Hey everybody,

A couple days ago a got my first clam (a maxima) and put it in my 3 gallon JBJ picotope. As of now I am using an 18 watt coralife power compact fixture as well as the 9 watt stock lighting that came with the tank. The maxima seems pretty happy under the lighting. I dont know too much about clams just because of a lack of experience, but from what I read it looks good. It is very responsive to shadows, and is open pretty wide. After i put it in the tank its syphon was way to wide open, but now it looks good.

Anyway, I also have another coralife 18 watt on the way. The one I currently have never seemed to put out as much light as I thought it should. I contacted coralife about it and they are sending me another one. You certainly cant argue with that kind of service. My plan is to put both 18 watt lights on the tank. Should this be enough light for the maxima?

Thanks in advance

in a word......no.

Has it been done and been successful......probably


what you should have done is read as much as you could before you dove in and bought a clam that demands very high intensity lighting.....I have my 2 maximas under 250 watts of metal halide lighting

PC bulbs are (IMO) a dead technology for saltwater (except if you're using them over a refugium (i have 2 18 watt PC's to help my macroalgae grow) I would say in your case T5's are a minimum for a maxima clam......your clam will probably do well for a time......and then lose color and fall victim to unsatisfactory conditions.......do yourself a favor.......get better lighting or return the clam


just my .02

Thanks for the imput. I do want to make it clear that I did read a ton of information before I bought him. I have three other salt water tanks so I do have some sw experience. I am wondering how big you tank is. After doing a lot of research and talking to a fair amount of people I did get the impression that 12 watts per gallon for a clam 11 inches from the light would be sufficent, but I was interested in whether i should upgrade my lighting. So if you could get back to me about the size of your tank and your clam's placement Id appreciate it.
Thanks again

you should also know the water chemistry requirements for a clam. it needs MASSIVE amounts of calcium and magnesium. and if any of these elements deplete too much you will have a very hard time getting it back to normal. and since you have 2 other tanks. DO NOT use water from those tank to do a water change. the calcium will probably be depleted and will contain too much DOC for it to be good for your clam.

+!


and watts per gallons is something to disregard when it comes to reef tanks and here's why

b/c 36 watts of PC
36 watts of T5
or 36 watts of MH are all the same amount of wattage but completely different types of light with diffrent PAR values.......

I am aware of the nessisary amount of calcium. I have some three step system from DT that regulates calcium, magnesium and alkalenity. What do you use for calcium and magnesium?

you completly disregarded my point.......watts per gallon means nothing when it comes to reef tanks and quite frankly you do not have enough light to support a clam

ohhh and my tank is 33 gallons HOWEVER it's 13 inches high and the lights only sit about 8 inches over the tank itself.....and i use like i said 250 watts of MH.....now if i had 250 watts of PC at 8 inches about that tank would it be enough light?? maybe.....but not definatly.......you get what i'm trying to say??

rockfish has a very valid point, and you should return the clam. And if you are about to get pissy and think I'm an idiot without a tank, my tank is a 28 gallon with 14k 250w metal halides 4 inches above the water, the clams are placed on the sand bed, and I maintain a calcium level of 500ppm. In my experience clams do perfectly fine without high levels of magnesium.

well put

WPG is a terrible method.
I don't care if you have 65 watts of PC,
it won't support a clam.
They need an intense source of light.
MH and T5.

+1 to all the things just said about your light.
with what i have seen people are only able to put clams in picos that have 70w metal halides over them. in fact this is the exact setup one of my local club members use.

Just watching this post as it goes along it seems to me that you guys are being a bit harsh with this forumite. Isn't the forum supposed to be a community of people helping each other as opposed to a bully pulpit? You can get your point across without beating the guy up.

not bulling at all.....just being honest......obviously since he hasn't written back he's still not getting our very valid points.....if anything we're trying to suede him to not make a mistake that will be bad for the clam and possibly ruin his pico


bottom line......do not put a maxima clam under PC lighting.....

I am getting your very valid points and I do appreciate them. However, the LPS I got the clam from will not take returns. I am going to keep the clam under the PC lighting because getting another fixture is out of the question. Hopefully SOME of you guys will wish me luck even if I am not in the best position.

Then sell it.....some one one here will buy it i'm sure......do not torture an animal b/c you're too lazy to do anything about providing a proper home for it

I think it is a little unfair to call me lazy because I cant afford a 150 dollar MH fixture. It is also unfair to call this tourture. At this point I have gotten the idea that you dont think that a clam can be put under PC lighting and I due appreciate this opinion. However, it is my opinion that 40 watts of PC in a three gallon tank where the clam is 11 inches from the light is sufficent. Currently the clam is look quite good. If the clam is showing signs of declining health and isnt looking as good I'll give it away and you can be right. So thank you for your input Rockfish, but I think at this point you have said as much as you can.

If anyone does have experience putting clams under PC lighting I would really like to hear about it
Thanks

Picture of the clam, please.

I smell a FAIL in the works here.....you're right though.....keeping an animal under lighting that's not strong enough until it withers away isn't torture.......oh wait....yes it is......


why do you even post anything on this site?? it just seems like all the advice that we try to give you to make sure you don't kill an animal, possibly turn your pico tank in to a sewer, and save you some time and money....and yet you still do what you want......


ohhh and BTW....your opinion is wrong....

Also, I'm not sure why you asked your original question if your mind was made up that 40w of PC is sufficient. Perhaps someone knowledgable about PAR can chime in on the PAR requirements of maxima, but most experiences are that PC lighting simply does not put out enough PAR to meet the clam's requirements.

Keep in mind I'm not a photographer, here you go though let me know what you think

Click to view attachment

Keeping the clam would cost more than what he paid for it. It will die and $50 down the drain.

he's not going to listen.....he wanted some one to justify that what he is doing isn't totally dunb and he's not getting the validation he wants so he's still going to do what he pleases even if it means killing the clam

pathetic really.....

this is from ezcompany's write up in the lighting section on "lighting requirements for clams"


T. Maxima

These clams require almost as much light as Croceas if not as much. In the wild they have a maximum depth of occurrence slightly deeper than Croceas, but are again mostly found in very clean and shallow waters. The best bet is to place them in the same lighting conditions as you would light a Crocea. The “safe” amount of lighting would be under a 100 watt metal halide if they existed, so I’m going to say 150 watt 14k metal halide under 20 inches or less as well


Exceptions to the Rule

Many people claim that Croceas and Maximas can survive under power compact lighting. These cases are far and few between, but there are certain individuals that are able to tolerate lower lightings, at which most of their counterparts would not be able to survive. Nevertheless, you should not take the risk and hope to get lucky, it is better to be prepared to give them what they will surely thrive in. It is always good to provide at least enough light of the given species to thrive in, and NOT the bare minimum you think you can get by with. Plus, it is the least we can do for our animal, as well as our responsibility as hobbyist.

I know. I am not even trying to convince him to change. Even if the clam do thrive no way it will fit in a 3 gallon pico. If he cannot afford better lights he can't afford the clam's dosing requirement.

Pathetic very true but it is his money.

I wanted to here some opinions and hear other people's experience with PC lighting. At this point you arent even talking about aquariums, your just bashing on me and I dont really appreciate it. Dont take offence, but you dont seem to have to much useful to say to me other then your first post so you shouldnt be giving me such a hard time. I apologize if I am not an expert like you are. I am trying to be as reasonable as I can, but you are being very hostile.

Everybody: I relize the common consensus is that a clam cannot be kept under PCs. I got that. If anyone has any different thoughts or wants to comment on how the clam looks I welcome it.

For the price of your two lighting units, you could have purchased one of evilc66's pico lamps and could have kept anything in the tank you wanted. Just an idea, if you would like to try to sell the units/return them and get proper lighting.

Here's the thread on those lights ($75 for a 14k, $85 for a 20k):

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=192645

i think this was pretty useful......don't you??




correction....maxima clams SHOULD NOT be kept under PC's....you just don't get it.......

Just an impartial observer here but I think this thread has run out it's usefulness to all parties involved. Looks like evan184 is stuck on his path, either by choice or circumstances, but isn't saying "torture a clam" a bit extreme, even for this crowd? Torture is the Khamir Rouge, Pinochet's (sp.?) Chile or Guantanimo for that matter; but a clam?
Here we go...........

any living thing that you have the responsibility to care for so it can live....that you neglect and watch die.....is a form of torture.....

First of all, I agree with 5881 and thank him for putting this in perspective. Rockfish, your being quite mellowdramatic and I think you should calm down about this and go to another thread. Your point is extremely clear: clams should not be put under PC's and you think I am stupid, lazy, pathetic that I should be charged with animal cruelity. Enough is Enough.



Thank you for something new and helpful. One thing I just want to mention is that I got the second light for free. Do you know if evilc66 is still selling these lights?

Thanks again for the help.

ill take your clams off your hands and put it in an environment which it will live and grow correctly. when he said lazy he wasnt talking about lighting, he was talking about you getting off your behind and giving it to someone who can care for it. when you buy a puppy, do you put it in a shoebox with no food and expect it to be "happy"?

poor clam. oh well man, good luck.

PM me what you paid and ill save it.

I'm not sure if he is. I have heard talk of another group buy at the end of this year. I don't know if you could get one of these before then or not. You'd need to post on his thread.

Please keep a close eye on the clam. If it begins to show signs of stress (reaching for the light, not responding) then do the right thing and give it away. We all make mistakes and buy things we shouldn't. Best of luck.

I will do exactly that, if things dont look good I'll give it away. Thanks for the advice.

Very cool, I think this shows that the community cares about the animals involved.. this is a hobby that we have to be smart with...

I know its easy to belive the LFS, trust me, I have been guilty in the past, however I had to make it right. LFS will say almost anything in this economy to get you to buy... Trust me.. Research something, go in and ask like a complete newb, and hear the complete opposit of what you visited... it's sad...

Evan, I think you should sell it man... wait till u get some killer lights on there and buy two of em!

I think in this situation there is no win without higher lights....I hope you don't take it as bashing or anything, but I just wanted to give you a realistic view with your LFS....Not all are bad, but if you have research saying "not going to work" and then they say "SURE!" u know..

I also think Evils BG is closed for his awesome lights.

If you keep it good luck and keep us updated.

thank you....that's all I was trying to say......but why are you so hell bent on keeping something you're going to kill?

and mellowdramatic would be to say that clams have feelings and it's painful when they die........

that's probably not the case here.....but it's still cruel nonetheless....your newbie is showing,,,,,

After hearing from the more reasonable people on this thread I was reminded that most of you out there are looking to help and not just looking for someone to bully. Because of this I was wondering if anyone could give me some suggestions for a reasonable priced light fixture that would be suitable for the clam in my 3 gallon. Reasonably priced is the key phrase.

Thanks

What does "reasonably priced" mean to you? There aren't many 12" fixtures that would be powerful enough. My recommendation would be a DIY project with a Metal Halide retro, or LEDs. Neither are super cheap.

I'm def not trying to bully anyone dude.....and if you're serious about keeping a clam find a small 70w MH light that will suit your needs

we're all friends here with one common passion.....i just don't want to see anyone make a stupid mistake (especially when there are ppl here trying to help) i'm very passionate about my hobby and i'm glad you're going to do the right thing for your clam

try ebay and craigslist if you don't have any luck here.....that's where i got my fixture and ballast

good luck and again.....i was never trying to be a bully.....just wanted to make you understand the right way to go about what you're trying to accomplish.....i'm just not as nice about it sometimes like other ppl here......my apologies

Go with a JBJ 70w Viper. If that's not enough light there's a 150w as well.

If you go with a MH on a 3g tank, you're going to need to do fan cooling, which then means you're going to need an ATO for evaporation. It all adds up quickly, which is why I would instead go with LEDs, which end up being cheaper in the long run anyways.

honestly man, in a pico i would consider just selling the bivalve. when you upgrade the lights, it typically means more evaporation on top of the cost of the light, more evap means more salinity swings daily in a pico, and a pico is hard to keep even as it is, to counter act this you would need to buy an Auto Top-Off to automatically re-dispense evaporated water. so youve turned a simple "softie" style reef tank into a fully modified mixed sps/clam reef and that is alot of expensive equipment for a 30-50 dollar clam. let us know how it goes

To put it simply it will die from the light.
It's not that it's not enough and it won't be as happy,
the clam is currently doomed with the lighting.

If you get MH,
use some cheap computer fans and a cheap diy auto topoff.

I'm 17(I started reefing like 1 year ago),
I pay for everything on my dime and reefing isn't cheap.
I've spent $400 on my 20 gallon,
some of the livestock was given to me so it would have been $600.
You need to spend the money on the proper light,
don't do it halfway since it will cost you more or just sell the clam until you can afford a setup that would keep it happy.

Heres a picture of a cover I made for the tank, would this make a difference with MH in terms of evaporation? Its not the best picture, but it shows that the only part that is open is a small section so the filter fits in. You also mentioned DIY LED fixtures, any idea how much it would set me back?

Click to view attachment

+1 to what your budget would be.. A lot of people here will search sales and sites to find a light for you (or have an extra lying around that they may sell).. Are we looking $50 or $150? KnowwhatImean?

I am not in a position where I can spend more the $100 dollars and even thats more then Id like to spend, but if thats what it takes. And if anyone found something that would be very very helpful (to me and the clam).
Thanks

This would work,
some DIY and it would hang over your tank.
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageA...amp;ProdID=1349
$110 with the bulbs,
plus shipping but they have 10% off memorials day sale .

Just need to make a wood box,
drill a hole or holes in the top for heat(or add a fan,
then you could put the two holes one one each end ) and hang it or set it ontop of the tank.
Wiring should be easy and the light will be perfect with much less heat then MH.
Plus you can upgrade and have the light for it.

Don't worry about the wasted light,
your using as much electricity as one incandescent 60 watt bulb.

those t5s look good, i have a mh on a 22l and its been a bit of a head ache. it bleached my monti cap because the light intensity is so strong compared to pcs. It causes me about a half a pint of water a day, i top up 3 times a day as I'm currently home all day, as soon as i get back to work i'll have to get an auto top off, you cant top off once a day as it causes a big swing. I use t5s on my 53g fresh water tank and the lighting is sick. You can get lots of different coloured bulbs to get a great spectrum. Go for the t5s dude. When i upgrade, i'll be pinching the t5s from the freshies and giving them retrofit t8s.

What about the 18 inch 40 watt T5. Is 40 watts enough? I have only ever used PCs so I am unclear about the basics of T5s

Visit

u shouldnt try with a maxima they require higher light. unless you get a really nice LED light setup for the tank... then you could easily keep the maxima. or a 70w mh over the 3g would work too...

i have a maxima in a 5.5g with a 70w mh 10000k over it and its been doing great for a long time now