Light for Clams

[TRIX]

Would this light be enough for clams in a 18" tall tank?

http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/details/l-pc.php?product_ID=pc-ll48654 [/URL]

[mark]

For some types okay.

Different light needs for different clams and also some species look a lot better if viewed from above so placing high on the rock takes away for some.

Lots of clam info here:http://www.clamsdirect.com/forum/index.php

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Clams, even the lower-light requiring species, will do better with more light. If you want to do clams, look into getting metal halides or you'll be very limited & the clams may go brown & not do well for you.

Anthony

[Joe Reefer]

I wouldn't try keeping clams with anything other than metal halide. After all your trying to provide an enviroment that they can thrive in, you may get away with keeping a clam alive but, as Anthony said they will lack the lure that made you want a clam in the first place.

[Diana]

We have successfully kept a crocea clam(blue type) in a 20 gallon(16" tall) now for a year or more under pc's 65 watts X 2. The clam has vibrant colour and seems healthy. We placed it near the top of the tank for better light penetration.

[Synthesis]

The key word here is thrive...not survive. It is best to always use the word thrive other then survive. Cause really you want an environment where the creature can feel right at home(the ocean). If your clam shows no growth in a year then you are giving it just enough light to survive...this is not exactly what we reefers are aiming for is it??

Research before you buy. Think about what it really needs and not just want you want in your tank. Metal Halide is the way to go for this species.

[EmilyB]

I remember thinking my crocea was looking pretty good after six months of PC lighting. :wink:

So I took a picture of it. Then I found a picture I had taken when I bought it. :surprise: It had really lost color but without the comparison picture, I had not realized it.

[Diana]

With ours its just the opposite... I was looking at a picture of the clam I took a year ago and it had less color than it does now. ;)

-Diana

[EmilyB]

Awesome, let's see the pics Diana ! :biggrin:

[muck]

Yes... http://www.members.shaw.ca/harvwong/Emoticons/needpics.gif

[Diana]

Okay here we go....

This is a pic from last December, when the clam was pretty new in the tank. I think we had had it a month or two at that time. It definately was not as purple as it is now, and seemed to be more pale. Its hard to tell from the pictures but it has grown... its shell is bigger than before.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/dinostar00/20galclam2.jpg

Here's two shots from today, one with flash and one without flash. :) It is much darker in color and has developed more of the little irridescent spots.

Flash:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/dinostar00/clam_flash.jpg

No Flash:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/dinostar00/clam_noflash2.jpg


-Diana + Raf

[Synthesis]

The difference in color is nice. But this shows that there is no growth with this clam. Not saying it is suffering, but its not thriving. The coloration change is also due to the light its being exposed to. Clams will look different under Actinic light compared to a 10K bulb. The original shot looks like it was exposed to a 10k bulb for some time or was a new shipment.

Clam looks great though. My arguement is not that you cant keep clams under PC lights, just that they wont thrive and grow under PC lighting. Every clam is different though. You may have found one that is fine with less intense lighting. Kudos to you :biggrin:

[andresont]

I am with Diana on that, clams and SPS do thrive and grow under PC lights and i even had one blue crocea on the bottom under VHO that was a year old.
Good example is when you scubadive you see thing so deep that you would not expect it would be there, more so you need a flashlight to see them.
IMO water movement and food goes before light. The more light you have the more water movement you need. MH is havily promoted by LFS to make $$$.
I have had MH on most of my tanks before and i like PC better.
JMHO.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

In my old 33g seahorse tank, I had my Deresa and Squamosa living right under 96w 10000k PC & 2@20000k T5s & they did fine. They grew & coloured up nicely, but they were also an inch or so under the surface & both are lower light clams.

Anthony

[BCOrchidGuy]

Who was it that lived in Surrey and had all the wonderful Acropora that he was keeping under NO fluorescents? His coral grew slowly but it was beautiful. I think there are exceptions to most if not all the rules, myself, I had best luck with MH's, even my derasa picked up nicely with in a couple weeks of adding MH. Personally I'm a firm believer in MH but I've been wrong before.

Doug

[muck]

You are thinking of Rich (Sumpfinfishe). I don't think the tank is stocked like that anymore.
Im sure Rich will fill us in as to the status now. :wink: