Clam in biocube 32

[reefcoralclam]

So i’am thinking about getting a clam in my biocube 32. My equipment is a Radion xr15 g5 blue Ato with kalkwasser coral life skimmer and a refugium. I use Red Sea coral pro bucket. I don’t know were to start I’am going to buy a doser but will kalkwasser work . Thank you

Hasstin

 

[terraincognita]

Should be fine, they're filter feeders that's the only reason they're harder to "take care of"

Carbon dosing and ample phyto should be fine.

They require 150-200 par.

 

[reefcoralclam]

Tropic Marin NP-Bacto I heard it’s easy to use would this work.

 

[OrionN]

I assume you mean Tridacna Clams rather than non photosynthetic clams.
they are easy as long as you can keep up with Alkalinity, Ca and replace trace elements. Feeding is not essential but if you feed with correct food, mainly phytoplankton of various species can only help.
it is essential that you treat them for clams parasitic snails and PMD if your clam have them on arrival.

 

[OrionN]

Should be fine, they're filter feeders that's the only reason they're harder to "take care of"

Carbon dosing and ample phyto should be fine.

They require 150-200 par.

My Maxima and Crocea required a lot higher PAR to keep their color and grow well. I don’t feed my clams.

 

[Teen reefer]

you should buy some live phyto and live Zooxantheli and dose those every 2 days or more because clams are photosynthetic but you should still feed them for the clam won’t starve to death. And also you should dose more because clams are like SPS they absorb a lot of Cal, Mag, Alk and other trace elements.

 

[reefcoralclam]

I thinking about dosing tropic Marin all for reef and NP-Bacto and i’am talking about Tridacna clams and feed them phytoplankton

 

[Teen reefer]

Yeah that should do it.

 

[reefcoralclam]

Thank you

 

[Mono]

So i’am thinking about getting a clam in my biocube 32. My equipment is a Radion xr15 g5 blue Ato with kalkwasser coral life skimmer and a refugium. I use Red Sea coral pro bucket. I don’t know were to start I’am going to buy a doser but will kalkwasser work . Thank you

Hasstin

FWIW...I would dose Kalkwasser separate from ATO. Let's just call it the new 2 part. This way you can keep your Alk/Calc constant. Dose Kalk a little below (maybe 75%) of your evaporation rate).

Get a Hanna Alk Checker.

I've heard clams need all the light you can give them.

They also taste good with linguine.

 

[reefcoralclam]

What doser sound I get I don’t have a apex?

 

[terraincognita]

My Maxima and Crocea required a lot higher PAR to keep their color and grow well. I don’t feed my clams.

I agree 250-400 is ideal. However they can be acclimated to lower par with more feeding etc.

Some people have kept them around 120 par in their sand beds once they're bigger. But I wouldn't dare. 150-200 is the lowest I'd go.

Seeing he's running a biocube I didn't imagine he has some expensive LED system so just wanted to make sure to place in the correct spot.

 

[terraincognita]

What doser sound I get I don’t have a apex?

You can manually dose.

Going cheap on a doser IMO is a bad idea.

Save up for Christmas, and put the work in spending 1-2 minutes a day just measuring your doses out

If you're really, really, really that lazy just do it once a week when you do maintenance.

Amazon.com : 20ML bottles

Pre-set your doses aside for the week in something like this and just do 1 or 2 a day whatever is needed.

 

[reefcoralclam]

You can manually dose.

Going cheap on a doser IMO is a bad idea.

Save up for Christmas, and put the work in spending 1-2 minutes a day just measuring your doses out

If you're really, really, really that lazy just do it once a week when you do maintenance.

Amazon.com : 20ML bottles

Pre-set your doses aside for the week in something like this and just do 1 or 2 a day whatever is needed.

Ok thank you

 

[OrionN]

@Teen reefer ,

You use my picture for your avatar.

 

[Mono]

What doser sound I get I don’t have a apex?

I know what you want is a lot of conflicting information and opinions from many different reefers.

So, for what it's worth and with all due respect to my colleagues, I would go on the record recommending the Jebao doser with certain limitations. Of course, you get what you pay for but these dosers are cheap and have proven themselves to my satisfaction. I have run three of them on three tanks for years and they have worked fine. I have had trouble with one or two heads and sometimes you have to take them apart and give them a little TLC. For example, on one head the screw holding the motor to the case needed to tightened. A four head doser sells for around $60 and comes with one extra head (or at least it did when I bought it). If you're on a budget and don't mind tinkering a little I think they are worth the money.

Any doser will probably be more consistent than hand dosing by most humans.

With any doser be very careful with your setup. Most problems with dosers are caused by human error. Siphons happen. A few are caused by malfunctioning dosers. ReefBum has an interesting video on a problem he had with his doser.

Also, see if you can get/borrow a PAR meter. It's a good idea to get a sense of how much PAR your tank/corals/clams are getting. Your clam won't die immediate but it will be malnourished.

 

[Teen reefer]

@Teen reefer ,

You use my picture for your avatar.

You welcome.

 

[anthonygf]

So i’am thinking about getting a clam in my biocube 32. My equipment is a Radion xr15 g5 blue Ato with kalkwasser coral life skimmer and a refugium. I use Red Sea coral pro bucket. I don’t know were to start I’am going to buy a doser but will kalkwasser work . Thank you

Hasstin

I never owned a doser so I can't help you with that. I do know you really don't need it. I have been reefing for 6 years, 46 gallon bowfront for most and upgraded to 75 last year. I have a mixed reef and and squamosa clam that is growing well. I rarely dose magnesium and have yet to dose calcium, I test those params every few days, alk and salinity daily. I have been using these blocks, Sea-Lab No. 28 Automatic Replenisher one or two blocks a week and my Mg and cal are always a little higher than normal, but with the blocks and weekly water change of 10% you will never have to dose, if you do would be very rare and dose by hand. I dose alk 1 teaspoon powder every day split 4 times during the day.

Some reefers here will hate me for saying this, but it works for me. When I started reefing I knew about auto dosers but tried this first, I still have my small containers of cal and mag powders for 6 years now. For your size tank I would wait on the dosers and try this, I guarantee you will be happy with it. Just do frequent testings on mag and cal just to make sure how stable they are. If you have a sump just drop one block in and when it is mostly gone drop another in. I have ICP testing done once a month and the only thing is trace elements are low, so I dose trace elements couple days a week between water changes.

 

[anthonygf]

I also dose phyto and zooplantin 3-5 times a week, AB+ several days a week. It says on the bottle to dose every day but I don't think that is necessary.

 

[anthonygf]

Just for your pleasure hear are some photos. 46 gallon just before transfer to 75. Had to frag most corals and sterilize my rocks because of an aiptasia outbreak. Even my sps monti growing well with just the replenishers. I am not kidding. I am retired so I can monitor my params daily if I have to.