T. Crocea.substrate or rockwork?

[mr_X]

just purchased a T. Crocea, and i was going to place it in the substrate, but i have just made some room high on the rockwork and i can put it there as well.
my lighting is a concern, because i have literally fried an acro placing it up too high. so, should i start him low and work him up, or do you think he will be ok/need to be up high, or leave him in the substrate?

 

[Anonymous]

I'd start him on the bottom and see how he does.

It's hard to raise clams slowly up the rock, becuase they tend to attach to the rocks.

You could sit him in a clams shell on the substrate, so he attaches to it. Then you can raise him slower.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

They are less likely to bleach than acros, but better be safe that sorry. They do demand a lot of light, so staying on the bottom is not a good idea. I usually use a piece of concave live rock for clam to attach to, and move the rock up over a period of two weeks.

 

[TheJGMProject]

I have a crocea myself and I have it at the top of the tank. My take on it is that they prefer being on a rock versus substrate.

i would do what dupaboy recommeded and get the clam attached to a rock and slowly elevate him. Since your light seems extremely powerful, you clam may do fine at mid level in your tank

any pics?

take care

 

[Anonymous]

My Crocea is just above the halfway point in the tank and it is under 175 watt SE 15K Iwasakis. It is growing very well. My Maxima is right next to it.

I do not know what your lighting consists of but mine is thriving where it is at.

 

[SnowManSnow]

I have a fist sized crocea near the top of my tank with 550 w. He likes it there.

As stated b4 i would definitly start him low...move him up over a month to at least the middle of the tank IMO. A lot of the time it isn't really the INTENSITY of the light that burns things, but rather that they haven't had enough time to acclimate to your lighting system.. its kinda like getting a tan.

Keepin mind that Croceas will sometimes attatch to the rock they if they like a place... so start it out on a rock you can move around with the clam.
When I got mine he litterally footed himself within a few hours!

Eventually, if it stays in the same place long enough, it will burrow down into the rock so that the mantle is the only thing that is really exposed.

B

 

[mr_X]

lmao..i shouldn't have taken so long to read this...he's already locked on 8O

that acro that i cooked was in my tank for over a month, then all of the sudden he bleached. the same thing was happening to a grape cap frag i have. the guy who sold it to me kept telling me to keep it high in the tank, and it looked terrible...finally, before i tossed it in the sump as a piece of LR rubble, i placed it on the sand bed for a few days....guess what....purple polyps started popping out!

i probably have too much light on my tank. i have 2-400watt 20k halides, with 2x96 10k cf and 2x96 actinic. the halides are about a foot above the water, and some acros do well under them, and some can't take it. as for all of the data on acros i have seen so far, they basically say.."this one needs high light and medium flow" "this one needs medium light and medium flow". i haven't found an actual chart that says "if you use 400 watt halides a foot above the water, place this acro low...."

 

[mr_X]

here's that handome little devil

 

[TheJGMProject]

nice 'ultra' coloring looks like electricity is running through it.

i wish I could look at my crocea from the top of my tank all the time becuase it gives off more green in color, and hints of blue. i can only do this when i shut off the pumps of my tank.

again, nice clam!

 

[TheJGMProject]

I figure i should share mine too......

 

[mr_X]

nice..do you target feed it?

 

[TheJGMProject]

Since T. Crocea's need more light than food I would say no. Actually, I don't even target feed it when I target feed my SPS corals. All it does is sit right under a 150W MH bulb and feeds off of whatever it needs that's in the water. I believe it likes what I'm doing so far because of the new layers that are forming beneath its mantle.