Bare Bottom CUC

[Uhuru]

I have a 5 gal. tank w/2.5 gal HOB fuge. No sand. Currently have a maximus clam, some zoas, lots of rock! Plan on adding monti, finger leather frag, and kenya tree frag. Not sure what to get, but so far I'm thinking:

 

1 - porcelain or pom pom crab

4 - trochus snails (for fuge and display)

4 - cerith snails (for fuge and display)

2 - blue or red legged hermits (for fuge and display)

 

what else? can I also get a couple of shrimp in this size tank?

[eschaton]

Cerith and hermits are a very, very bad combination. Those are the exact shape of shells hermits want the most.

[Uhuru]

ok, thanks. what type of snail would you recommend then?

[jafoca]

maxima clam in a 5 gal?

 

[Uhuru]

it might be a crocea. the person I got it from said it was a crocea but the markings look like pics I see of maximas. it's only 2" right now.

[jafoca]

it might be a crocea. the person I got it from said it was a crocea but the markings look like pics I see of maximas. it's only 2" right now.

 

 

Ok, I am sorry to do this but it has to be done:

 

Firstly, if you do not have a halide fixture over your tank then you do not have enough light. If you do have a halide you probably have heat problems, so you are in a tough situation.

 

Secondly, clams do not need great water quality but they need stable water quality. In a 5 gallon tank that will be very tough to achieve.

 

Thirdly, if your clam is only 2 inches long it probably needs to be fed. Do you feed it?

 

The clam may look fine for now, but from what we know about your tank it is probably not fine. It can take months for a clam with not enough light to starve to death.

 

And its maxima - whether it is a maxima or a crocea does not matter, their requirements are close to the same.

[Uhuru]

What's there to be sorry about? I appreciate your info.

 

1) Right now I have T5 lighting, with the clam about 7.5 inches from the light. I have a 70w MH coming this week. It's an open top tank, I also have 2 cooling fans, and am getting a stand which can adjust the light as high up or as low down as I want. Do a search for Jillebean's tank (same exact as mine) with a retro MH fixture less than 6 inches above the tank. No heat problems. It's also in an a/c room by the way. Do you think lighting will still be an issue?

 

2) I know the challenge is in the stable water parameters. I think it's a challenge but not impossible. Right now I have an ACjr. that controls temp, wave simulation, lights, etc.. which I will be hooking up to a float switch and ATO pump. If required I can also hook it up to a doser since it also has a pH monitor. I have Kent Tech CB (A & B] and monitor calcium levels with a Salifert test kit.

 

3) I have not fed the clam yet. I went to the local LFS today and they had junk. I plan to drive into the city this week though.

 

4) The clam came from an established 125g tank. I used the same water and rocks from that tank. Worse case scenario I can ask my friend hold him until my MH comes in. Do you think 1 week is going to be a problem, even if I start feeding him tomorrow?

 

I should have bought batteries for my camera so I could take pics for you. The shell looks like my friend's crocea clams so I'm inclined to think I was mistaken in my identification.

 

 

Thanks!

 

EDIT: I guess I should've labeled my thread "is it okay for me to keep a maxima or crocea clam" since this seems to be a bigger issue than my original question, LOL!

[Uhuru]

jafoca,

 

I'm thinking my clam will be okay for 1 week or probably even longer if I wanted on T5's. Check out reefman 23's clams:

 

 

and related discussion here:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=115553

[sophie]

What's there to be sorry about? I appreciate your info.

 

1) Right now I have T5 lighting, with the clam about 7.5 inches from the light. I have a 70w MH coming this week. It's an open top tank, I also have 2 cooling fans, and am getting a stand which can adjust the light as high up or as low down as I want. Do a search for Jillebean's tank (same exact as mine) with a retro MH fixture less than 6 inches above the tank. No heat problems. It's also in an a/c room by the way. Do you think lighting will still be an issue?

 

2) I know the challenge is in the stable water parameters. I think it's a challenge but not impossible. Right now I have an ACjr. that controls temp, wave simulation, lights, etc.. which I will be hooking up to a float switch and ATO pump. If required I can also hook it up to a doser since it also has a pH monitor. I have Kent Tech CB (A & B] and monitor calcium levels with a Salifert test kit.

 

3) I have not fed the clam yet. I went to the local LFS today and they had junk. I plan to drive into the city this week though.

 

4) The clam came from an established 125g tank. I used the same water and rocks from that tank. Worse case scenario I can ask my friend hold him until my MH comes in. Do you think 1 week is going to be a problem, even if I start feeding him tomorrow?

 

I should have bought batteries for my camera so I could take pics for you. The shell looks like my friend's crocea clams so I'm inclined to think I was mistaken in my identification.

Thanks!

 

EDIT: I guess I should've labeled my thread "is it okay for me to keep a maxima or crocea clam" since this seems to be a bigger issue than my original question, LOL!

 

 

This is an interesting conversation. I am in the process of really planing my tank and I am fascinated by clams. Do you mind answering a few questions for me?

 

If you don't mind, to start with, what is an ACjr, float switch, and an ATO? I have a 30 gallon 1/2 circle tank. Right now I have a back pack filter on it with a protein skimmer, a grounder and of course a thermometer and a heater. My lighting system came witht the tank. It has a normal florescent lighting, the actinic blue and the moon lights for night time. I got a timer for the tank but the timer only works on the daytime lights. How do I get something that will switch to the moon lights at night automatically? The lighting system all works from the same electrical cord.

 

Can you mix anemones and clams together?

 

Any help you can give me would be appreciated.

[Uhuru]

I can't answer all your questions, but the ACJr is a badass piece of equipment that just helps keep everything consistent (or random) and on schedule. You can control lighting schedule but you must have separate power cords for each light since it basically works by switching power on/off to your devices. Mine keeps the temp within 1 degrees variation, oscillates the powerhead to simulate natural turbulence, keeps the lighting on schedule, monitors pH, and tops of water as needed.

 

You can do more research for yourself on lighting requirements of clams on here and on reefcentral. For sure MH works, if you know what you're doing you can get certain fluorescent setups to work too, but from what I read you need T5 HO lighting, not normal fluorescent, also it's even more important to place the clam up top.

 

My friend gave me some live phytoplankton and zooplankton which I am starting to culture myself so I always have live food on hand. Something you may want to consider as well as it's really easy to do and cost effective in the long run.