clam question

[t81rd]

i was looking to get a clam for my reef tank. my tank is really young ~4 months my water levels are all in check and my lighting is not a problem. my only question would be is my tank too young to add a clam or should i wait until it matures more

[CarmieJo]

What are your parameters?

[Nitrodude]

i would think 4 months is fine. as long as u have good lighting and feed dt's, it should do well. I would recommend getting a clam at least 4 inches long as they can feed off the lighting more than it would demand dt's.

[Nitrodude]

small clams rely more on filter feeding.

[Dekon]

I had a clam in my BioCube for almost 2 years now and I have never fed it. Though it was about 4 inches when I got.

[t81rd]

as far as my params are my nitrates are about a .5ish (in need of a water change) nitrites 0 phosphates 0 alk ~8 ph ~8 sal i keep at 1.024 not sure what other information is needed my lighting i have 2 t5's with antics and two 150 watt hid's in my 75 gallon. im noticing a lot of pod growth and all my corals seem to be doing great. ive just heard mixed things on clams being relatively hard to keep so i was a little weary about getting one. thanks for the help and tips btw

[t81rd]

forgot my calcium and mag levels lol. cal is at 430 and mag is 1240

[CarmieJo]

I keep my alk around 10. I am pretty conservative and if it was me I'd wait a couple more months to add the clam.

[t81rd]

do you think my alk is too low then? im ok with waiting and thats why i was asking. i know that my tank is extremely young and that's why i asked

[CarmieJo]

Your alkalinity is within the acceptable range of 7-11 dKH so you are OK. But, IMO, you don't have much wiggle room. Since alk is used in the aquarium I like to have it at the higher end of the scale.

I think this article doesn't have anything to do with clams but it is a really good chemistry article. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/rhf/index.php

[Amphibious]

You’re probably okay in getting a clam now but allowing your system to age a bit more is sage advise. Clams are not too difficult to keep as long as you research their needs and provide for them. Asking questions here is a good START. However, there’s no getting by the fact that we answer only the questions you ask. We do our best to be accurate with our response. That being said, it’s the questions you don’t ask that will get you into trouble. That’s where a good book on the subject comes into play. I recommend you get James Fatherree’s excellent book, “Giant Clams in the Sea and the Aquarium” as a permanent resource on clams. It’s up to date and filled with beautiful pictures of clams.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/Clams/ClamBook-sm.jpg

James Fatherree is a popular public speaker on clams at reefing trade shows such as MACNA, IMAC and others.

Being a sponsor of TR, we offer a deep discount on James' book, as well as other products, to all TR members. You will find all that information here - Talking Reef Member Discounts (http://theculturedreef.com/talkingreef.htm).

A couple of questions for you. Can you identify a clam that isn’t in good health BEFORE you buy it? Would you buy a clam “on-line” without seeing it first? Clams are not with out their specific problems. James Fatherree answers these questions and many more in his excellent book on clams.

A happy reefer is a well informed reefer.

Dick

[CarmieJo]

That book is great!

[rayme07]

I agree with Dick that book is awesome. It teaches you everything you will need to know. It teaches you how to identify each type of clam what each of their requirements are and gives great info on some of the fish, inverts and more you can and can not keep with the clams. And more... I don't think I would ever get a clam if I did not have that book. :)

[techguy]

Great price on the book, I just placed my order. Thanks Dick!