Maxima Wattage
- Thread starter mjsdas
- Start date
maverick005
Member
im not sure but i think you should have VHO or prefferebly MH for clams...but you may be able to get away with it. and the watts per gallon doesnt really mean anything because you could put 5 100 watt regular GE lightbulbs over your tank but its the wrong type of light so it wouldnt matter if it was 71.4 watts per gallon in your tank. make sense? watts per gallon means very little. the type of light is what counts.
(i am a still learning too but this is what i gather from others information.)
HTH
-brandon
(i am a still learning too but this is what i gather from others information.)
HTH
-brandon
maverick005
Member
i was not aware that
PC (power compact)
was more powerfull than
VHO (very high output)
???
-brandon
PC (power compact)
was more powerfull than
VHO (very high output)
???
-brandon
maverick005
Member
i doubt they are only a "slight" step up from NO lights. arent there HO "high output" lights? such as T5? wouldnt that be between NO and VHO? if so how could VHO be so close to NO?
well i just read the "VHO vs PC" thread in the nano section and bang guy kinda explains that PCs have a sweets spot that is more powerfull than VHO...but he prefers VHO, then again kip uses PC and he does very well also. i guess to each is own.
-brandon
well i just read the "VHO vs PC" thread in the nano section and bang guy kinda explains that PCs have a sweets spot that is more powerfull than VHO...but he prefers VHO, then again kip uses PC and he does very well also. i guess to each is own.
-brandon
saltysyd
Member
:notsure: I just got the same exact lighting tha you did for 10g bout a week ago and as of yesterday I have a HUGE diatom outbreak. From the responses I got in the reef forum this is normal with new lighting and usually last a couple weeks, so get ready for that fun to happen to you too, most likely. :nope:
overanalyzer
Active Member
Originally posted by Bang Guy
I stand by my belief that it fails more often than succeeds. Brooklyn Johnny has an awesome 10 gal he's obviously doing something right.
Read all about johnny's set-up as he has a drip feeding refugium which provides lots of pod life to his tank and he also drips calcium and other additives to ensure what his invertbrates missout on in terms of lighting get made up for in other areas.
PLEASE don't assume since you both have the same lighting then you can do everything the same! So many success factors need to be taken into consideration and lighting is one part (albiet a HUGE part) of the equation!
NOW - PC lighting over a shallow tank is extremely intesnse but I would still only see that as short term success!!
your tank :thinking: your choice ....
brooklyn johnny
Active Member
Hey mjsdas, this topic comes up alot in regards to my tank, and I'm always happy to give my experience. Simply put, clams CAN be kept under PCs, but I would agree that probably over 95% of those put in PC tanks fail for many reasons.
The best way to go about it is to break away from the PC/VHO/halide debate, and look at it in terms of the intensity of light the animal will be receiving from your lighting AT IT'S LOCATION. The major reason I had clams surviving long term in my nano was that the PCs were just a couple of inches above the water (as opposed to six inches to a foot or more on larger tanks), and the clams were just a few inches down in the water column. Despite being under PCs, they were getting a nice bathing of light. Without my remote refugium the temerature on my tank would be in the high 80s.
Also keep in mind that clams take a while to wither away, although they sometimes appear healthy during this period. Success can only be claimed after many months and noticable growth. My oldest purple maxima was in my nano for about a year and a half and was purchased on Sept. 30th of 2002. My small squamosa surprisingly did very well on the sandbed in my nano, and after a while was getting semi-shaded by a soft coral nearby. Despite this it thrived and grew.
Another important factor is that many things kill clams, not just a lack in lighting. In this hobby it's so easy to blame lighting when something dies because it's easily quantified, while other causes, or combinations of causes, require some detective work and experience. I've been in this hobby for a long time, and this nano was very tough as it developed. It's a cliche, but smaller tanks are much tougher if you push the limits like I did.
What do I recommend? Take it slowly and gain experience. If your tank is succeeding I recommend getting a small piece of perhaps montipora digitata from a local buddy. This will be a good indicator of how your reef is doing and if this thrives you can move on to a small clam. Keep in mind you must discipline yourself to do this only when you are ready, and that may be years. My nano tested me and then some. You are much better off gaining experience with sps and clams on larger metal halide lit tanks as they offer more of a margin of error. With experience you could then think outside of the box. I own the four major tridacna clams (no gigas), and I'd recommend squamosas as a good starting clam. Derasas are an option but grow like roots.
One of my recent additions to the library is "Ultimate Marine Aquariums" my Michael Paletta and is a great read! It profiles many dream tanks, with many "outside the box" thinkers, including a 1500 gallon tank lit by 20 160 watt VHOs only that is 36 inches deep with clams on the sandbed and some 250 fishes. A must for the book collection. While much of their thinking is outside of the box, the people with those incredible tanks most likely had years of experience thinking inside the box.
Good luck and I hope that helps! Update us on your progress and above all have fun...
Johnny
The best way to go about it is to break away from the PC/VHO/halide debate, and look at it in terms of the intensity of light the animal will be receiving from your lighting AT IT'S LOCATION. The major reason I had clams surviving long term in my nano was that the PCs were just a couple of inches above the water (as opposed to six inches to a foot or more on larger tanks), and the clams were just a few inches down in the water column. Despite being under PCs, they were getting a nice bathing of light. Without my remote refugium the temerature on my tank would be in the high 80s.
Also keep in mind that clams take a while to wither away, although they sometimes appear healthy during this period. Success can only be claimed after many months and noticable growth. My oldest purple maxima was in my nano for about a year and a half and was purchased on Sept. 30th of 2002. My small squamosa surprisingly did very well on the sandbed in my nano, and after a while was getting semi-shaded by a soft coral nearby. Despite this it thrived and grew.
Another important factor is that many things kill clams, not just a lack in lighting. In this hobby it's so easy to blame lighting when something dies because it's easily quantified, while other causes, or combinations of causes, require some detective work and experience. I've been in this hobby for a long time, and this nano was very tough as it developed. It's a cliche, but smaller tanks are much tougher if you push the limits like I did.
What do I recommend? Take it slowly and gain experience. If your tank is succeeding I recommend getting a small piece of perhaps montipora digitata from a local buddy. This will be a good indicator of how your reef is doing and if this thrives you can move on to a small clam. Keep in mind you must discipline yourself to do this only when you are ready, and that may be years. My nano tested me and then some. You are much better off gaining experience with sps and clams on larger metal halide lit tanks as they offer more of a margin of error. With experience you could then think outside of the box. I own the four major tridacna clams (no gigas), and I'd recommend squamosas as a good starting clam. Derasas are an option but grow like roots.
One of my recent additions to the library is "Ultimate Marine Aquariums" my Michael Paletta and is a great read! It profiles many dream tanks, with many "outside the box" thinkers, including a 1500 gallon tank lit by 20 160 watt VHOs only that is 36 inches deep with clams on the sandbed and some 250 fishes. A must for the book collection. While much of their thinking is outside of the box, the people with those incredible tanks most likely had years of experience thinking inside the box.
Good luck and I hope that helps! Update us on your progress and above all have fun...
Johnny
midwest reefer
Member
I still have my clam under PC's. Its been there for about 5 months and thriving. I have 3.7 watts per gallon, and its at the botton of my 20 inch deep tank. However, its a hipopus, and when I researched them it says they have very little requirements, and are easy to keep under most lighting conditions.
Might want to look into a hipopus...
In the reef forum I asked about keeping a maxima under 11 wpg of a 5.5 gallon tank. A good point was brought up. The water quality they require is so strict, and changes in a nano tank are so much more drastic, that a clam might not do well in a small tank.
Bang... if PC's are more output than VHO's, how come a 24" pc is 65w, and a 24" VHO is 75w?? Just wondering, not saying your wrong, b/c Ive heard that before, I just dotn get it. Also woud you say 2x65w PC is better than 4x75w VHO??
Might want to look into a hipopus...
In the reef forum I asked about keeping a maxima under 11 wpg of a 5.5 gallon tank. A good point was brought up. The water quality they require is so strict, and changes in a nano tank are so much more drastic, that a clam might not do well in a small tank.
Bang... if PC's are more output than VHO's, how come a 24" pc is 65w, and a 24" VHO is 75w?? Just wondering, not saying your wrong, b/c Ive heard that before, I just dotn get it. Also woud you say 2x65w PC is better than 4x75w VHO??
bang guy
Moderator
I would never recommend a Hippopus in a 10 gallon, they just grow too fast.
As far as intensity, the PCs are thinner and therefore concentrate the light more making them more intense. I do not believe PC put more light in the water vs. VHO.
"Also woud you say 2x65w PC is better than 4x75w VHO??"
If those were my choices I would pick the VHO every time.
As far as intensity, the PCs are thinner and therefore concentrate the light more making them more intense. I do not believe PC put more light in the water vs. VHO.
"Also woud you say 2x65w PC is better than 4x75w VHO??"
If those were my choices I would pick the VHO every time.
midwest reefer
Member
Thanks for the reply... I didnt realize Hippopus grea faster than a maxima :notsure: