Crazy for Clams
 

New post from a new member. Not sure where the best plasce for this is but here we go...


My Clams

Wow, that's crazy, is that a purple torch?? Those clams are beautiful too, I especially like the last one.

Nice clams, where did you get them?

nice clams.. in vernon..... hmmm.. must have orderd them.

Evolution of the aquascaping
 

I Have decided to gradually add pitcures to keep you all coming back and sharing input.

The first picture was obviously the first landscape design. Some current and flow issues existed so needed to re-do.

Leading to the next picture which worked for a bit, then got a very large sqamosa. Needed more room hence aqua the next aquascape.

The third worked well, we have tweeked it a bit since just to increase viewing.

More pics to come. Feel free to share yours.

may help to attach the pics
 

crap, i have to re-size them. stay tuned

You could also set up a photobucket.com account, upload the pictures there and link to them from here. photobucket will give you the text to insert into forums so the pictures come up inline.

would love to see a FTS from the top, or some tank specs...

Tank is looking great! Glad to have you on Canreef finally.

Nice pictures! Welcome another person from the Okanagan to Canreef! :mrgreen:

I have some tank top shots that I just have to re-size. I have not had the time just yet to do it. they will come.

Just got the CO2 Reactor fired up yesterday. Now, just to get it balance out. My calcium levels are terribly low.... Im considering to continue dosing until reactor is up to snuff.... as it stands the level is holding at 250ppm. Normaly this would be gone in 24 hour period so we know the reactor is workin... just not goin up yet.

http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...AquaScape3.jpg

Current Aqua scape
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...AquaScape5.jpg

Wow great shot of your eel. How long have you had him?

Looking awesome..we will for sure have to figure out when we can do that beer we were talking about. I really want to see how that CA reactor is set up too.

http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...AquaScape5.jpg

http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...amCluster5.jpg

http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...tercloseup.jpg

http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...BlueMaxima.jpg

Had 3 Eels,

One got his but kicked... now Im thinkin we have a pair. It's been about 7 months that we have had them. Both are tong feeding cocktal shrimp now.

I am cosidering changin my clam tank over again... Just got a clam display tank! Rather cool, it's new. Has a waterfall that disperses the return of the sump and minimzes water disturbance to allow viewing from top. Hmmmm....
It's a smidge smaller then what I currently have running but may fly... Any input? bigger sump/refuge though.

More pictures of the options? :biggrin:

Where did you pic the tank up at? I just came from Edmonton and the LFS in Sherwood Park had a tank like you dexcribe on display, as soon as I saw it I thought wow awesome clam tank! Any pics?

Im still hot and cold. It is probably the same tank design I will snag a picture. I think there is an issue with the cleaning of the waterfall design, and the lack of cannopy leaving dust/ enviromental stuff being a potential issue. I will get the specs.

I think I've seen this tank at the local LFS...it appeared that the waterfall still needed some thought as it would be quick to show dirt/wear/detrius.

Otherwise, I was thinking the same thing...awesome Clam tank...but you got to put the right light over it...not the Hagen GLO on display with a single reflector for all the bulbs.

From my experience, your reactor isn't going to bring up your levels - it is a balanced ca/alk additive. You need to adjust your levels manually to where you want them, then dial in your reactor to maintain them...

There are many threads to help, but to get my reactor running correctly, I adjusted Ca to where I wanted it and then monitored every day to see if levels were holding or dropping. Then I increased my flow through the reactor until the ca levels were stable. Alk also increased a little, but it all stabilized eventually at 420 ppm cal w/alk at 9.0 dkh. Now I check them about every 4 weeks.

Yup.

We gotter done. I found that the reactor created a bit of a Calcium- Carbonate imbalance. The Carbonate hardness we very high when I finally got my calcium up to par.

The remedy?


Magnesium suppliment! Yup, within seconds of adding the magnesium suppliment the KH stabalized out and has been holding ever since.

All is well... Except when my kids turn off my CO2 supply... Fear not! the taser fixed that!

More pics to come.

As far as the Clam tank goes,

Im not sure on the tank at the store Mark.... I wonder how the waterfall will look with a generous dose of purple coraline algae. It is a ramp for the crawlies too.

Im 50-50. Still leanin toward it. But I may just set it up as a rearin tank for smaller clams if and when I attempt to spawn my big squamosa.

The Beer invite still stands...

Do you have any research etc. on clam rearing? I'll take anything you've got, from links to photos, etc. I'm assembling clam spawning and rearing information right now as a project.

Send me a private message. I have a fantastic contact and paper on spawing from the states. I will forward it to you. The rearing is the elsuisive part. From what I have experienced shallow water 8-10 inches to start. Circulation with little or no mechanical filtration, no skimmer at first. High calcium/ carbonate availability, light, phytoplankton, rottifiers... and .... wait.

Once you see some shell/growth start to increase depth of water and filtration... (I think, no soild info just yet). It's is rumored to take 2-3 years before you get a good Idea on the yeild.

I'll send you a PM, however I think it would be fantastic to start a separate thread on clam propagation as well. I've been researching into and I think the more discussion we can generate the more of a benefit it can be to others.

Ok,

Now im in trouble.... I have just located 3 Gigas! Ultra blue. One is supposed to be over a foot! Im totally stressed out. Im trying to get them in.

Here is the trouble! I have Absolutly no space for anything else in my current clam tank. What am I to DO?


GO BIGGER! WHOOOO HOOOOOO!

You should look at having one of the Canreef sponsors build you a Clam tank. Not much height but a lot of depth and width. It shouldn't be much if any over a standard tank that doesn't quite meet your exact "clam" needs.

Ok,

I have cyano bacteria in my tank. I have done this on purpose. TRUE!

It has been three days since I cleaned my tank and I have cyano bacter. that was on saturday!.

Now it's ALL GONE!

Any gueses what I did out there? yes it's a trick question that will lead to a greater question... Lets play anyways...

What did I do to my tank to make the Cyanobacteria disappear in two days?

haha...not much for riddles but I'll play for a moment...turned off the lights? Overdosed on Mag?

Easy....send them to me! :mrgreen:

LOL!

Ok, great Idea.

Do you want them steamed or stir fried?

I recomend steamed with butter and garlic.


Seriously though, if you are after one for real private message me and I will get you a ball park landed price. I will get on for you, cause I know they are hard to come lately. Atleast where I am the are. Not knowing where you are I am making an assumption.

Scott.

Seepman.....

Gong....

Nope. Any other takers? What would I have done that would get rid of the cyanobacter in two days?

(Hint: NO MEDICATION...that's a dead give away!)

Well I dunno what you did to your tank however I had the same problem setting up my new 50g although I think it was a new set up and going through a cyano stage anyhow when I researched how to get rid of it my search results led me to believe that sugar can deal with it. I was feeding my corals heavy once a week as I have lots of softies and lps and fishless anyhow long story short something was fueling the cyano.... perhaps the left over food that didn't get eaten, dosing sugar robbed the fuel for the cyano in 3 days from all the rocks substrate being covered with red slime, it dissapeared never to appear again and I still feed the same once a week....

Another quick few ways is coral snow and ofcourse red slime remover or any other antibiotic which usually does the same thing if you have found another way to make it dissapear fast please let me know.

Great Segway tang daddy,

The fun is over. The tank had run for quite some time (over a year now). The last 4 months i neglected my filtermeida! This I new, and did on purpose to see what the effect would be. Elavated organics. So, I did a large charge of Activated carbon charge in the filtration system. Bang, gone.
This brings me to tang daddy's segway...

One thing first. I have used EM in the past at a quarter dose and it has been very effective, but did lead to substantial skimmer production.

As with tang daddy I too looked at the application of Small chain carbon compounds Ie, Ethanol, Sugar ect... I believe that both the appilcations have the same effect. Activated cabon removes doc's where as the Surgar dose creates Comepetive exclusion with some other critters that use the carbon faster and or more efficantly then the cyano bacter.

Here is my key question...

Both applications work, and granted both have the right situation for it's use. But, Does one or the other have a better effect on the biology in the tank then the other. So, Tang Daddy... How is the color/growth/clarity of your tank with respects to your sps/softies?

Few; that was almost painful.

Nas I noticed that my lps are definately loving it without the cyano.... I have not dosed sugar since the cyano has dissapeared and colours on all the corals are super bright, purple coraline starting to take over all the rock and corals are growing fast. I had to remove the sps as they were happy but not getting enough light plus with the high nutrients they were over saturating the zoos and getting a darker shade of brown,also I have 5 turbos and they were knocking sps down left right and center.... a week after moving them into my 120g colours came back. As for critters there are lots and they are all thriving in the skimmerless set up.

Tank specs 50g breeder AIO/skimmerless: :mrgreen:

I do 1 5g wc per week.
change out 2 socks of carbon once a month.
feed all lps, softies live baby brine 3 times a week and gut packed mysis and tiger prawn once a week.
I dose mg 2 times a week into ato.
when I mix new salt water cacl is added into the mix.

Sugar question
 

how much sugar do you dose ? Can sugar have any negative side effects ?

THanks

^my tank had tons of cyano on the ground and rock even smothering a few corals. For my 50g I used 2 table spoons of white sugar then did a 50% wc 3 days later. day 1 full of cyano day 2 half gone day 3 all gone.

Got a new top secrete project/ Experiement under way... WOOOHHOOOO!
(stay tuned)

My clams are drainin my tank of nitrates now in 2 days. I actually added water (80ppm nitrates) to my tank and brought up the level to 10ppm. Sunday. Tested wed mornin and back down to 0. So, Im thinking of adding nitrates more regularly. Im torn up between re-cyclin water from preditor tank or doping with Sodium Nitrate. I have calculated the exact ammount to get to 10 ppm in my tank by mass. and it will be easy to tweek the levels once they get rollin.

Any input?