thinking about a clam

[doctaq]

i run leds on my 15 gal and dose alk every day and calcium about once a week , i keep it on the high end like 10dkh and 450 ppm CA

 

so im not too worried about the tank unless i should?

i do have a ton of algae but no measurable nitrates

 

i figure i want a crocea since they stay smaller

i dont quite understand how to get a clam to attach to a rock

i understand that they should not be kept in the sand but when you put them on a rock wont they just fall? how do you keep it there until they attach? i know for sure that you shouldnt glue them or stick them in a crevice but how will it stay up?

 

should i get my alk up higher and try to compensate once i get it or just keep it at 10 and see how much it drops?

 

at my lfs they keep clams about a foot from the top under metal halides, it seems like pretty comparable light to me so not much need for light acclimation?

[glennr1978]

i run leds on my 15 gal and dose alk every day and calcium about once a week , i keep it on the high end like 10dkh and 450 ppm CA

 

so im not too worried about the tank unless i should?

i do have a ton of algae but no measurable nitrates

 

i figure i want a crocea since they stay smaller

i dont quite understand how to get a clam to attach to a rock

i understand that they should not be kept in the sand but when you put them on a rock wont they just fall? how do you keep it there until they attach? i know for sure that you shouldnt glue them or stick them in a crevice but how will it stay up?

 

should i get my alk up higher and try to compensate once i get it or just keep it at 10 and see how much it drops?

 

at my lfs they keep clams about a foot from the top under metal halides, it seems like pretty comparable light to me so not much need for light acclimation?

 

 

IME, clams tend to suck up more alk than ca. so you're probably good in that department since you dose alk everyday. i wouldn't up your alk anymore though, 10 dkh is fine.

[FiReBrEaThInGCuTtLeFiSh!XD]

i run leds on my 15 gal and dose alk every day and calcium about once a week , i keep it on the high end like 10dkh and 450 ppm CA

 

so im not too worried about the tank unless i should?

i do have a ton of algae but no measurable nitrates

 

sounds like you have an underlying nutrient problem. you could very well have nitrates that your algae is covering up. Do you run any carbon or phosphate removers?

 

i figure i want a crocea since they stay smaller

i dont quite understand how to get a clam to attach to a rock

i understand that they should not be kept in the sand but when you put them on a rock wont they just fall? how do you keep it there until they attach? i know for sure that you shouldnt glue them or stick them in a crevice but how will it stay up?

 

to get a clams byssal gland to attatch to rock, you just put them down on your substrate with a rock underneath them, and eventually (not sure on average how long it takes though I imagine it varies from species and individual) it will attach to the rock. Corceas by nature are rock dwelling clams. To prevent it from falling over (usu. do to trying to "walk" to an area it likes better, place rocks around its shell but be careful it won't prevent the clam from fully opening. Corceas while stunning, are one of the harder species to keep. It should also be noted that they have finer gills and you should avoid getting any sand in them which may cause health issues. Also look for the clam under LED thread. You also may want to consider getting a maxima first, since they are considered easier to care for and only get slightly larger in home aquariums, and if all goes well adding a corcea down the road.

 

at my lfs they keep clams about a foot from the top under metal halides, it seems like pretty comparable light to me so not much need for light acclimation?

 

I'm not sure of the necessity to so such if the lighting is very comparable to the par ratings, however going the extra mile and doing so anyways isn't going to hurt the clam, and may very well be the better option anyways. IMO its better to play it safe with any organism we choose to dwell in our aquaria, and be overtly cautious.

 

 

Granted I am no expert on clams as just recently getting my first maxima, but I have spent a lot of time researching about their husbandry for quite some time. I'm sure other more experienced members will chime in and give you more specific info, however I hope my two cents has helped.

 

FBC

[doctaq]

thanks fellas

 

this is a skimmerless tank which is probably why i have this nitrate / phosphate problem

ive heard mixed things about nitrates and phosphates and clams, will they be okay in this kind of enviroment?

if the clam does need nitrates and phosphates will it out compete the algae?

 

i run chemipure elite which has some gfo supposedley and when i was rinsing it out i did notice some little bright specks in the bag.

 

i will continue to do more research because i do realize that croceas are harder to care for but they are the one i want

[FiReBrEaThInGCuTtLeFiSh!XD]

thanks fellas

 

no problem NR is for helping fellow reefers

 

this is a skimmerless tank which is probably why i have this nitrate / phosphate problem

ive heard mixed things about nitrates and phosphates and clams, will they be okay in this kind of enviroment?

 

lets not even touch on the whole skimmer debate, but I as well am not running a skimmer and have no major ill effects on my clam.

while it is true clams (and their zooaxnthellae) due need some nitrates and phosphates, to much is def. not a good thing to anything in our tanks except algae

 

if the clam does need nitrates and phosphates will it out compete the algae?

 

Unfortunately clams do not use up that much N or P, so one or two clams will not sufficiently out compete algae. I do remember a theoretical thread recently of having a sump filled with nothing but macro and lots of clams, which in that case would help as well as be major kick @$$!

 

i run chemipure elite which has some gfo supposedley and when i was rinsing it out i did notice some little bright specks in the bag.

 

i will continue to do more research because i do realize that croceas are harder to care for but they are the one i want

 

I as well run pura broad spectrum for carbon, ammonia removal, phosphates. Keep in mind these don't completely take out all traces and so there would still be some for your clam. As long as your tank isn't overun with algae and you have proper par readings from your LEDs, as well as having a sufficiently stable/matures tank (6-12 moths recommended which is also debated) I imagine you'd be fine ewith a clam.

 

i will continue to do more research

 

Good for you, It always make me glad to see people truly care about the animals they want in your tanks. You can never hurt your tank inhabitants be doing extra research

 

If you are only going for one clam and you want that to be a corcea, than you are on the right track with your attitude about it. If you want multiple clams (which every clam owner seems to ) than I would still recommend getting a maxima first for hands on experience, as well as to see how exactly a clam will interact with your tank parameters.

 

P.S.: Here is an additional site for researching digestion in clams if you'd like to read it. Not really going to help you with getting a corcea in you tank, but still a fun read. It is a scientific paper and can be a bit of a difficult read at times. Clam Digestion

 

FBC

[doctaq]

interesting article/book except

it looks very sciencey or whatever

 

ill read it when i get home, kinda off topic question but how come i never hear of green water in marine tanks? i have no pods in my tank thanks to my scooter should i worry about dosing phyto?

[FiReBrEaThInGCuTtLeFiSh!XD]

kinda off topic question but how come i never hear of green water in marine tanks? i have no pods in my tank thanks to my scooter should i worry about dosing phyto?

 

not sure on the green water question. Phytoplankton and zoo-plankton(pods) are different organisms. Whether or not to feed phyto to clams is yet another of those debated subjects in the marine aquarium realm. I feed phyto to my tank every other day if not every day, mainly for my corals and sponge. If you do decide to start feeding phyto, you'll see an algal bloom. Progressively you'll see different algae start to grow as time goes by w/ feeding phyto. This is normal, so don't stop. A lot of people will stop because they think they are overfeeding, so the algae goes away and the blooms start all over again. Eventually once your tank has adjusted and reestablished to the phyto coming into the tank, the algae will subside into what one currently has. This can take a couple weeks to months. As for the pods, you could try to start hatching babybrine shrimp for your scooter to eat to try to help your pod population grow back.

 

FBC

[doctaq]

i meant i have no pods to eat the phyto.

but i already have a ton of algae so it sounds like i shouldnt dose, i do however feed tiny little foods like in the hundred micron range and could get even smaller foods like rotifers or tiny other tiny foods in the 5-50 micron range