When to add a Clam

[Marcus K]

I'm not sure if I am ready for a Clam. I am interested in getting my first but not sure if my tank is mature enough yet. The tank has been up and running for over a year and everything is going well as I have taken my time adding things to the tank. The fish and corals that I have are doing well but I would hate to loose a clam if my water quality was not stable enough. How does one tell?

Marcus

[Aquattro]

I'd sayyou're probably fine. If your corals are thriving, and you have a good diversity of life, you're ready to add a clam. Get one abit bigger, as the real small ones are a bit tougher to keep, IME.
I assume your lighting is MH?

[robbyville]

Hi Marcus,

A year of maturity should be fine, HOWEVER it really amounts to the stability of the system as well. What kind of water parameters do you run and do they tend to fluctuate much?

also what is your lighting set-up? Some clams require lighting more to the tune of MH's but there are many people on this board who have successfully been keeping clams without halides.

I am no clam expert, but purchased my first about 4-5months ago. Derasa clams I'm told are good beginner selections. We have had no problems with ours and we love the colours and growth.

HTH,

Rob

[Marcus K]

Thanks, my plans were to start with a Dersa. I did purchase a 250watt M/H but could not get it setup properly in my hood so I have sold it and ordered a 4x96watt PC fixture. I will be able to run a 2x55 watt PC fixture also if needed. My tank is a standard 90 so I was hoping this would be enough lighting. So far my params are good other than a slight raise in Amonia with the addition of some LR.

[robbyville]

Well obviously you'll have to wait for the ammonia to subside and params back to normal. I'm not sure about the lighting for a Derasa, but maybe someone else here can chime in on your plans.

Good luck!

Rob

[bluetang]

I have a clam in my 20g reef and im using 130w coralife PC unit. The clam is doing great. MH lights are hands down the best IMO and if you keep it up high you should be fine

[Marcus K]

Thanks everyone, I will wait for the right one to purchase. This may take awhile before I find the right one. The ammonia has been delt with.