clams

new to reef tanks and i was just wondering is there any benfits to clams and how hard are they to take care and which ones would you recommend to a beginner

 

I would suggest a maxima clam, they are pretty easy to take care of, also I would suggest getting one that is atleast 3'' as the smaller ones don't always live. I got a 2'' maxima and it is just now growing some new shell after 5 months of having it. they also suck some calcium out of your tank.

oh and a benefit of having a clam is that it makes your tank much cooler =]

 

Maximas are actually the second most light demanding and least hardy of clams. The best one to start with is a deresa. They are found the deepest of all common photosynthetic clams and therefore require the least light. There are definitely some benefits to clams. They of course look awesome, but they can also feed on nitrates in the water by directly sucking it into their mantel.

 

I agree that the easiest one is the deresa clam but I think the maximas are much better looking but that is just me and I think the difficulty is not that much different just make sure you have enough light and you can also put the clam higher in the tank if you don't think it is getting enough light.

 

thanks ill look into those clams

 

your welcome.

 

Agreed, However it really depends on the Deressa you choose. Crocea would be the second most hardy- that is, above 4 to 5 inches in size. Lighting- even with a Deressa clam is very important. Min. of quad T-5's to correctly have one as a pet- more if your tank is deep. (over 24 inches)

ANY clam under 2-3 inches will need feed- everyday- choose wisely. It will also require a non-invasive enviroment- that is to say- consider the critters that you already have - are they clam friendly?

This is very important.

 

if they are that small they don't need fed everyday but I would suggest buying some phyto to put in your tank once a week like I do.

 

They are actually the clam that lives at the least depth and the second least hardy. The best comprimise truly is a squamosa. They Don't need nearly as much light and are much tougher than both crocea and maxima, but they look much better than deresa.

"Needing" to feed small clams is actually a myth (unless dealing with hippopus clams).

http://www.3reef.com/forums/clams/aquarium-myths-baby-clams-110472.html

 

Oops worded the last post wrong and had to edit. Please re-read for corrections.