First Clam Advice Please

[digitalreefer]

Ok... my tank will be back up soon and Lissa has given me a clam IOU for Valentine's Day. I'm going to hold off until I'm sure my tank is free of mini cycles and is stable again, but want to start considering the clam possibilities. I'm planning on getting the new clam book, but wanted to get a heads up on what the best clams to start with are and what the primary differences between them are. At what size do they no longer need to be target fed? Is there anything special I should know prior to getting one?

Clamcrazy... I really want to hear your voice on this... you seem to have a decent grasp on how to keep these guys :spin:

 

[digitalreefer]

Just out of curiosity... why was this moved from reefs for beginners to general discussion?

 

[Deanos]

To give it more visibility.

 

[clamcrazy]

good to hear that you are going to get the clam book first, you can get a copy from clamsdirect.com for 45 dollars shipping included. as for your first clam i think you should get a derasa clam because they are one of the more hardy clams, to try and keep it simple they can take changes in water conditions better then some other clams. they seem to get not as stressed as some of the other clams do, and they are not one of clams that need intense lighting. before you go ahead and add a clam contact me so we could get into more detail on this. as to how long tank is running and water parms and so on. best of luck.

 

[digitalreefer]

The tank is being set back up now... it was running for nearly a year when I decided to take it down and correct my many mistakes. I've got a 175w MH pendant and the clam will likely go dead center under the light. I'm going to try to ensure that the rock is done leeching or that I at least have it under control before adding the clam. With my sump and fuge, I've got a total volume of about 60g of water and just set up an auto top off to help with stability.

So do I have any other options, or is Derasa the way to go. If that's the way to go, then that's what I'll get, just want to know if I have a choice at all. Also, if the Derasa is the only way to go, do I want it on a rock or on the sand so I can keep a place for it when I reaquascape?

As far as the book... Amazon has it for $40 and I have the Amazon Prime... no shipping... so I'll probably order it from them, but thanks for the suggestion.

 

[clamcrazy]

if you are going to add a clam this soon i would say go with a derasa for the reasons i have mentioned above. see how you do with one for a few months and wait till you start to get some good coraline going on the glass before you move on to a crocea or squamosa. i think you would be better off with a 250w MH for croceas and maximas. how far from the surface is the light and how tall is the tank. and yes you can keep a derasa on the bottom.

 

[digitalreefer]

The tank is only 12" Tall... It's a 33g Long (48x12x12) and the light is about 8-10 inches from the surface.

Unfortunately, the electric in my building prevents me from upgrading my lights so I may have to stick with some of the easier ones until I move.

Just to clarify... I'm in no rush to get the clam, it will still be a bit before I put it in, I just want to start learning more about them now so I don't kill it when I do get it. After I set up the tank again, I'll order the book, then read it, then ask more questions, then start looking for a nice clam... then maybe... just maybe... finally get one! After taking this tank down to correct my original mistakes, I'm not rushing anything.

 

[clamcrazy]

at least you are going about this in the right way, good for you. just let me know if there is anything i can help you with along the way.

 

[digitalreefer]

Thanks CC, I'll drop you a line when I'm ready to get him. Anyone else have anything I should know?