Derasa or Squamosa under PC lighting?

[Mr aqua]

hi everyone -

i'm new to RC and i think this site is awesome for beginner and advanced keepers. all the different threads and good information has me reading and reasearching for hours. i've been in the hobby for a while now and am getting back into it, since i moved to so cali i haven't had much time/money for it. but i have started a nano-reef where i have experience in and was curious to know people opinions on T. clams under PC lighting. i have another funny question, my PC bulbs are from CustomSea Life (CSL), i have the new model PC light set up that is made to sit ontop of the tank with no canopy or glass top. now the PC light re basically two strips(bulbs) attatched. Four total, two 10k(white)and 2 blue actinic. now the package sez 65watts, does that mean its' 65W per strip or combined or should i consider both strips as one complete set or bulb? its all encased in housing with built in cooling fan - sweeeeT looking set up. everyone sez not to do even the low light clams under PC lights, and some say that its cooL. at my LFS the clams look great, even the maximas all under PC lighting. from how i understand it arent aquacultured clams used to PC? any info/opinion would be cooL - oh and BTW i hope i don't ignite an argument i know how touchy this subject is ... hehe

[alan214]

You need to consider tank depth as well. The LFS tanks typically are only about a foot deep so PC lighting is fine for the short time they spend there. Squamosa is supposed to be fine under PC but mine never would stay open all the way until I added MH.

[Mr aqua]

The colony !! haha i graduated from TC back in 98' - didn't think there were any reef keepers there - so where do u get ur livestock? and my tank is a 20 hig with the lights about 1in from the surface. .

[alan214]

Really? There are a handful of reefers here. The owner of the LFS I usually go to (Dallas North Aquarium) lives (or at least until recently, lived) in the Colony. One of my neighbors a few doors down is a reefer and I keep meaning to go by and introduce myself.

Nice to meet you!

[Mr aqua]

alan214-

and you must be refering to John Holcomb and Sandra.
I was actually working for John for almost 3 yrs in H.S. at
DNA they are cool people, so he doesn't live in TC anymore?- Have u seen the new place? is it awesome or what?
tell me what u think -

vN.

[AttackDonut]

FWIW:

It's 65 watts per bulb set (so if you have two, it's 130 watts)
I had a Squamosa clam under 220 watts of PC lights in a 29 bowfront and it did just fine!

I now have a Derasa under 130 watts of PC lights in a 5.5 micro tank and he is also doing just fine.

The other types of clams needs MH bulbs, but the Squamys are great under PC lights.

[labrat31]

130 wt PC
20 gal high

Derasa clam

[labrat31]

another

[Mr aqua]

guys -

niiice!! i think my mind is made. good pic of that derasa labrat and thanks for clearing up that light question attackdoughnut that issue was confusing me, now i can be more accurate about my tank specs. how long have u guys had ur specimen for? and do u think hardier species of sps/ lps or caps would do ok with that lighting? my LFS advisor who's personal tanks look quite impressive say certian typse would work- thoughts? i also had another question. do u guys us a Ca reactor or add in trace elements manually? i want a Ca reactor but just can't justify a $500 piece of equipment for a nano-reef!! although they say its much less of a headache then adding by hand. i was doin some research and found a KNOP brand for around 250, do u guys have any experience/info on this brand? thanks for the info -

[alan214]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mr aqua
[B]alan214-

and you must be refering to John Holcomb and Sandra.
I was actually working for John for almost 3 yrs in H.S. at
DNA they are cool people, so he doesn't live in TC anymore?- Have u seen the new place? is it awesome or what?
tell me what u think -

You got it. I think they left TC but I'm not sure. I'll ask the next time I'm there.

DNA is the nicest store I've seen to date and that covers a half dozen states. The main complaint you hear is high prices and poor coral selection. They definitely should expand the coral section an sell more acro's, etc.

[Mr aqua]

i agree, they've been getting higher but the quality / service from the staff is always decenT. u gotta get there early and on shipment days to get the besT pick stuff goes fast there! and i most definitly agree on the acro point u had, they don't carry any except inside the displays. its probably inexperience and lack of a steady caretaker on staff that holds them back from acros.

[labrat31]

Hey Mr. aqua,

My gravity driven top off water contains kalkwasser, srtot, molyb, and iodine. I also use B-ionic to fine tune my alk and ca levels. Hope this helps, those clams are ca hogs and you have to stay on top of your levels, especially for the larger one's!

Rick

[rjwilson37]

I have a typical 29gal with the Coralife 130w PC and my squamosa is looking really good. He is open all day long and then closes up a little at night. His color is nice and he looks happy.

[labrat31]

Any pics rjwilson37?

[rjwilson37]

Here is a link to my home page, you can go to My Tank Inhabitants page and look at the pictures towards the bottom.

http://rjwilson37.com

Thanks,

[smoke171]

I am setting up a 29 gal with 130watt pc lights. I am planning on adding 2 maroon clowns and a rose anemone. Could I put a Squamosa in this tank? I also have a 90gal with 260wattpc lights. It has various LPS and a couple of Acro frags, would a squamosa do better in this tank? the height is 24"

Thanks,

John

[Mr aqua]

given all the above info - and the research i've done a squamy should do fine under that type of set up, also look up derasa clam that would be another good candidate too. just stay away from crocea or maxima, in other words the best looking ones u can't have... anything blue , green, purple - sucks huh?

[jackson6745]

The pics say it all. Here is the same clam under PC's and 6 months later under halides. The clam went from an ugly brown to a nice golden color.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/25038clam.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/25038Copy_of_aug2001.jpg

[rjwilson37]

Squamosa for your 29gal, they do not grow that fast. Derasa for your 90gal, but like he states above the derasa will not look to good because of the 24" height as well as 3w per gal. Your 29gal has 4.4w a gallon and only 18" height.

My squamosa is a nice Green in my 29gal with 130w PC.

[smoke171]

Thanks for the info. What about the anemone, will it cause any problems with the clams. assuming the anemone stays put.

[rjwilson37]

What type of anemone?

[smoke171]

Bubble Tip, Rose

[rjwilson37]

Yes, I have a Squamosa that is on the sand in front of where the bubble situated himself. I make sure the bubble can not touch him, I do not want my clam getting stung.

They say alot of anemones can cause problems if they wander around alot, stinging corals. But if he is situated and stay's which most find there place, will be fine.

[smoke171]

Thanks for all the help

[melev]

I have a Maxima in my 29g under 165w of PC lighting.

Maxima Macro shots (http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/1003/macro_maxima.html)

[labrat31]

very nice maxima melev, wow!!

[smoke171]

Melev,

What color PC bulbs do you use?

[melev]

All three are 50/50 bulbs (half white, half blue).

Originally, it was a 6500K bulb, a 7100K bulb, and a 50/50.

[Mr aqua]

you only have 3 50/50 bulbs? wow - is that even possible for maxima survivable? obviously for u it works - crazy! i wonder of a max clam would work under my 120Watt PCs at 20in depth??
any thoughts? and is anyone else keeping Max's with anything other then MH?

[melev]

Mr Aqua, the reason my Maxima has done well is because the tank isn't tall. In a 29g, the depth is around 12" to the substrate.

At 20", you need a lot brighter light to provide enough intensity to penetrate 20" deep adequately for these creatures.

[Mr aqua]

thats what i was thinking - i guess derasa and squamosa for me!