Clam questions

[cubalz]

Hello all! I have been thinking about adding a clam or 2 and some softies to my 90 gallon tank when the time is right- I am waiting until the tank has been up and running for at leat 8 months and was wondering about lighting requirements. I already have 260 w cfl's (2 65w 10000k and 2 65w true actinic) and am planning on buying an Ice Cap 660 ballast to run at least 2 100w URI VHO's in the near future. This would give me a total of 460w of light. Would this be alright? I know that I DO NOT want to get halides for a lot of reasons (even though I know that they would be best)

Please let me know if this set up will work and what hard/soft corals/clams you think that I can keep. Please do not try to convince me to get halides- it is out of the question.
Thanks,
John

[zhenya]

Hi John,

I won't try to convince you to get the metal halide lighting,promise

However, can I try to convince you to not to try keeping any clams with that lighting? ;) J/K.
I think the best bet would be to get a retro VHO kit with 4 110w bulbs (46.5" long). I used to have same set up over my 75g tank which is similar to your 90 only yours is 24" high. So, the only clam that I was able to keep for some time was a Derasa and it too died after about one year,even with the supplimental feedings of DT's phytoplankton.Although I think it is possible to keep a Derasa with VHO lighting and it is probably the only clam that could live with such lighting for any extended period of time.
As far as corals, you could probably keep most of the soft corals and even some less light demanding Acropora species or the Montiporas.

[cubalz]

thanks Gene! I will keep these species in mind when the time is right. Is that Phytoplankton the only supplement that I would need to give a clam besides calcium, strontium and iodine in the water? What about feeding corals? I want to do what is right for this new stuff- Inverts are a new frontier for me. I am getting the Concentious Marine Aquarist to give a a good head start this weekend! Any other tips??!?


I won't try to convince you to get the metal halide lighting,promise

However, can I try to convince you to not to try keeping any clams with that lighting? ;) J/K.
I think the best bet would be to get a retro VHO kit with 4 110w bulbs (46.5" long). I used to have same set up over my 75g tank which is similar to your 90 only yours is 24" high. So, the only clam that I was able to keep for some time was a Derasa and it too died after about one year,even with the supplimental feedings of DT's phytoplankton.Although I think it is possible to keep a Derasa with VHO lighting and it is probably the only clam that could live with such lighting for any extended period of time.
As far as corals, you could probably keep most of the soft corals and even some less light demanding Acropora species or the Montiporas.[/QUOTE]

[zhenya]

thanks Gene! I will keep these species in mind when the time is right. Is that Phytoplankton the only supplement that I would need to give a clam besides calcium, strontium and iodine in the water? What about feeding corals? I want to do what is right for this new stuff- Inverts are a new frontier for me. I am getting the Concentious Marine Aquarist to give a a good head start this weekend! Any other tips??!?

Well, getting a good book(s) is probably the best thing and is the best tip that anyone can give,you already realised it and it is a good start.
DT's phytoplankton is a good source of food for filter feeding animals and organisms.It is good becouse it is a live food and shouldn't polute your tanks water if fed properly and according to directions. However, not many coral corals will utilise it as food,perhaps some of the soft corals consume it to some extent.
Here's a thread for you to read about some of the food that you can make at home to feed your reef aquarium.

If you thinking of adding strontium or iodine as a supplement,please reconsider.At least untill you can measure levels of them correctly and determine that you need to add them. It is very easy to overdoze them and in case of Iodine it can be quite toxic,strontium had been shown to complicate and interfere with calcification proccesses of the coral sceletons.
I'll dig up an article for you to read on that if you like,just don't have the time at the moment.
Happy reading,it is a very nice book you bought.

[Barry N.]

If you thinking of adding strontium or iodine as a supplement,please reconsider.At least untill you can measure levels of them correctly and determine that you need to add them. It is very easy to overdoze them and in case of Iodine it can be quite toxic,strontium had been shown to complicate and interfere with calcification proccesses of the coral sceletons.

I have to agree with Gene on this. If you are going to have fish in your tank as well then most of your food has some iodine in it. My feelings are the less you add or the use of suppliments the better you are. So many people us so many of these products on the market and find out later that their system is so out of balance. Doing more frequent water changes is best as far as I am concerned. Adding new trace elements.

[cubalz]

I am looking forward to reading that article, I do appreciate the help. That thread link that you out in here does not work- it says that I don't have permission to view it.

Best regards,
john

Well, getting a good book(s) is probably the best thing and is the best tip that anyone can give,you already realised it and it is a good start.
DT's phytoplankton is a good source of food for filter feeding animals and organisms.It is good becouse it is a live food and shouldn't polute your tanks water if fed properly and according to directions. However, not many coral corals will utilise it as food,perhaps some of the soft corals consume it to some extent.
Here's a thread for you to read about some of the food that you can make at home to feed your reef aquarium.

If you thinking of adding strontium or iodine as a supplement,please reconsider.At least untill you can measure levels of them correctly and determine that you need to add them. It is very easy to overdoze them and in case of Iodine it can be quite toxic,strontium had been shown to complicate and interfere with calcification proccesses of the coral sceletons.
I'll dig up an article for you to read on that if you like,just don't have the time at the moment.
Happy reading,it is a very nice book you bought.

[Barry N.]

I don't have permission to view it.

You have to be a registared member to read it.

[miareefer]

Hi Cubalz
One thing i will do is try to convince you to make the change to metal halide lighting you seem to be completely against making the change .
Why?
If you could pls explain what factors are limiting you to making the change eg,
room height ,heat ,cost All of these factors can be overcome with a little commonsense and correct planning There are some really smart cookies around here so in reality anything is possible .
If its a dollar thing this hobby will suck you drier then a pot roast cooked in a furnace so I wouldnt really recomend any other light source to cultivate clams for long term sustainability .
Mia

[cubalz]

Miareefer,
Thanks for your interest in helping me out. MH Lighting is out as my canopy will not allow the fitting of a MH pendant or fixture and the canopy is not tall enough to be able to mount the lights 6"-8" above the water. Secondly, I already have spent tons of dough on the VHO and CFL lights that I already have. Lastly, I don't want to have deal with even more heat issues and the thought of having to buy a chiller. I have already got a 200 gal, 40 gal and the 90 gal running and my electric bills are already sky high. To be quite honest, besides the fact that I may not be able to keep clams other than the Derasa and SPS corals, I am really happy with what I have and the way the tank and occupants look and thrive. It really bums me out that I am sort of limited in some things that I can keep, I really have to draw the line somewhere, and to install MH lights will require a lot of money and work.

That basically is my total reasoning. I know that MH is the right lighting to use but that really isn't an option for me. There is some hope though, I went to someones house over the weekend to look at this set up and he has Acropora and Maxima clams in his tank with only 3 100w VHO tubes and they are growing and thriving in that set up for over 4 years.

Hi Cubalz
One thing i will do is try to convince you to make the change to metal halide lighting you seem to be completely against making the change .
Why?
If you could pls explain what factors are limiting you to making the change eg,
room height ,heat ,cost All of these factors can be overcome with a little commonsense and correct planning There are some really smart cookies around here so in reality anything is possible .
If its a dollar thing this hobby will suck you drier then a pot roast cooked in a furnace so I wouldnt really recomend any other light source to cultivate clams for long term sustainability .
Mia

[zhenya]

I'm not sure why you can not read that thread but try right clicking on it and copy the short cut and then paste it in your browsers address window and hit go. It may work or it may not,it does work for me.I don't think you need to be registered user on RC to read the thread,you need to register if you like to post there but I believe you can read it without actually registering.
Anyone knows for sure?

[cubalz]

I think that I am a registered member. I get PMs, can post and everything. I just cannot go to any links, never could. Reefland is working on it for me. If you can give me the web address for that, I would appreciate it.

John

I'm not sure why you can not read that thread but try right clicking on it and copy the short cut and then paste it in your browsers address window and hit go. It may work or it may not,it does work for me.I don't think you need to be registered user on RC to read the thread,you need to register if you like to post there but I believe you can read it without actually registering.
Anyone knows for sure?

[zhenya]

I think that I am a registered member. I get PMs, can post and everything. I just cannot go to any links, never could. Reefland is working on it for me. If you can give me the web address for that, I would appreciate it.

John

What I meant to say is that this thread is located on Reef Central and personally I don't hink you have to be a registered member there to read a thread that had been linked from their server but I could be wrong.
If you right click on the highlighted word "thread" in my first post and select "copy" from the drop down menu it should bring this http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=176530.

You can copy this url and paste it in your browsers address window on the top and it should work.

[Ninong]

What I meant to say is that this thread is located on Reef Central and personally I don't hink you have to be a registered member there to read a thread that had been linked from their server but I could be wrong.

Yes, you could.

You gave him a link to a thread in the Coral Forum, one of the so-called Expert Forums. You must register to Reef Central in order to view the Expert Forums.

[zhenya]

Yes, you could.

You gave him a link to a thread in the Coral Forum, one of the so-called Expert Forums. You must register to Reef Central in order to view the Expert Forums.

I knew I can count on you,George, to set me straight I had not looked at the UA of that sight in the while and never tried to go read those forums while I was not registered. Well, registration is free on RC so you can always register and read it, I suppose.

[Bamm Bamm]

you don't have enough light for a clam in that deep of a tank.. on my 90gallon I have 2x250MH and 2x96w actinics and I really wouldn't recomend much less except maybe 175w MH's.. if your canopy is too short build a new one that is taller or adapt it to work. You can change the top cut holes in it for pendants and do all kinds of interesting things. I always just build a new canopy my MH canopies are all between 12-14"tall for reference..