Predator tank parameters good enough for clams?

[alexytman]

Hi, I have a reef tank with soft corals (leather, zoans/paly etc. This tank is a predator tank with heavy feeding of frozen shrimp and other seafood to fish like lionfish and also ghost shrimp are sometimes fed to my frogfish and ribbon eel(if ribbon eel doesn't eat that week).

I was wondering what are suitable to these animals. (So far corals are healthy and expanding)

My nitrates are between 5 and 10 ppm
And nitrite was detected but fixed after big water change and is now undetectable.
Ammonia zero.

My setup is a 80gal with a sump of 30gal with algae scrubber, skimmer and a weekly 10percent water change.

Stock is
Yellow Tang
Square anthias
Ribbon eel
Frogfish
Marine Betta
And one two inch lionfish (looking to get one more small lionfish species)

I'm looking into getting clams and would like to see if these conditions would be problematic. (Salinity is 1.024) and uses redsea coral pro salt.)

 

[Jrainey312]

I dont see why not. From what I know they like some nutrients in the water and a decent amount of light. That being said I have a maxima in my tank with an aiprime/t5 hybrid and it's in the sand bed doing fine

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don't see anything mentioned that is a problem, but I'd measure the alkalinity.

 

[DeniseAndy]

You will have to keep an eye on calcium/alkalinity with clams. They demand a lot. Softies not so much. None of those fish should bother a clam, but get a good size one or they may find it appetizing. Make sure any new additions are also good with clams.
Personally, I would start with derasa at least 4" as they are least demanding, a bit more forgiving and you can learn to monitor your calcium well cuz they can grow fast.

 

[MnFish1]

Curious. Aren’t you a little concerned with the lion fish and some of your other fish ie the anthias. Though I don’t know which lion you have. Isn’t there some problem with toxins from soft corals and clams?

 

[DeniseAndy]

Soft corals do excrete a lot. I have never had a problem with my clams with sps, lps, or softies. In fact they did much better with softies and lps. Maybe I misunderstood you though.

 

[MnFish1]

Soft corals do excrete a lot. I have never had a problem with my clams with sps, lps, or softies. In fact they did much better with softies and lps. Maybe I misunderstood you though.

No that’s what I meant. I got rid of leather corals in my tank that had gotten huge and everything seemed to do better. But this coral literally grew to be 2 feet in diameter in a 110 gallon tank

 

[MnFish1]

Soft corals do excrete a lot. I have never had a problem with my clams with sps, lps, or softies. In fact they did much better with softies and lps. Maybe I misunderstood you though.

Though predators are often the primary source of problems for giant clams, you must also watch out for tank inhabitants and growths that can irritate clams. Irritants include algae, sweeper tentacles of stinging corals, Aiptasia anemones allowed to grow on clams, and the noxious by-products of some soft corals. Even air bubbles rapped inside the clam.can be an irritant.

 

[MnFish1]

Tangs have also been shown to pester clams. It seems fairly well documented but anecdotal

 

[DeniseAndy]

I agree. Any fish can suddenly be an issue with clams. They are so touchy at times. Mine even did well in the gorg tank till I had to remove cuz of my puffer. They are now in my lps tank and doing great.
So, I never had a problem with the toxins in the water, but I did have to run carbon constantly. I grew a nice derasa and squamosa in my gorg tank (till I got a red foot conch - thought to be reef safe) that ate both clams in less than 24 hours. Squammy was almost a foot long. Darn snail.