Clam lighting
- Thread starter joker577
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None at all. Even the least light demanding clams require T5HO or MH lighting.
Unfortunately returnsofid I have seen them kept under vho lighting and they do very well. I have e fellow reefer that kept a derasa under PC lighting for over a year until he was able to upgrade and it did well. In that years time it almost doubled in size. He kept it about half way up the tank. I do not recommend trying this as I agree they need more lighting but they can be and have been kept under lesser lighting than MH...
DonW
R.I.P.
It has absolutly nothing to do with the type of lighting. If you can get the intensity then it will work. More information would be needed to make a accurate comment.
Don
Don
Reeferdude
Reeferdude
I've kept several Crosea under PC. As a matter of fact the first one in my current tank was under 4 400watt MH at the lfs and it has done better under my PCs. As Don says, intensity. I've got a 260watt PC about 15 inches away...
I think the bigger issue is more the stability and age of the tank. The tank is looking good, and going in the right direction. I looked at the tank shots you posted. That anemone isn't looking any better, though, and I'm not sure that tossing a clam in there would be fair to the clam. They seem to like REALLY stable tanks, and frankly at least part of that comes with age.
Eric Borneman wrote a really good article (or thread, I can't remember) about why tanks take about a year, year and a half to really stabilize. Obviously some corals do well in tanks before then, but many mysterious deaths to livestock occur also. He was pointing out that even though most of the live rock die-off and cycle happens fairly quickly, there are often small colonies of sponges, tunicates, and other little things that don't die off immediately. Many will die off over time, which along with the toxic soup that stressed corals emit, can leave the tank water pretty unsafe for delicate organisms. Combine this with learning good habits, frequent water changes, keeping parameters stable, etc. that is just part of being a new hobbyist, is why people are advising to keep some of the easier corals. And, as I see from your photos, you've found some really nice ones.
Anyway, don't shoot yourself in the foot, or add something with needs that would be really hard to meet. Another way of looking at it is would you like a tank that's fairly stable and that you can enjoy or do you want to always be on the knife's edge of a tank crash. A dying clam (or anemone) can wipe out a whole tank, especially a smaller one. Play it safe and enjoy the hobby!
Josh
Eric Borneman wrote a really good article (or thread, I can't remember) about why tanks take about a year, year and a half to really stabilize. Obviously some corals do well in tanks before then, but many mysterious deaths to livestock occur also. He was pointing out that even though most of the live rock die-off and cycle happens fairly quickly, there are often small colonies of sponges, tunicates, and other little things that don't die off immediately. Many will die off over time, which along with the toxic soup that stressed corals emit, can leave the tank water pretty unsafe for delicate organisms. Combine this with learning good habits, frequent water changes, keeping parameters stable, etc. that is just part of being a new hobbyist, is why people are advising to keep some of the easier corals. And, as I see from your photos, you've found some really nice ones.
Anyway, don't shoot yourself in the foot, or add something with needs that would be really hard to meet. Another way of looking at it is would you like a tank that's fairly stable and that you can enjoy or do you want to always be on the knife's edge of a tank crash. A dying clam (or anemone) can wipe out a whole tank, especially a smaller one. Play it safe and enjoy the hobby!
Josh
DonW
R.I.P.
I dont believe that it take a year or so for a tank to stabilize You can add clams right after the tank is completely cycled. I think it takes a year or so for its owner to stabilize.
Don
Don
Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
Fun to start discussions out of curiosity but better to research the site or read books for those tidbits already answered. This is one of the very few reef sites with a reliably functioning search engine. Most questions here are posed as requests for advise. The big debates typically occur when these real issues is present. Best to make yourself a little clearer on a moot point; save other passionate reefers some time and effort .
Well all it says is Giant Clams with Barry Neigut, it doesn't say Don't post if you don't have a problem...this is a HELP forum after all. I wanted to get opinions from people who have clams...sorry to take a whopping 3 minutes out of your day to answer a question..didn't know it took so much out of you.
Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
Hope you got all the help you needed
Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
On a side note, you appear to read aggression into many replies that offer a suggestion which you didn't want to hear. I would like to make clear, I personally like you. You seem like a very sharp and mature young man. I suspect most regulars like you too. If you have an age chip on your shoulder, let it go. One of my absolute favorite contributers here, who has a huge tank and PLENTY knowledge and experience is but 16.
A few other friends who used to be regulars here, got tired of some of the nonsense and moved on and that was their choise. Be that as it may, you are off to an awesome start in this difficult hobby. Take a breath before you make a "from the gut" reply, as there is nothing you need to defend yourself against. We are all friends here (well, mostly ) You can safely assume all the old timers are on your side. Because Pal, I sure am!
Best with all, and keep aging that tank.
Mike
A few other friends who used to be regulars here, got tired of some of the nonsense and moved on and that was their choise. Be that as it may, you are off to an awesome start in this difficult hobby. Take a breath before you make a "from the gut" reply, as there is nothing you need to defend yourself against. We are all friends here (well, mostly
) You can safely assume all the old timers are on your side. Because Pal, I sure am!Best with all, and keep aging that tank.
Mike
chris&barb
Reef-Geeks
i have kept clams under PC's in the past. a general consensus (and IME) is it not a good idea. regardless of what you read in books or other people tell you, ALL of the Tridacnids and Hippopus clams are most commonly found in very shallow water. they all are primarily photosynthetic and rely on very intense light to feed the zoox they house, to in turn feed them.
the problem with PC lighting is the bulb its self. PC bulbs have 2 (or more) tubes right next to one another. kinda like this O-O, there is no way to reflect the light with any efficiency. all the light between the quote marks and the hyphen get reflected right back into the bulb "O-O". thats about 40% of the light comming from the bulb that is wasted. this wasted energy that is reflected back into the bulb builds heat which drops the intensity of the bulb and shortens the bulb life.
it is possible to keep even the higher light demanding Tridacnid under PC's long term, but you will need to keep them high in the tank and change the bulbs at least 2x if not 3x per year.
when i say long term , im talking years. keeping a clam for a few months, 6 months or almost a year isnt a success (in my book) it can take clams that appear healthy in every other way over a year to slowly starve to death.
the problem with PC lighting is the bulb its self. PC bulbs have 2 (or more) tubes right next to one another. kinda like this O-O, there is no way to reflect the light with any efficiency. all the light between the quote marks and the hyphen get reflected right back into the bulb "O-O". thats about 40% of the light comming from the bulb that is wasted. this wasted energy that is reflected back into the bulb builds heat which drops the intensity of the bulb and shortens the bulb life.
it is possible to keep even the higher light demanding Tridacnid under PC's long term, but you will need to keep them high in the tank and change the bulbs at least 2x if not 3x per year.
when i say long term , im talking years. keeping a clam for a few months, 6 months or almost a year isnt a success (in my book) it can take clams that appear healthy in every other way over a year to slowly starve to death.
I certainly agree on the owner part. However, I notice that you are starting your next tank with dead rock and dead sand, removing any of the potential problems I was talking about. Using imported live rock in particular, toxins from slowly dying organisms can definitely take longer than just the completion of the nitrogen cycle. Certainly many people are successful putting in lots of livestock in an immature tank, but the nitrogen cycle isn't the only thing going on.
Josh
Josh
Well, I'm not so sure I really misunderstood, especially with that first post. Anyway, like Mike said, we're not out to get you and you're a little touchy about perceived criticism. You're doing fine, the tank is looking good, and we really do want to help out. Mike's right, though. There is a lot of info in archived threads and a simple search turns up most answers. I've been lurking on this board and others for a LONG time (9 years total, before this board started) and have a very low post count because most info I need is just a search away. I've only started posting more to be a bit more part of the community rather than just lurking.
Have fun, Josh
