With these lights

I been getting different answers to my question at different stores around my area....i have a T5 HO Quad 48" 216W (4x54, 4x Bluemoon LED) 2 each of daylight 12k and Actinic blue. Can i or not keep corals/clams. I have a 55 gallon tank.

thanx

 

I've heard that you need 7-9 watts per gallon to keep a clam but you should be alright with some corals.

 

watts per gallon rule is old.

I know exactly what fixture you have and yes you can keep corals and a clam. The clam should be kept a little higher in the tank. I have several pieces of sps, lps and softies growing in my tank with the same lighting. I have a 72g. My softies need to be in the shade because the light is too bright for them! Get some corals! I just got a small maxima, has been doing great so far.

 

This is old and no longer applies with all the new lighting systems

+1, you will be able to keep any corals under that light



In my old 55 gallon tank i had a Nova extreme(not even the pro so no SLRs) and i was able to keep 4 clams on my sand bed

 

If you want a clam and your tank is mature, look into a squamosa. I got one a few weeks ago mostly because there thought to be a more low-lght clam and I dont run halides. I put it half way up in my rockwork and it kept hopping down to the sand bed where it has been since.

~Will.

 

Watts per gallon is old because.....

What if you have a shallow tank vs a tall tank? say a 20 long vs a 20extra high. one is 24" while the other is 13". Would you need 8 watts per gallon on a long short tank? Heck no. Would you need that many watts to penetrate a 24" tank, maybe, maybe not. The best measurement of light is lumens/watt to determine efficiency. PAR will determine how much usable light is making it to the tank and that is how light should be measured, not watts per gallon. different bulbs/kelvin colors will change your par values without even changing your watts. Watts per gallon is a very inaccurate, generalized way to measure light.

 

You will be able to keep whatever you want in a 55g with those lights, as said above. Again, SPS and high-light clams will need to be a little higher up on your rock.

Just one issue with the squamosa clam suggestion - these can grow quite large (12"-16"), so they may be a little large for your tank unless you want to devote a lot of space to them. Also, squamosas like to be on the sand as opposed to rocks.

You could consider a maxima clam (slightly less light required than a crocea, although still need intense lighting) - these can go on rocks and can go higher in the tank.

 

From what I have read, maximas can also get up over 12" so they too will eventually out grow that tank. But on the bright side a growth rate of around 1/2" per year time is on your side.

~Will.

 

Yea who cares if they get big. It will take 15 years! and If I kept a clam alive for 15 years, I wouldn't mind it being the centerpiece in my tank. Who wouldn't want a HUGE clam? The only reason no one has one is because they are way too expensive when they are big.

 

Squamosas are a sand born clam, that is why it wont stay in your rockwork they belong on the sand, maximas and croceas are rockborn clams