When can a new tank sustain large Clams?

[m0nkie]

Hi. Just want to know when is a good time to buy a clam. Specifically the Maxima clams. They look so nice in the tank.

My tank has finished cycle for over a month now. Got some snails, shrimps, polyp, xenia, and mushrooms. 2 Fish in QT.

I've read that to support clams, I need strong lighting and decent flow. But how many months should I wait for the tank to truly establish? I can't find a time mark anywhere. I know anemones are around 6 months, so I'm waiting for that.

I have Kessil 360WE as lights, 2 WP40 for flow. good enough?

Nitrite, Ammonia: 0
Nitrate: ~25-40 (fluctuates)
PH: 8.2
Alk: 8.5
Phosphate: 0.15

[ca1ore]

I'm inclined to put clams in the same category as SPS - you're good as long as tank parameters are stable. Key to clams is strong lighting, a decent fish population, modest flow, and boatloads of alkalinity and calcium. Nothing sucks down the latter quite like a big clam. Awesome animals, though.

[m0nkie]

ah thanks. So they should be one of the last things to add? was hoping I could add one after 5 or 6 months. SPS category sounds hardcore for a newbie

I've been reading up on dosing kalk from my ATO. Don't need to do it yet but I can start before the clam goes in.

[MondoBongo]

usually the 6 month thing is more a general guideline as to the experience of the aquarist, not necessarily the maturity of the tank.

if you've got strong lights, ATO, and kalk, that is a good portion of the requirements met right there. keeping the temp, salinity, alk, and cal stable is really most of the battle.

personally i've found clams to be easier than acropora. i can't speak for T. maxima, but T. derasa and T. crocea have proved very hardy in my system, both in QT and the DT.

have you stopped by the clam specific forum yet? lots of good info there. especially important is choosing the right clam for you, and being able to identify the signs of a healthy specimen.

in regards to dosing kalk through your ATO, you might want to consider a peristaltic dosing pump, like the kind BRS makes. this gives you a much better ability to fine tune your amounts. you can run it on a timer, and have a very high level of control of how much gets dosed, as opposed to relying on evaporation replacement. i know my evap changes a lot, depending on the time of year, temp in the house, humidity, etc, but my alk/cal uptake remains relatively consistent. then you also eliminate the concern of overdosing if your ATO pump gets stuck on.

certainly there are plenty of success stories of kalk through ATO use, but just something to think about.

what are you running in your reactors? i have heard anecdotal reports of certain types of GFO making clams unhappy.

finally, what else is in your potential stock list?

[ca1ore]

A new tank goes through a lot of changes (just think about the various kinds of algae that pop up and then disappear) in the first six months, so I think it is generally good advice to hold off on sensitive animals for that length of time - not a hard-n-fast rule, but a good guideline.

[m0nkie]

Thanks. Im running Brs carbon and gfo in my reactors.

As for fish, probably not many. Clowns, yellow tang, mandarin, chromie, and a YWG. Ill be sure to check compatibility

[BoyNextDoor]

your tank is still an "infant"

wait for at least 8-10 months for your tank to mature before getting clams.