t5/clams/bad lfs experience

[ltt83]

i goto the lfs and ask how much those clams are and he tells me the price then he ask what kind of lighting im useing and i tell him t5 4x54w running on an icecaps ballast. he goes sorry i cant sell you that clam because they only survive under MH lights.....is he right? i mean seriously it kinda ticked me off....

[nm354]

Clams do not need metal halides. I am sucessfully keeping a T. Crocea and a T. Derasa under 4 VHO 110W's. I am not up on T5's but i am sure there are people clams under them.

[Letmegrow]

They will do fine under that kind of set up, wth proper water quality.

[The Grim Reefer]

A lot of LFS guys don't have a clue about T5's. At least this guy thinks he is helping you not make a bad buy,

[asmujica]

What is the size of your tank?

[ltt83]

its a 90 gallon forgot to mention that

[hahnmeister]

Well, 4x54wattT5 might be a little on the light side for intensity...depending on the bulbs you are running (you could be running 3 GE 6500K bulbs for all we know). But for the most part, I would either suggest at least 2 more bulbs or overdriving the existing bulbs with an Icecap 660 ballast (as long as you add fans).

But in general, I would think T5s to be more capable than halides for clam growing.

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7585939#post7585939 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hahnmeister
I would either suggest at least 2 more bulbs or overdriving the existing bulbs with an Icecap 660 ballast (as long as you add fans).


"i goto the lfs and ask how much those clams are and he tells me the price then he ask what kind of lighting im useing and i tell him t5 4x54w running on an icecaps ballast."

Already running the IC ballasts.

Take off the shades so you can see:D

[hahnmeister]

Sorry, I was just cleaning my Tek light and everything I see is dark and orange now...

[ltt83]

seriously i dont see why i can not raise clams with the setup i have now...some of my friends run a 175w MH with 3 vho in their 30g and my tank still looks brighter i want to do a clam on the bottom and sps in the upper 1/3 of the tank do yall think that it is possible with this setup i would like to know if it is not possible.

[dvanacker]

SURE IS POSSIBLE........dont sweat the fact that people still dont know what T5 is capable of.

I have 3 clams in my T5 tank and they are all growing like crazy. Squamosa and Maxima and Crocea. They love the T5.

[jmaneyapanda]

Excuse me for a moment while I get on my soapbox.....I used to work at LFS, and I cannot tell you how many times someone would ask me my opinion on compatibility or tank conditions, and if the anser wasn't the one they were hoping for, and because of this, I WAS BEING A JERK! I cant tell you how many people want to keep lionfish with clownfish, or a giant queen angel in their "huge" 29 gallon was awesome filtration (undergravel and air pump). As someone mentioned earlier, this guy was trying to help you not waste your money, as well as not unnecessarily kill an animal. Albeit, I agree his information is certainly incorrect, I have kept tridacnids under VHO, and have even seen them kept under PC and NO bulbs, PROVIDED CERTAIN CONDITIONS ARE STILL MET! These clams need intense lighting, and however you can supply it, that is whats important. I perosnally do not think the amount of lighting you have will suffice for a 18" tall 90 gallon, unless you have the clams way up on the rocks to get the light easily.
But back to the original point I mentioned, I would not say you had a "bad" LFS experinece, but you merely got the opinion of the person who was employed at the store. The more opinions you can get, the more you can gauge the anomolous ones.

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7586710#post7586710 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jmaneyapanda
I perosnally do not think the amount of lighting you have will suffice for a 18" tall 90 gallon, unless you have the clams way up on the rocks to get the light easily.


I have personally tested PAR on such a system (4 lamp Ice Cap driven T5's)over a 23" tall 125. The T5's put 183 UMOL's of PAR to the sandbed. My 250 watt DE halide system could only hit the 120's with ugly 10K lamps. The 14K's only did 95. That is what I mean about LFS guys having no clue about T5's. Even using standard ballasts they are easily as intense at depth as the best 175 watt halides and overdriven they will perform with 250 watt HQI halides.