clams in pc lighting?

[sir_dudeguy]

are there any clams that can do good under 384 watts of pc lighting?

[ntswift]

I have a crocea clam under my PC's. Its doing great! I have 130 Watt jbj's and a 29gal though. I dont know if you are refering to the watts per gallon or if you're just wondering if they will work under PC's? HTH

[ellisz]

Most will say no. I am not an expert on clams but MH is what I have read is needed for most if not all clams.

[FishFrik]

Squamos (sp?) clams don't require much light. They can "thrive" under PC's

[sir_dudeguy]

ya most of what i've seen is MH's but i was just wondering if one would do good under my light...i got almost 7 watts per gallon of water (actually a little more than 7 since rocks/sand take up at least 5 gallons) but MH's at a lower watt still has more punch thru the water than what i've got. and what does "sp" mean? i see that everywhere, but i have no clue what it means.

[2revup]

I would say give it a go, you have more then adquite lighting it seems. Just because you see people always using MH with claims it dosnt mean you have to. I have see claims under PC/VHO doing just fine.
sp meaninf spelling? not to sure of it.

[sir_dudeguy]

ok thanks. I was thinkin it meant spelling but i wasnt sure lol. And are there any clams that stay smaller or do they all grow to get really huge? And the lfs here just got a shipment of a bunch of them...they've got one that i want thats got the blue...whatever those flap things are that come out of it...it was only about 5 inches long and i think it was like, 60 bucks...you wouldnt happen to know what kind that is offhand would you? and how strong of lighting they need? i'm thinkin that once my tank is older and more stable (not that it isnt stable now) i'll give one a try. I hear they're sposed to be really good filters as well? but you'd prolly need a whole bunch to actually filter a tank lol.

[FishFrik]

If u decide to try one, get a small one. The smaller the clam, the less light it needs

[Scottm]

yes but also requires more filter feeding and some people cannot provide enough for the clam without fouling their water.

[sir_dudeguy]

ok thanks! i'll def. try to get a smallish one. And for the filter feeding....i've got these little worms all over my glass and rock...they're little white worms (very tiny) and they are curled up so they sorta make a spiral..i forget what they're called, but i know they're harmless. Somehwere i heard that they're filter feeders, and they're a good indicator of how much...for lack of better word(s)...filter feeder stuff is floating around...is this true? like if there is lots of them, would that mean theres lots of stuff to feed on? I really dont dose any filter feeder foods (i only got a few polyps and a shroom) so im not sure if thats true or not.
thanks

[Scottm]

I really have to warn you about it, these animals require ALOT of filter food when they are small. You will have to feed alot and may not be able to maintain your system with the amount you will need to feed them. It is best to get better lights and a bigger clam. rather then kill one of these beautiful animals.

[sir_dudeguy]

ya i agree. I'm not even for sure i'm gonna get one...just thinkin/researchin about em'. Are any of the bigger ones ok under the pcs?

[lando]

ok thanks! i'll def. try to get a smallish one.

Actually, I recommend getting one that is 3-4 inches instead so you can avoid having to target feed it. A crocea may be okay under your lighting because they are rock dwelling species. Place it higher up on the rockwork on a flat area that will allow it to expand fully. Other species like the deresa or squimosa are considered "lower-light" clams, but this comes with a catch...They prefer to be placed on the substrate and as such, require more intense lighting from the top of the tank so it will penetrate all the way to the bottom.

[sir_dudeguy]

oh sorry! by small, thats the size i meant...the big ones i see are like, a foot long abouts...they're huge. and then they have the ones that are 3-6 inches, which i was refering to as small...compared to their others.

[ntswift]

Thats about the size of crocea that I have in my tank. (5") Its doing really well. I have heard that they are supposed to have MH's but I've heard that they will do just fine under PC's. Maybe not as well as it could under MH's but its still doing really good IMO. I've heard that you can't have a maxima without MH's from multiple people but I like the croceas a lot better anyway! Like Lando said though keep your clam up towards the top if you get a crocea. You shouldnt have any problems then. Good Luck!

[Jermz79]

ntswift ... any possibility of getting a shot of that clam, I have been considering one for my 29 with 130watt PC setup but I don't like the idea of anything not living to it's full potential in my tank. Not saying your's isn't but I've just read that really the only clams that can handle the PC setup is the Derosa (sp?)

[ntswift]

sure here you go. I can't really get a new shot of it because I have way too much coraline on my glass. :oops: However I am moving over to a 50 gal where the clam with be up toward the top to help it achieve its potential! :)

[Jermz79]

OK cool .... looks pretty good. I might go check one out this weekend! Thanks

[ntswift]

No problem! Just make sure to stay away from the maximas because they do require more lighting.

[abnmojo]

Originally Posted by lando

Actually, I recommend getting one that is 3-4 inches instead so you can avoid having to target feed it. A crocea may be okay under your lighting because they are rock dwelling species. Place it higher up on the rockwork on a flat area that will allow it to expand fully. Other species like the deresa or squimosa are considered "lower-light" clams, but this comes with a catch...They prefer to be placed on the substrate and as such, require more intense lighting from the top of the tank so it will penetrate all the way to the bottom.

Ditto 100% what Lando said. I kept my crocea in the top 4 inches of the tank under PC and he did fine, for 2 years, until my cleaner shrimp ate it. They prefer to put their foot down on rock, so this is perfect for a PC tank. Crocea don't get too big either, I think they max out 6-8 inches, but I could be wrong. I know the bottom dwelling ones can get 12" or more, and are generally much larger clams. Don't underestamate the tastieness of these things to cleaner shrimp. Everything loves to eat a clam, even things you would normally think of as "reef safe". Choose tank mates carefully.