on the clam shell and bored into it there might be a problem, but I dont really see that happening. HTH