Wanting a clam...

Okay I have a smallish tank (20 gallon high) that is a full on reef looking really good and (fairly) stable. I'm interested in getting a clam, but the folks on my local reef club forum have me a tad nervous. They are suggesting I add a controller and dosing pumps so that my calcium and alk are more stable.

As currently I manually dose, and keep my calcium no lower than 440, no higher than 480, alk is tough to keep up, but I'm slowly increasing the supplements until I can maintain it between 8.5 and 10. pH is stable at 8.2. Nitrates are less than 2 (all these values are tested via a set of LaMotte kits I spent way too much money on).

Anyway, what do you guys think?

I've got a 70W MH suspended 4 inches over the water, and if I get a rock boring (maxima) clam I could have it as close as 4 inches from the water's surface without difficulty. (no one from the club seems concerned with the lighting being its HQI).

Thanks in advance!

 

I think you are a prime candidate. It seems like you know what your doing and I think a clam would do well in your tank. Don't worry about controllers and all of that stuff is just for pretty people, and you can do it good enough yourself. Thats my opinion. Good luck!

 

Try looking at T. Squamosa's. They are the easier to keep of almost any of the ornamental clams available in the hobby. They require less lighting and can tolerate conditions some others may not. They are a very nice looking beginner clams. You can get away with manual dosing, but the clam is going to suck up Calcium, taking Alk and Mag with it. It would be much better to get an auto doser, but it's not absolutely required. You will need to keep on top of Calcium, Alk, Magnesium, pH, SG, and make sure to grab one 3 inches or more. The tiny clams seem to have the least success in the hobby, many say it is because they require target feeding of phyto and other planktonic foods. But that is an ongoing debate which will probably never reach a verdict.

 

Well the wife wants a blue one, she actually picked a really nice dark blue crocea at the one LFS that is a trusted vendor for the club, but I'm not sure if I'd be better with a maxima or a crocea. I can say if it isnt blue it wont be in the tank because I won't be allowed to spend the $

I appreciate the advice. I know I must be doing something right because all my corals are doing well, I have a few ORA birdsnest corals (hayacinth, birds of paradise, and standard green) and they seem to grow a new "bump" every other day, and probably about 1/2" per month which I think is fairly good. As it stands I lose about 100 ppm calcium and 2 dKH of alk per week with the current stuff...I'm prepared for that to at least double...

 

I have limited clam knowledge, but I think I've read that crocea are easier to care for than maximas, so that might be a good starting clam. Plus, your wife already loves it!

 

If you are very new to clams I would strongly suggest a Squamosa. Clams are not for beginners, but a Squamosa will at least allow some level of success as the others are more intolerant of param fluctuations and lighting. One other thing to consider, is that a clams mantle can change under different lighting. In a LFS tank lit with a 14K bulb or higher will look a bit duller under a 10K or less bulb. They also look better when you can veiw them from the top. Just some things to considder.

 

I think you should get one. I LOVE my clams!

 

Hey chris, hows it goin, its Will. haha im getting a clam when i get the cahs to haha

 

You should be OK with a crocea or maxima. You won't need a doser, consider it a luxury.

 

I have a nice blue maxima on the sandbed of my 55g reef and manually dose. I haven't had any issues with it under my T5 lighting. It colors up nicely and my params stay in check. You should be fine IMO