Cleaner Clams

Discussion in 'Clams' started by LCP136, Oct 9, 2008.

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  1. LCP136

    LCP136 Sailfin Tang

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    I just read about how clams can be used to help filter water or nitrates. I don't mean giant ornamental clams, I mean clams you can find at the fish market. Does anyone know about this?
     
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  3. Godbert

    Godbert Montipora Capricornis

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    pm wildreef i believe he has some bay clams in his fuge
     
  4. GuitarMan89

    GuitarMan89 Giant Squid

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    there was a thread about this. It depends on where the clams are from. A clam from NJ or such lives in colder waters and thus will not do well in a tropical environment. But if you get a clam from florida or the like, then I could see it working.
     
  5. LCP136

    LCP136 Sailfin Tang

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    Now that I think about it, the problem I see is them having enough food. I would think they would need to be an animal you wouldn't want to add before 6 months at least, maybe more.
     
  6. Tangster

    Tangster 3reef Sponsor

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    Clams of proper size to make any no3 difference will need nothing but light to supply them with food and then you will need a few dozen to make any difference if the tank is any larger then a 20 gal . There are far better and easier and less expensive ways to rid the system of NO3's and have a guaranteed results .
     
  7. LCP136

    LCP136 Sailfin Tang

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    What do you mean by needing light? Most clams don't have zooxanthellae, so do you mean for their food to grow?
     
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  9. GuitarMan89

    GuitarMan89 Giant Squid

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    he's referring to the fact that all tropical clams in this hobby have zooxanthellae. I don't think tangster saw that you were talking about bay clams. Clams such as crocea, need supplemental feeding when they are generally under 3in. Over this they rely entirely on light. You would need a big clam and a lot of them to have any effect on the NO3 level.
     
  10. LCP136

    LCP136 Sailfin Tang

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    I wasn't really planning on using them as filtration, I just saw this and was curious. There are far easier methods I am already using, just an interesting prospect.
     
  11. bawest

    bawest Fire Worm

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    I tried this. I bought 6 clams from the local Randalls store. 3 of them lived for about 2 months the last one is still going and it's been almost a year now. He digs in the sand, but then comes up sometimes to the surface. Then you can watch him dig back down.

    Cool to watch, but I don't know if they are practical for filtering.

    Just keep an eye on them if you can, they are nasty when they die. The crabs are always trying to get to them when they are alive too.
     
  12. GuitarMan89

    GuitarMan89 Giant Squid

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    they do feed on nitrates at least when younger, but as Tangster said, you would need a lot of really big ones to make a difference