Clams
- Thread starter LT62
- Start date
I gather that you are talking about the giant clams, tridacnid. Yes, they are popular in reef tanks. Their basic requirement is sufficient light and parasite-free environment with good water parameter (high calcium, appropriate alk., but not too picky about nitrate).
Flame scallop is another popular item. However, they are much more demanding, and most people who keep them usually view them as rental item.
Flame scallop is another popular item. However, they are much more demanding, and most people who keep them usually view them as rental item.
Stick with photosynthetic clams of the genus Tridacna and Hippopus (the former being a lot more popular and colorful). T.deresa and T.squamosa are the most hardy, followed by T.maxima and T.crocea.
Clams needs relatively good water conditions that is free of heavy metals and other toxic pollutants. Photosynthetic clams also needs lots of light. The list I provided atop is actually in order of light demand, starting from the least (T.deresa) on up to T.crocea. I recommend no less then power compacts for these clams, halides preferable. If you can give us some tank specifications, we can recommend the type of lighting that is suitable for these clams.
Also, clams uptake considerable amount of calcium, so calcium supplementation is recommended. I highly endorse B-ionic to fulfill all your supplementation needs. It's a two part additive that is very easy to dose, and more importantly, very complete in what it adds.
Clams needs relatively good water conditions that is free of heavy metals and other toxic pollutants. Photosynthetic clams also needs lots of light. The list I provided atop is actually in order of light demand, starting from the least (T.deresa) on up to T.crocea. I recommend no less then power compacts for these clams, halides preferable. If you can give us some tank specifications, we can recommend the type of lighting that is suitable for these clams.
Also, clams uptake considerable amount of calcium, so calcium supplementation is recommended. I highly endorse B-ionic to fulfill all your supplementation needs. It's a two part additive that is very easy to dose, and more importantly, very complete in what it adds.
Hi LT62 and
If you are referring to Tridacnid sp. clams, they require intense lighting minimum VHO's and better yet under metal halides depending on the species. Really I would recommend using halides if you are interested in clams.
Daniel Knop wrote an excellent book on clam husbandry and you can find the ISBN number for the book in our Recommended Reading section of our library: http://www.reefs.org/library/reading
hth
Shane
If you are referring to Tridacnid sp. clams, they require intense lighting minimum VHO's and better yet under metal halides depending on the species. Really I would recommend using halides if you are interested in clams.
Daniel Knop wrote an excellent book on clam husbandry and you can find the ISBN number for the book in our Recommended Reading section of our library: http://www.reefs.org/library/reading
hth
Shane
liquid":whpo361z said:
Shane is right here. Wattage should depend on tank depth, but for an average 75 gallon size tank, 2 x 250W MH with good reflectors should give you enough light intensity to keep clams even at the bottom of the tank.
Regards.
Mike Kirda
A little experience on my stocking of clams in my shop with limited space :
I have my clams in a 15-gallon with 2" sandbed, 20# of live rock along the back of the tank, and it's plumbed in with 2 other 15 gallons and a 15-gallon sump.
Over the tank is a 130-watt Coralife Aqualight, and the clams are doing *extremely* well. So well, in fact, that I'm setting up anemone tanks and SPS tanks with the same configuration. I have maximas, hippopus, and squamosas in stock, with derasas and croceas arrving next week.
If you have a smaller tank with a powerful light, then they will do well.
Peace,
Chip
I have my clams in a 15-gallon with 2" sandbed, 20# of live rock along the back of the tank, and it's plumbed in with 2 other 15 gallons and a 15-gallon sump.
Over the tank is a 130-watt Coralife Aqualight, and the clams are doing *extremely* well. So well, in fact, that I'm setting up anemone tanks and SPS tanks with the same configuration. I have maximas, hippopus, and squamosas in stock, with derasas and croceas arrving next week.
If you have a smaller tank with a powerful light, then they will do well.
Peace,
Chip
My tank is a 120G - 48"x24"x24". It will also have a 50G ecosystem sump on it with a flow of about 1200GPH. I was not planning on mh's but I can fit them into my hood if i must. My hood with have two fans for cooling, but I am VERY cautious about adding mh in fear of needing a chiller. Currently my plan is for 440W of VHO lights. II don't have too many details on this as all my stuff is in MI and I am working in Montreal for the summer so I have to try and remember what I bought about 2 months ago.
What is the name of the clam that has the nice blue colors? And are they a good choice for a new reefer? I have been doing sw for the last 5yrs goin on 6 and have done well with fish. My only experience with life other than fish and crabs was an anonome that my lfs dealer sold to me without telling me about the light that they needed.
Calcium is apparently quite important for clams ( and stony corals) . Do I need a calcium reactor? I have noticed that a lot of the nice tanks have one. The need for calcium makes complete since as it is need to build shells and such. But the inital investment into a calcium reactor is putting me off. Please try and convince me one way or the other.
Thanks
What is the name of the clam that has the nice blue colors? And are they a good choice for a new reefer? I have been doing sw for the last 5yrs goin on 6 and have done well with fish. My only experience with life other than fish and crabs was an anonome that my lfs dealer sold to me without telling me about the light that they needed.
Calcium is apparently quite important for clams ( and stony corals) . Do I need a calcium reactor? I have noticed that a lot of the nice tanks have one. The need for calcium makes complete since as it is need to build shells and such. But the inital investment into a calcium reactor is putting me off. Please try and convince me one way or the other.
Thanks
I do kalkwassor for awhile, but after a while, it just get to be too tedious for me, so I got a calcium reactor later.
You can always start with kalkwassor or two part additives, and see if you can postpone the purchase as long as possible. There are DIY plans out there that will make getting a calcium reactor or a kalk reactor less painful.
You can always start with kalkwassor or two part additives, and see if you can postpone the purchase as long as possible. There are DIY plans out there that will make getting a calcium reactor or a kalk reactor less painful.
LT62,
You can build your own Ca reactor to save some money. Sanjay Joshi did a great article on how to do just that...
http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1998/mar/features/2/default.asp
It's still a bit of an investment (probably $300+ by the time you get a CO2 system and all) but on a tank that size, if you're planning on clams and stony corals it will be worth it in the long run IMO.
Also, check around our DIY Forum - lot's of help on DIY stuff there.
FWIW, I've built my own Kalkreactor and Ca reactor and both are running great.
Ca Reactor
Kalkreactor
Also, in a tank that deep I think you should consider MH lighting for T. Maxima/T. Crocea.
You can build your own Ca reactor to save some money. Sanjay Joshi did a great article on how to do just that...
http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1998/mar/features/2/default.asp
It's still a bit of an investment (probably $300+ by the time you get a CO2 system and all) but on a tank that size, if you're planning on clams and stony corals it will be worth it in the long run IMO.
Also, check around our DIY Forum - lot's of help on DIY stuff there.
FWIW, I've built my own Kalkreactor and Ca reactor and both are running great.
Ca Reactor
Kalkreactor
Also, in a tank that deep I think you should consider MH lighting for T. Maxima/T. Crocea.
What size CO2 tank should I get. I got a 12oz tank for my paintball gun that I could use. Too small???? How big would I have to get for it too last about 5-6 months??
hey ChrisRD: Do you use both a Ca Reactor and a Kalkreactor?? Don't they do the same thing??? If they don't please explain the difference???
hey ChrisRD: Do you use both a Ca Reactor and a Kalkreactor?? Don't they do the same thing??? If they don't please explain the difference???
Does the paintball cylinder have the right type of adopter to use with a pressure regulator? I don't think so...
Most popular size for reef is 5lb. You can get them pretty cheap from welding shop for around 50 bucks or less. It should last you many months if you don't use it for your beer keg :wink:
Most popular size for reef is 5lb. You can get them pretty cheap from welding shop for around 50 bucks or less. It should last you many months if you don't use it for your beer keg :wink:
LT62":211oo3kh said:
It's hard to predict how long a certain size CO2 container will last on a particular tank as it varies greatly depending on how efficient your Ca reactor is and how hard you have to drive it (ie. how much Alk/Ca demand you have with your system).
As Seven mentioned, 5# is a common size, but if you're going to a welding shop you can usually get deals on bigger sizes as well (10#, 20#, etc.) if you want to stretch the time between refills. I have a 15# I got locally for a steal (about $45). Around here CO2 typically runs about $1 a pound for refillls (or slightly less) - my tank, filled was like $60.
LT62":211oo3kh said:
They perform similar functions but in different ways. You can use one or the other, or both. They offset each other nicely and work really well in combination.
The kalkreactor produces saturated limewater that you use as part/all of your evaporation topoff to supplement Ca/Alk. Adding the effluent to the tank is usually automated with a dosing pump or some similar system. Running a kalkreactor by itself is much like dosing kalkwasser - system pH tends to run high. IMO this system has a more limited ability to keep up with high Ca/Alk demands as you are limited to how much you can add. You're limited by how much evaporation the system has and trying to keep the pH down. Another bonus of a kalkreactor is that limewater helps precipitate phosphates out of your tank water (ie. helps keep nuisance algaes under control).
A Ca reactor holds crushed aragonite media that has tank water circulating through it. The CO2 is injected into the reactor to lower pH to dissolve the arragonite thereby creating an effluent from the reactor that is rich in Alk/Ca. Running a Ca reactor by itself usually results in a low system pH, however, they are extremely useful for keeping up with a high Ca/Alk demand. Some aragonite media can potentially leak phosphates or other impurities into your tank water as it dissolves, so this is a potential downside to a Ca reactor (although in practice, if you stick with a good media, it doesn't seem to be much of a problem).
Running a Ca reactor and kalkreactor together provides a more natural system pH than running just one of them. It's also easy to maintain Alk/Ca levels in a high demand system without driving either unit too hard. In addition, the kalkreactor could help precipitate out impurities introduced into the system (like phosphate) from feeding or from the Ca reactor. Definitely a win-win situation.
HTH
If you want to start with a clam I'd reccomend a Hippopus - not the prettiest but they have their own charm and are very hardy - had mine about 1.5 years and it's grown a fair bit.
Also not sure if anyone mentioned T. Derasa but they are also excellent starter clams but they can grow fast!
Also realize that some clams are actually rock boring clams and prefer to be on the rockwork or attached to a piece of liverock - while others live on the substrate in nature. I keep my maxima on the rockwork near top of tank and it's doing verywell - the hippopus sits on the sandbed.
Also not sure if anyone mentioned T. Derasa but they are also excellent starter clams but they can grow fast!
Also realize that some clams are actually rock boring clams and prefer to be on the rockwork or attached to a piece of liverock - while others live on the substrate in nature. I keep my maxima on the rockwork near top of tank and it's doing verywell - the hippopus sits on the sandbed.
LT62":182oq0mp said:
Sorry I can't be much help with brand recommendations as I built both of my units. As for the size, the manufacturers usually specify what size system the unit is intended for.
You might try asking this question in a new thread in this forum or the General Discussion Forum to get some opinions on commercial ca/kalk reactors.
Clams are pretty tough but I would say like any reef organism temperatures should be consistent - say 76-82 . Higher temperatures generally mean higher metabolism for many organisms but not sure how this applies to clams - some corals will bleach easier at higher temperatures but I have not heard of clams expelling their symbiotic algae.
Just a quick question... I know its a newbie one, but I haven't been able to get a clear answer in my books or online.. I know what you feed clams, but I want to know how. Do you just put it in the water, or it it better to feed directly over them with the calcium suppliments, etc.? Does it matter?
If you're feeding them directly, how do you do that? Do you just get a bottle and attach a tube to it?
Sorry for the stupid ?s
j
If you're feeding them directly, how do you do that? Do you just get a bottle and attach a tube to it?
Sorry for the stupid ?s
j
For the giant clam, it does not need anything other than good water parameter and sufficient light. For feeding, it can do without it for years in some tanks.
If you are talking about filter feeder like the flame scallop, then feeding is something that you need to look into. However, for demanding filter feeder like flame scallop, most of the experienced reefers can even keep it for more than a few months even with time consuming target feeding with phytoplanton, etc., and it is not suggested for most people unless as a temporary livestock.
If you are talking about filter feeder like the flame scallop, then feeding is something that you need to look into. However, for demanding filter feeder like flame scallop, most of the experienced reefers can even keep it for more than a few months even with time consuming target feeding with phytoplanton, etc., and it is not suggested for most people unless as a temporary livestock.
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