Clam keeps spinning

Wow . . . I heard squamosa's were the least light dependent clam available. Is your advice based on personal experience / loss with similar lighting? The clam has only been in my tank for a couple weeks, and when I first got it it was trying to get away from my lights (5-6 times actually).

~Will.

 

the "spinning" is probably due to the clam finding the right flow for it to collect nutrients. my crocea does the same. would do the same until it found its sweet spot.

 

Just because it is one of the least light demanding doesn't mean it doesn't need light at all. I personally don't think your clam will survive for very long will

 

I do have a squamosa as well as a crocea. My tank is a 90g which is 24" high. I used to have 4x54W T5 as well as 4x65W PC, and my squamosa was about 20" or so from the light on the sandbed. And it wasn't doing all that great until I replaced the PC fixture for a second T5 fixture.

As noted above, other clams require extreme light (especially croceas and maximas). But even squamosas require fairly strong lighting, the kind that VHO and PC lamps do not generate. Especially at a distance from the source. I would say that if you could somehow prop it up around 10" or so from the source it might have a chance. But honestly what you really need with a tank of that depth is MH lighting.

Sorry - I wish I had better news.

 

Divott, I hope thats the case . . . it hasn't hopped down yet, or really moved much at all so far today.

Daniel, I was planning on getting a chiller after the wedding to help out with my heat problem, maybe i'll just go for a used T5 retro setup instead (upgrade the lights and fix the heat problem). do you think 6 80w T5's with individual reflectors would support that clam along with LPS, leathers and zoas?

~Will.

 

today i saw some maxis with 250w in a 24in tank with the light 15in high

 

ummmmm, congrats?

~Will.

 

I dont think you understand the power from t5s. 8 t5hos with SLRS is ALOT of light and you could keep anything in a 120 with 8 t5s

 

Well, i'm looking at 6 (not 8 ) 80watt T5's over a 125 (not a 120) with parabolic reflectors. It just doesn't sound like a lot on paper but I do realize that the usable par from T5's is far and away superior to VHO's and especially PC's.

~Will.

 

yea even with 6 you will be fine, t5hos are awsome and i use them on my frag tanks but gotta stick with my MH for display as i LOVE the shimmer efffect and just the overall look. But i have 4 t5hos over my 20 gallon and i have everything at the bottum bc they are soooo strong