Clams in a nano?

[Metsuko]

Hey I am new to the site and just wanted to drop a line and get a question answered.

I am not sure what the exact watts are in the 6G nano but i am assuming the bulbs are 24w each (3 strips) and that should add up to about 72w total. (I won the nano at a raffle and it was modded by two guys from a local reef club that I am in)

Anyway I was wondering if a 2" or so derasa or crocea will be ok in a 6g jbj nano tank?

What do you guys think or is this just an outragaous thought and horible thing to do to a clam?

Again thanks for the reasoning to my madness.

I will post pics when I get a chance. Thanks again.

Mike

 

[mikeguerrero]

Mike,

Welcome to nanotank. My quick answer to your clam in a nano is yes it can be done. You are talking about a modded nano cube correct?

I have experience and took the respondsibility on a crocea clam in my modded 12 gallon cube.

I kept it alive for almost 1 year before I upgraded my two cubes into a 72 gallon reef. It's thriving in my 72 gallon tank.

Special care has to be taken on the location of the clam and how much light he gets and making sure you dose correctly phyto-plankton.

I've been trying hard to push my younger brother to drop a small crocea clam in his 6 gallon modded cube but he has shyed away.

The 6 gallon cubes do not run 24 watt bulbs but instead can only have the 18 watt bulbs, so my brother has three 18 watt bulbs at a total of 54 watts.

Remember that it's more than just lights, its water movement, salinity, temps and water quality that will keep your clam alive and happy.

In a larger tank you have room for error, you have no room for error in a cube...

Good luck,

Mike G

 

[skipm]

:welcome to nanotank!

One thing to keep in mind with smaller clams (less than 3 inches or so) is that they mainly feed on phytoplankton. They don't have enough zoxanthellae in their mantles to produce an adequate amount food for them to survive solely on photosynthesis. Make sure to keep your water quality pristine and target feed with phytoplankton and you should be fine. You also need to have a plan for the clam when it outgrows the nano. Good luck, Skip

 

[drty811]

welcome to nanotank :mrgreen:

 

[Metsuko]

Thanks guys. Yes it is a modded nano with 3 lights strips (1-actnic, 1-10k, 1-50/50); new pump, fans and also i went ahead and through in a small powerhed just to give it a little more flow. Well I will perhaps venture out and try to keep a clam. I do use phyto in the nano so i hope things go well.

I am hoping I will be able to purchase a house soon so I can plan on building an in-wall setup perhaps a 120 or larger (thats the goal at least) so hopefully when that is establish the clam can go there.

Thanks again for the advise.

Mike

 

[EDGRAY]

I GUESS i came late anyways now that we are talking about clams .. mike do you think my nano dx can hold one if i put it almost in the top or not or maybe in a future or only if i modd my lights.

ed

 

[incysor]

Mike,

When you feed the phyto, you should turn off all your pumps to give the clam more time to filter it out. Give it an half hour or so, then turn them back on.

You also won't need to feed as much doing it this way.

ED,

It's not a good idea. Derasas would probably do ok in a DX if they were up near the top, but you need to change the bulbs at a more frequent rate than you would otherwise, and the tank needs to be stable for many months before trying it. All clams are very delicate.

B

 

[EDGRAY]

oky doky .. thx for the info incysor.... so no clams for me :sad: :cry: .... to expensive too :lol: :lol: