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Can I get a clam?


My tiny reef

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My tiny reef

My tank will be a year next week and I have always wanted a clam. I have a biocube 14 and replaced bulbs in May of this year, they are 24watt 10k daylight and actinic power compact bulbs. I have read the FAQ on clams in this discussion board and looks like a squamosa or derasa may be options under PC but their size concerns me a little. I do hope for an upgrade down the line but not sure how soon it will actually happen. I plan to have the clam mount to a disc then glue the disc to the top rock so I can remove it if it starts to outgrow the tank and trade it. Also, it said not to go in a tank with bristle worms and I have some...they seem to stay in the sand bed and lower base rocks that I have seen and I plan on the clam being up high, is this really a deal breaker?? I have been dosing the two part ALK AND CAL for a while now and calcium is still only around 380 so I will work on getting that up more before hand and plan on dosing more after the clam goes in. I have a few NPS gorgs so am feeding the tank often and think the clam would make a good addition to filter the extra nutrients out of the water and they are OH SO PRETTY! Thanks!

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My tiny reef

At the risk of sounding aggressive, asking if you can get a clam, or in fact anything means, no, not yet, do a little more research on what they require first.

Thanks for your reply. I've actually done quite a bit of reading about their needs and my questions are more for information on people's experiences. Sorry my post was more conversational and not specific. I know they need high light (I have PC but plan for higher placement and getting one with lower light requirements), I know not to pull them from where they are attached or limit their ability to open, signs of distress and parasites to look for, that they need calcium maintained and nutrient rich yet stable water quality, moderate to low flow & have read about predators. My main question after looking on here is about the bristle worms I have and if that is a total deal breaker. I no longer have any crabs in my tank and only one sexy shrimp.

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Murphs_Reef

Cool ok.

So from my experience (and yes I guess it's limited) but bristle worms get bad press a lot of the time as they are often seen " at the crime scene" when all they are doing is cleaning up the mess made by something else, disease, aggressive fish or bad water quality...

 

If healthy your good, When things are dead, the cleaners come in..

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HarryPotter

Cool ok.

So from my experience (and yes I guess it's limited) but bristle worms get bad press a lot of the time as they are often seen " at the crime scene" when all they are doing is cleaning up the mess made by something else, disease, aggressive fish or bad water quality...

 

If healthy your good, When things are dead, the cleaners come in..

Yep! I have some bristles, hermits, and snails that do not bother my clams.

 

However when my Squamosa was sick/injured, the cleaner shrimp was constantly harassing it until I separated the shrimp into a breeder box. Now that the Clam is healthier the shrimp doesn't bother it.

 

Just interesting; how our CUC members can tell when something is going to transform from a "critter" to "detritus"

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I would agree with the above, I got rid of my cleaner shrimp, solely because they harassed every thing in my tank, and if something was sick, they pretty much finished it off. I'm not sure if any other invert is that aggressive.

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Murphs_Reef

I would agree with the above, I got rid of my cleaner shrimp, solely because they harassed every thing in my tank, and if something was sick, they pretty much finished it off. I'm not sure if any other invert is that aggressive.

 

To be fair though it was prob trying to do what it was built to do?

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Oh yeah, I mean that is their role on the reef, but I wasn't a fan of them doing it in my tank to things that would otherwise be saved.

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My tiny reef

Ok, thanks for all the feedback. I'll look into experience with clams under PC (it would be about 4-6" front the top of the water) but if that's a no go then I'll wait for a lighting upgrade.

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HarryPotter

Ok, thanks for all the feedback. I'll look into experience with clams under PC (it would be about 4-6" front the top of the water) but if that's a no go then I'll wait for a lighting upgrade.

Do you have any SPS corals? Mine like the PAR of my caps

 

0B1DEC8D-806F-4DAC-B263-56661BD44442_zps

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Murphs_Reef

Ok, thanks for all the feedback. I'll look into experience with clams under PC (it would be about 4-6" front the top of the water) but if that's a no go then I'll wait for a lighting upgrade.

Good call mate!

Look forward to seeing how it works out... And defo a great clam.. Enjoy

Do you have any SPS corals? Mine like the PAR of my caps0B1DEC8D-806F-4DAC-B263-56661BD44442_zps

That my friend is an excellent shot!

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HarryPotter

Good call mate!

Look forward to seeing how it works out... And defo a great clam.. Enjoy

 

That my friend is an excellent shot!

Thanks! I try really hard with my iPhone but can't really get the close-ups that the reefers with DSLRs can!

 

IMG_0760_zpsmlgbrd6f.jpg

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Murphs_Reef

Thanks! I try really hard with my iPhone but can't really get the close-ups that the reefers with DSLRs can! IMG_0760_zpsmlgbrd6f.jpg

To be fair dude.. Who cares.. That's as good as it gets to me... Really tight, very nice clam indeed pal! Good work!

 

Love the snail perched aside!

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My tiny reef

I do and have had some good growth on my caps and birds nest

over the last 2 months.

 

Monti%20caps%202%207.17.15.jpg

 

Birdsnest%207.17.15.jpg

 

Just for debating's sake, the clam would theoretically go in the big blank space on the top rock in the middle right under the light..

FTS%207.17.15.jpg

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HarryPotter

I do and have had some good growth on my caps and birds nest

over the last 2 months.

 

Monti%20caps%202%207.17.15.jpg

 

Birdsnest%207.17.15.jpg

 

Just for debating's sake, the clam would theoretically go in the big blank space on the top rock in the middle right under the light..

FTS%207.17.15.jpg

And it would be one of the less light demanding clams?

If so maybe.

 

BTW your tank is amazing! I've been trying to get that color Montipora for a LONG time but mine slowly bleach :(

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My tiny reef

And it would be one of the less light demanding clams?

If so maybe.

BTW your tank is amazing! I've been trying to get that color Montipora for a LONG time but mine slowly bleach :(

Yes, would be a derasa or squamosa for sure.

 

Thanks for the tank compliments. I've experimented with the SPS (easier to keep variety) and they have done well. I have really enjoyed them and love how the Montis Are capping out. I don't want to be irresponsible with my lighting but I've seen them support things I wasn't sure they could. I'd love a clam but don't want to kill one.

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I vote against getting a derasa if you're planning on putting him on the rocks because my derasa clam lost his foot after he grew past 4 inches, unless you're planning on wedging him in.

 

I recommend keeping the derasa on the sand because my derasa likes to move a lot too. A few months ago, I moved my derasa more to the right, in my 28g nano, to give it more room, but he ended up moving himself over to where he was before.

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I think PC lights would be ok for a low light clam. I have a crocea clam under t5. Like you I put him in a cupped rock and place him high in the tank. Some clam species prefer sand over rock so you should know that ahead of time. Perhaps you could place sand in the rock? Smaller clams 3" or less rely more on nutrients from the water column. That however makes them a higher risk for survivability. Once a clam gets past the 3" threshold it begins to rely more on its mantle for photosynthesis and gets more of its energy that way.

All the greater clams except crocea can grow pretty fast and get pretty big, which is why I chose a crocea for my 36g reef. They grow slower and don't get much over 6" total.

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Derasa when young are one of the THE MOST demanding clams in term of lighting. Sure a 5-6" derasa won't need much light but a 2" one is a whole different ballgame.

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My tiny reef

Derasa when young are one of the THE MOST demanding clams in term of lighting. Sure a 5-6" derasa won't need much light but a 2" one is a whole different ballgame.

Thanks! I think I've decided to wait to upgrade lights first unless I stumble on a really good deal on a squamosa before then.

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HarryPotter

Thanks! I think I've decided to wait to upgrade lights first unless I stumble on a really good deal on a squamosa before then.

 

I recommend PerfectCorals- thats where I get all of mine from. Plus with code "HarryDiscount" you get $10 off ;)

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My tiny reef

I recommend PerfectCorals- thats where I get all of mine from. Plus with code "HarryDiscount" you get $10 off ;)

thanks! I'll make a note of that and checking them out now!

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