Clams in a nano?

[ReefJuice]

So I've been thinking about putting a Maxima clam in my 25 gallon nano. Anyone done it before? Bad idea? Things to be aware of?

 

[Scottrshoe]

following

 

[wculver]

So I've been thinking about putting a Maxima clam in my 25 gallon nano. Anyone done it before? Bad idea? Things to be aware of?

Well there are going to be a few challenges to overcome as I see it:

1. You'll need to have some intense lighting at the 350 par level so top part of the tank. This is a challenge with smaller tanks because many times they aren't higher quality lights and may not give out enough intenisty or usable spectrum.
2. Feeding. Depending on the clam size and the intensity of the light you'll have to feed the clam. With a smaller tank you run the risk of fouling the water with feeding so you'll have to be careful with that.
3. The Maximas have basal attachments so I would suggest getting them to attach to a plug instead of a rock so they're moveable. I say this becuase if they need to be high in the tank but are below the water line in water changes that's not a great fit because by chance eventually they'll end up with an air buble in the mantle which can lead to death.

 

[Waters]

Also don't forget they can grow about an inch a year and get very big (over a foot in the wild). Once it starts growing it will suck up Ca (along with a few others) pretty quickly....especially in a small tank. They are the slowest growers of the Tridacna clams though.

 

[ReefJuice]

Well there are going to be a few challenges to overcome as I see it:

1. You'll need to have some intense lighting at the 350 par level so top part of the tank. This is a challenge with smaller tanks because many times they aren't higher quality lights and may not give out enough intenisty or usable spectrum.
2. Feeding. Depending on the clam size and the intensity of the light you'll have to feed the clam. With a smaller tank you run the risk of fouling the water with feeding so you'll have to be careful with that.
3. The Maximas have basal attachments so I would suggest getting them to attach to a plug instead of a rock so they're moveable. I say this becuase if they need to be high in the tank but are below the water line in water changes that's not a great fit because by chance eventually they'll end up with an air buble in the mantle which can lead to death.

I do have a Radion XR 15, so if I did get one I think it could cover that PAR intensity. The feeding is probably the biggest hurdle though. Right now my tank is pretty lightly stocked, and any changes to the tank will change the rates of consumption. I've been managing the water chemistry as best I can manually, but if I get a clam I think a dosing pump might be called for. It may be that at my experience level maintaining a clam in such a small tank leaves so little room for error and may need to wait my next tank. Then again, I can't get experience with clams if I don't try it. Sounds like if I do decide to keep one, I'll need to do a lot more research on it before taking the plunge.

 

[Chrisv.]

Start with a 2.5-3 inch clam. The small ones and the larger ones don't do as well.

What do you do for calcium and alkalinity? Maxima clams make sps look undemanding when it comes to light and alk/ca needs.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

I do have a Radion XR 15, so if I did get one I think it could cover that PAR intensity. The feeding is probably the biggest hurdle though. Right now my tank is pretty lightly stocked, and any changes to the tank will change the rates of consumption. I've been managing the water chemistry as best I can manually, but if I get a clam I think a dosing pump might be called for. It may be that at my experience level maintaining a clam in such a small tank leaves so little room for error and may need to wait my next tank. Then again, I can't get experience with clams if I don't try it. Sounds like if I do decide to keep one, I'll need to do a lot more research on it before taking the plunge.

The light will b sufficient to keep it happy. When and if u feed the tank it will filter. Try to get 2.5-3 inch and place it in a cradle or in the rock. They do like to attach themselves. Good luck

 

[ReefJuice]

Start with a 2.5-3 inch clam. The small ones and the larger ones don't do as well.

What do you do for calcium and alkalinity? Maxima clams make sps look undemanding when it comes to light and alk/ca needs.

Currently I run a small mixture of Tropic Marin All For Reef which I dose depending on how I test things roughly every 3 days. Water changes are 20% every week so that also replenishes trace elements.

 

[Chrisv.]

Currently I run a small mixture of Tropic Marin All For Reef which I dose depending on how I test things roughly every 3 days. Water changes are 20% every week so that also replenishes trace elements.

I suggest investing in a dosing pump and adding a little each day. Get things rock steady. You will need to increase the afr at an increasing rate as the clam grows.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Currently I run a small mixture of Tropic Marin All For Reef which I dose depending on how I test things roughly every 3 days. Water changes are 20% every week so that also replenishes trace elements.

I had a derasa for a few years and it was a calcium and alkalinity hog.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

I suggest investing in a dosing pump and adding a little each day. Get things rock steady. You will need to increase the afr at an increasing rate as the clam grows.

I still dose by hand lol

 

[Chrisv.]

I still dose by hand lol

Man it gets so much easier when you make the jump to a dosing pump. Especially with all for reef. One pump, a few mls a day. When it's automated the uniformity really seems to turbo charge sps growth. I did it by hand for many years. I even thought I was doing it well and at "around the same time." Switched to dosing and before you know it the sps are growing like weeds.

 

[ReefJuice]

Man it gets so much easier when you make the jump to a dosing pump. Especially with all for reef. One pump, a few mls a day. When it's automated the uniformity really seems to turbo charge sps growth. I did it by hand for many years. I even thought I was doing it well and at "around the same time." Switched to dosing and before you know it the sps are growing like weeds.

Do you have any suggestions for dosing pumps? There's a pretty wide variety of dosing pumps on BRS, but reviews don't always give a clear picture. Obviously I'd prefer cheaper, but going cheap in this hobby seems to bring lackluster results.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

If you have strong lighting and Excellent water quality, then keeping a clam is fairly easy. Clams have been kept in smaller tanks than 25 gallons. Just keep on top of tank husbandry and testing. Good luck .

 

[Chrisv.]

Do you have any suggestions for dosing pumps? There's a pretty wide variety of dosing pumps on BRS, but reviews don't always give a clear picture. Obviously I'd prefer cheaper, but going cheap in this hobby seems to bring lackluster results.

So I use the kamoer x1 pro wifi dosing pump. It's got bad reviews because 1) the app "leaves something to be desired", 2) it REQUIRES 2.4ghz wifi (and loses its mind when on a mesh network), and 3) it's a real PITA to set up, due to 1 and 2. Set aside a morning when your family is away doing errands or something and you're okay with being in a bad mood for a couple of hours and just set it up. I think people who like it most have their tank near their router.

All of that being said, it's done well for me once I set it up. But, dude, totally infuriating.

I wonder if the (cheaper) blue tooth model would be less painful. I think the issues are networking related. Of course, then you couldn't monitor it remotely. You will learn after playing with the app that you wouldn't DARE to control it remotely.

 

[vetteguy53081]

You can start with a small one but do be familiar with requirements. Maxima is best bet

 

[ReefJuice]

Tons of great responses on this thread, thanks a lot guys!

 

[wculver]

I do have a Radion XR 15, so if I did get one I think it could cover that PAR intensity. The feeding is probably the biggest hurdle though. Right now my tank is pretty lightly stocked, and any changes to the tank will change the rates of consumption. I've been managing the water chemistry as best I can manually, but if I get a clam I think a dosing pump might be called for. It may be that at my experience level maintaining a clam in such a small tank leaves so little room for error and may need to wait my next tank. Then again, I can't get experience with clams if I don't try it. Sounds like if I do decide to keep one, I'll need to do a lot more research on it before taking the plunge.

I mentioned the feeding because you'll probably need some at first I would say. At some point they seem to do well enough with just intense light but depneding on the size you start at provisional feeding is likely. If you read it is a 2 inch threshold but in my experience it's been larger than that. I actaully had the most success with hatching brine shrimp because both the clam and the fish would clean them up.

The dosing I took for granted that perhaps you were already doing that. The clam will absolutely require some dosing, water changes will no longer suffice. There are affordable two part dosing options and low cost dosers though so not insurmountable.

 

[DHill6]

I have a Mimosa in a 34g tank. It started off very small and has grown without problems. That’s what you see when walking in room, a good sized clam. Does take up a lot of room.

 

[old salt reefer]

Derasa in a IM10