clams
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Invertebrates
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions about invertebrates.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=36331
Printed Date: September 17 2025 at 4:44am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: clams
Posted By: pa_reptileman_4
Subject: clams
Date Posted: November 08 2009 at 9:34pm
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clams under pc's, now ive seen the convos before of not putting clams under pc's, but what about t5's and vho's? i know where there is a clam in a 55 bowfron under 4x39w t5's, just under the 3w per gallon. it has been there for a while and has doubled in size in the past few months i have seen it regularly, but what about clams in nanos under power compacts, 2x36w, 3w per gal. now this clam has been on the bottom of this tank and doing great. any word on this thanks. ------------- pitiful guppy tank. shane |
Replies:
Posted By: sanddune600
Date Posted: November 08 2009 at 10:42pm
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I hate the watt per gallon method personally as there are many things that factor such as bulbs reflectors ballast and depth of water anyways do you have sps in this tank if so if you have enough light for it to thrive I think a clam is doable ------------- Andy Jorgensen My number is four three 5 7 six four 8 0 three four |
Posted By: downhill_biker
Date Posted: November 08 2009 at 11:50pm
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I was told at the Mountain West Reef Fest by one of the speakers to smack anyone who uses the watts/gallon rule. I guess I will smack you at the next meeting...lol. Honestly I think that you should have MH, T5, or LED to sustain clams properly, MH being the best. I bought my clam from a tank with PC lights, and it was barely surviving. I think it has doubled in size in the last few months after getting real light. The color has completely changed too. It was very transparent and brown, now it is full of color and bright. This tells me that it was loosing its zoazanthellae and wasn't getting the food it needed from the light. ------------- Make sure you post your best pictures every month in our POTM forum. |
Posted By: arthuriv
Date Posted: November 08 2009 at 11:51pm
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I don't understand why it would matter if you have MH's, T5's, or PC's. I thought as long as you have the wattage that is really all that matters, right? I want to put a clam in my 55 gallon tank and I'm currently running 322 watts of PC's soon to be 384 watts. Why would this not be good enough? Thank You! Arthur |
Posted By: downhill_biker
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 12:04am
nope it isn't wattage per gallon. it is dependent on many factors, but basically the only way to measure usable light is PAR or PPFD. there are many different lights out there and they each have a different amount of PAR that is actually produced. then you can use things like reflectors, number of bulbs, wattage, ballasts, ect to increase the output. PC lights will work in many cases, but really dont have the intensity that our corals need to thrive. Spectrum also comes into play when choosing lighting. ------------- Make sure you post your best pictures every month in our POTM forum. |
arthuriv wrote:Posted By: Jeffs_little_ocean
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 12:07am
| Author, im no lighting expert, but I know that PAR is a much more important number than WPG. PAR is basically saying how much useful light the clam or coral is getting. If you have 384 watts of PC's but half the light or 192 watts are being shot up into the reflector and then right back down into the bulb, that light isnt doing the corals much good. With a T5 or a MH and a good reflector you can get double or tripple the useful light or par with much less wattage. |
Posted By: pa_reptileman_4
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 12:16am
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I do have sps lps leathers and softies all mixed in at different levels from top of the rocks to the sand bed and everything is thriving. I think I'll be alright ------------- pitiful guppy tank. shane |
Posted By: Jeffs_little_ocean
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 12:38am
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PA could you please post a pic of the thriving SPS under PC's? Id kind of like to see that. |
Posted By: pa_reptileman_4
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 12:49am
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Really you have doubts of sps thriving under pc's? I will tomorow check out the post in Buy sell trade by Pmguernsey all the sps he is selling lives under pc's But I will get pics if you don't believe. FYI the types I'm growing are cactus coral orange digi, monti, and cats paw. ------------- pitiful guppy tank. shane |
Posted By: Jeffs_little_ocean
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 1:03am
| No I believe you. I just think there is better lighting out there than PC's. I think it would be interesting if clams could talk and you asked one under 3 watts of PC light "Hey buddy, are you thriving?" I wonder what he would say? |
Posted By: Chad
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 1:05am
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I have grown clams and sps under pc's but they were only in 6" deep water under 130 watts of pc lights half 10 k half blue and I made sure to change my bulbs every 6 months alternating so one bulb would be replaced and 3 months later the other would get replaced and I still think they have survived and thrived amazingly better in my tanks with halides. ------------- What?! You pooped in the refrigerator, and ate the entire wheel of cheese?! I'm not even mad.... That's actually amazing! |
Posted By: pa_reptileman_4
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 1:15am
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I agree with you on the prefer better light. But I'm limited here all I have left is a 24jbj with stock pc's ran off of a workhorse 5 ballast. I think if it is placed mid-top of the tank it will do just as good. ------------- pitiful guppy tank. shane |
Posted By: pa_reptileman_4
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 2:06am
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I agree with you on the prefer better light. But I'm limited here all I have left is a 24jbj with stock pc's ran off of a workhorse 5 ballast. I think if it is placed mid-top of the tank it will do just as good. ------------- pitiful guppy tank. shane |
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 9:13am
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When James Fatherree was here he said that clams under pc is hit and miss, but clams under halides is always a hit. He highly recommended not keeping any clams under pc bulbs, and if you had vho or t5 keeping them up very high.
Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: PMGuernsey
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 12:02pm
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I have a clam under pc at the bottum of my 29 and it has been there for about a year now no problems it is allways out and is a beautiful blue color I will post pics later. I do agree that better lighting would be better, this is obvious because it cost more.
Heres the picture
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Posted By: Aquaristnewbie
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 11:30pm
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I have had mine under PCs in a 29 for a year and a half no problem. It did fine. Now it is under halides and the color is much better. But it did fine under PC ------------- 150 gallon Reef Millcreek Utah |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: November 10 2009 at 5:49am
Fluorescent tubes are much more energy efficient than MH and if used in sufficient number can be just fine for Clams.
Wattage is a measure of electricity (Amperes X Volts = Watts). It has nothing to do with lumens/light intensity. That's why it's not a good measure of what lighting to use.
A clam receiving some sunlight from a nearby window will do much better than one without.
Here are some other pics of clams under PC or VHO.
  Whoops, sorry that's an Oyster.
 The large clam pictured here grew for many years on the bottom of a large tank under PC light.
  ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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