Lighting For Clams

[new2saltyfish]

how much lighting should i have to house a clam in a 30 gallon. i just bought a 192 watt light and was wondering if thats enough or not.

 

[ox5477]

I dont know the exact amount but I do know that you need quite alot. 192 watts/30 gallons = ~6.3 watts per gallon, sounds like it would be enough but I am far from an expert on clams

 

[atmmachine816]

They perfer MH lighting right?

 

[ox5477]

I dont know if they need MH but they do need the intensity you get from MH ...so I guess in a way that means yes they like MH's.... haha

 

[atmmachine816]

LOL yup, maybe a lot of cp's. I just saw the clams under MH at my lfs and figured if there just holding them under that it would probably be best to keep them permanetly under MH.

 

[new2saltyfish]

yea thats what i thought i was just making sure because ive seen people's tanks on here that have clams in say 20 gallon tanks and i know a MH would heat up a 20 gal pretty well so idk what there using. ill just have to get an electric flame scallop instead.

 

[steelhealr]

Clams can be difficult to keep and should only be placed in a nano tank if you consider yourself experienced. They require high lighting..they are filter feeders and benefit by feeding...and are subject to pests. If a clam dies in your nano tank, you're looking at a nuke.

I would only keep them under metal halides which means you have to be good at heat issues. Be sure of your expertise before you add one to your tank.

SH

 

[new2saltyfish]

thanks SH i think im just going to add a scallop for the price and the easier they are to care for. but just for my own knowledge and curiosity, how come if the clam dies in the tank it will nuke it?

 

[Mr Miagi]

thanks SH i think im just going to add a scallop for the price and the easier they are to care for. but just for my own knowledge and curiosity, how come if the clam dies in the tank it will nuke it?

They would decompose very quickly due to their design.

 

[bullhead]

I believe the smalest of the clams will still reach a size of 10 to 12 inches across and they need high lighting,10,000k and lots of it.I dont think it would be wise to stuff one into a nano.Do ALOT of researh before doing this.

 

[gigmeyer]

My lfs told me buying scallops for a tank is like buying cut flowers for your house. Their nice looking, but do not last very long. Is this true? While I'm not particularly interested in them, it would be nice to know since many hobbiests would probably stay away from anything that has a short lifespan and could become toxic to the tank on its demise.

 

[steelhealr]

I wouldn't add scallops or clams to a nano tank. Most people end up getting flame scallops because of their incredible beauty. They are VERY hard to keep...usually disappear or move about the tank...and spot feeding them in a nano may raise your nutrient levels.

What most people don't grasp here as newcomers to nano reefing is that the size of the tank makes it INHERENTLY UNSTABLE. 20 gallons of seawater doesn't handle contaminants. Not only that, if you are doing the good reading that most of us do, you will realize that the excretory systems of marine fish are WAY different than FW. Corals, for the most part, need excellent water conditions. Hence, why nano reefing is a separate 'specialty' within marine aquarium keeping. Although basic principles are the same, the volume of the system requires different expertise. You need attention to detail, conscientious marine aquarism and avoidance of the 'eyes are bigger than my tank' disease. Someone here has SIX FISH IN A 20'ISH gallon tank. Ugh.

When clams, scallops or sea stars die, they decompose rapidly and/or are attacked for food. They release breakdown products which RAPIDLY bring demise to a nano tank. Some animals can crash a tank quicker than others...cukes, sea apples, sea hares, flame scallops and sea stars...if not removed rapidly. Chances are...you aren't looking or home when they die.

That's why you have to ask yourself, each time you add that 'extra fish', or, YOU feel that you are the ONE nano reefer that can keep a flame scallop or milleporella type sea star, "do you feel lucky?.

SH

 

[SkiFletch]

To SH you listen

Just want to add on the lighting front. Recent research indicates that decorative tridacnid clams require more light and can do less filter feeding than previously thought. It seems that even at a young age with ill-developed vascular systems, these clams are mostly photosynthetic. Subjectively it appears that clams do best onder intense metal halide lighting. Usually 250watts worth although if the clam is high enough on the rock stack (close to the halide), a 150/175 can be used. Aquarists have had success using high quality T5 lighting with individual reflectors and at least 6 full-length lamps as well. And as mentioned earlier in this thread, watch out for heat. Especially with halides, but even the T5s put out enough heat to make for bigtime summer headaches if the tank is not in an air-conditioned room

 

[new2saltyfish]

well my lights are 192watt so it would be ok if i put it on the rocks up top?

 

[SkiFletch]

Probably not. A 192watt system is a 2x96watt PC setup. The downfall of PCs is that they waste a lot of their light energy from not having individual reflectors. A lot of their light output gets gobbled up and wasted between bulbs. If you actually examine the PAR (photosynthetically available radiation) numbers, PC's are FAR behind T5s and even further behind Halides as far as their ability to get light down to corals is concerned. As attractive of a number as 192watts sounds like, it is not a good measure of the light intensity at the corals (or clams) themselves. While anecdotal successes have been reported when keeping some clams under PCs, the vast majority of aquarists fail under their low light output. I hate to be the stinker that tells you this, but I'd hate myself more if the animal didnt make it through.

If you do try a clam, the only one I'd try is Tridacna Derasa as it seems to subjectively require the least light of the Tridacnids. If it were me though, I would not purchase one