clams for pc lighting

i have a 125 gallon with 520 watts of pc lights what king of clams or clam could i keep
thanks

 

I don't believe your lights will adequately support a Clam. PC lighting just doesn't have the penetration needed
Sorry.

BTW welcome to 3Reef.

J

 

+2

welcome to 3Reef!

 

welcome to 3reef

 

I disagree with the above. I have a friend with a clam under 144w PC lighting. However, he does have the clam placed high up on the reef and it is doing very well.

 

Hey cloob, I would have to agree with the rest of the guys. clams do need strong lighting. most ppl have the clams on the bottom floor b/c they can and will grow up to six feet long and get very heavy, making them very top heavy for the rock that they are attached to. so most ppl get/have mh so the light can penetrate all the way to the bottom.

 

Welcome to 3reef!
As for the Tridacna clam issue, you may want to try a Squamosa, Deresa, or Hippopus. They don't require as much light as a Maxima or Crocea!
You could try placing the clam higher up in your tank to afford the clam that much more beneficial light, before it gets refracted out of your tank. Though The above mentioned easier clams are better placed on the bottom of your tank in the substrate, you can still play around with that scenario.
Best of luck and enjoy it here at 3reef!
Oh a couple things to be aware of, if you are not already, clams are filter feeders as much as they require light for the zooxanthellae to carry out photosynthesis, ultimately feeding the clam ammonium and such. Nitrates and other such elements will be consumed by your clam and other filter feeders as well. Having said this, I would try to keep the Dissolved organics and particulates as low as you can, as substances such as Gelbstoff, turbidity and detritus circulating around within the pelagic areas of your tank will deter from the amount of light given off to reach your livestock below!

 

only the gigas will get the 4'+ range the rest stay around 18" or so except the croceas which stay on the smaller side around 6" or so

 

I don't mean to hijack but...I have 2 croceas in a nano w/mh that i want to transfer to my 75G that is 20" deep w/ 4x130 PC. That is 520 watts or 6.93 watts per gallon. Placed in the middle to top, shouldn't that be enough? I have place both my clams on flat pieces of rock that they are attached to so I can move them if needed.

 

You can try it kimmy! You should be ok with that lighting scheme. If you see decreased color and behavior, you can always move them back or increase the lighting or position of the clams, just be careful with moving them not to damage their foot/byssal area and stress them out with lighting changes.