Help! choosing my first clam. :)

[Tweter8034]

Hello,
first of all i am farely new to reefland.com. i have read many of your posts and looked at many of your pics. you all seem like nice people who are well equipped with a mad arsenal of knowledge. if you could please give me your best advice on which clam to start with or if i should wait to add the clam.

I have a 30 gallon oceanic cube with a 250 watt mh hamilton 10K bulb, and a pendant shell. For filtration i use a prizm protien skimmer.

i have been docing kent marine calcium buffer part A & B as well as iodine and strontium & molybdenum. for coral food i use phytoplankton. I have been docing the water for about a month and the tank has been setup for about 6 months now. (if there is something that i should add or takeaway please let me know, or if there is a better way of using chemicals.)

Water conditions:
ammonia = 0
Ph = 8.2
nitrite = 0
nitrate = 10-20
calcium = 440-480

My questions:
Am i ready for a clam?
If the calcium levels exceed 450 ppm can it be hazardous to the tank?
If i am not ready how much longer should i wait?
If i am ready what is the easiest clam to start with to ensure the best results?
Should i use anymore chemicals?

Also i have reasearched that clams help with taking nitrites and nitrates out of the water. is this true?

Thanks,
Jason

[Reefland]

Hi Jason and Welcome to Reefland!

It sounds like your tank has been running for a long enough period to be established enough for clams. What else do you have in the tank as far as fish, inverts and corals? Just want to make sure there isn't anything that might try and make lunch out of your clams.

T. derasa are hardy clams but they grow fast and will quickly outgrow a 30 gallon tank; I have 1 in our 75 and in 4 months, it has added about 1.25" in size. T. crocea and T. maxima are you other choices. Make sure that you do plenty of research on clams and their needs, especially clams < 2.5" as they will need special feedings that require a bit more work.

On to some of your other questions; calcium of over 450ppm will not be harmful to your animals but you want to make sure you don't get too high; some people have problems getting it to the levels you are mentioning so I doubt you will go any higher, especially as you add more calcium demanding animals. 450ppm is a great level to maintain.

"Should I use any more chemicals?"
No, in fact you are adding too much now. You should research strontium & iodine additions; research that will lead you to stopping the additions. I would only add the Tech A & B, leave the rest alone.

Regards,
Scott Z.

[Tweter8034]

thanks for replying.

I have about 20 astrea snails, 4 scarlet hermit crabs, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 blood shrimp, purple mushrooms, and a piece of frog spawn.

I was thinking about adding 2 fish along with either a piece of coral or a clam depending on the pieces avaliable at my local fish stores. why is strontium and iodine bad for the tank or where can i find the info to explain why it is harmful? (what do you use to doce?)

Thank you for your reply... Jason

Any more replies are welcome i would like to hear as many opinions as possible...

[Reefland]

You should be able to find some information about strontium and iodine in Ninong's tank thread:
Pictures of Ninong's tank in progress.

Iodine is being added everyday when you feed your fish. There was a study performed some time ago that showed the amount of iodine various different foods contained however the link to the study is not working right now. You can search for iodine but the bottom line is the food that you add to your tank adds enough iodine to maintain your levels at or above NSW values.

For strontium, the question is, is it really used and why should we add it (or iodine) if we cannot accurately test for it? Again, I believe Ninong has some good information about both in his thread; when you get some time to read through it.

Me, I only dose Ocean Blend's 2 part ALK/Ca addition; very similar to what you are dosing with the Tech A & B. ESV's B-Ionic is in the same ballpark too.

Regards,
Scott Z.

[Poseidon]

I used to dose Iodine and Strontium because SeaChem said I should... But I ran out of the additives and for fun waited to see if any cosequences would be evident... NOTHING HAPPENED!!! I think teh additions were a waste of money as there was no difference from adding the stuff to not adding the stuff so why spend the cash!!!

Another thing to consider for Alk and Ca you can use "Pickling Lime" from a grocery store. I have been using it for about 2 months now, and I've never had so much corraline algae!!! So I know it is working. I test about once a week and my Calcium was 430 and Alk a little low a 8dKh but that is in the ballpark!! pH was 8.4.. All this from a 1.79 per 16Oz container of lime!!!

[Tweter8034]

I used to dose Iodine and Strontium because SeaChem said I should... But I ran out of the additives and for fun waited to see if any cosequences would be evident... NOTHING HAPPENED!!! I think teh additions were a waste of money as there was no difference from adding the stuff to not adding the stuff so why spend the cash!!!

Another thing to consider for Alk and Ca you can use "Pickling Lime" from a grocery store. I have been using it for about 2 months now, and I've never had so much corraline algae!!! So I know it is working. I test about once a week and my Calcium was 430 and Alk a little low a 8dKh but that is in the ballpark!! pH was 8.4.. All this from a 1.79 per 16Oz container of lime!!!

Interesting...

Thanks Jason

[knutcracker]

what's everyone's take on Kent Marine's "Liquid Reactor"??

supposedly it acts as a buffering system that keeps the Ca/Alk level in check as well as pH. also adds magnesium and strontium. sounds like a "all in one" solution.

my LFS strongly recommends it.

What do you guys think?

[Poseidon]

I always shy away from liquid supplements since you aer paying for water!!!

Look at the ingredients sounds like it could be a Kalk based supplement. (Ca(OH)2)

[Barry N.]

No, in fact you are adding too much now. You should research strontium & iodine additions; research that will lead you to stopping the additions. I would only add the Tech A & B, leave the rest alone.

I totally agree with Scott, less is always better. In our holding tanks we have ca reactors for alk and ca. and add fool suppliment for clams and that is all.

IMO, there are too many products out there and sometimes we get caught up in trying to add things but most of the time, it just unbalances the tank. Doing little water changes more often is just about all you need. IMO, IME