Thinking of getting my first clam... help needed

[Reef55]

Ok, I have a 55 gallon tank, with a refugium underneath. It has been up for 20 months now. Inhabitants are a small (2") yellow tang (he will go to a bigger home when he grows up), an ORA clownfish, and a female mandarin (about an 1.5" long). The tank has a 5 inch DSB, and an ecosystem filter with caulerpa in the sump. There is about 150 lbs of live rock in the main tank. This is a skimmerless tank with 480 watts of URI VHO's and 2 10k 175 watt Ushio's (total of 790 watts on a 55). The only dosed chemical is B-ionic by ESV. There are plenty of pods and mini-stars and bristle worms everywhere. For corals, I have everything from mushrooms, ricordia, yellow and button polyps, green and pink star polyps, clove polyps, colt coral, leather, candy cane, pagoda (had over 12 months, great growth), a galaxia, a large octobubble, an anchor, an elegance, a moon, and about 10 different types of SPS corals. Everything grows great (the SPS grow more than any other).

I am highly interested in getting a clam, but only have room for 1, and want to make the right choice. What choices are possible with the above system? From the pictures I love the colors of the maxima or crocea clams, but I don't want to buy something my tank cannot support. Thanks in advance for your advice.

[Physh1]

I think there are 2 ways to view this....

1>>I have always liked to recommend a Derasa or Squamosa for a first clam simply because they are inexpensive and really hardy. In a way it would be a tester clam. If you lose it due to water quality or whatever... the cost is minimal and you don't kil a 100 dollar clam....BUT

2>>It sounds like you have a very well setup system and the corals ae healthy and growing so a clam should do really well. I would say it is a very safe bet a Maxima or Crocea would do great in there. You have plenty of light for any clam.....choose wisely.....

Whichever you choose (i would say go for what clam you want) just acclimate him well and enjoy him. Clams are killer and would have a tank tank full of them if I could.

Good luck, Cameron

[quiteallright14]

Im in the same place---except my tank has only been up for 6 months. Thing is i used all live sand had damsals in it the 2nd day and had yellow stars in it the first week. (which have been doing better than when in the store) i now have a Niger Triger, a watchman goby, Falco hawk, a rainbow wrasse, the damsals and a plate coral. i have only lost a few small crabs (the biggest was a sally lightfoot) and a small sick damsal. But my biggest question is---what are the greatest requriements? (Light, Food, Flow)?

[quiteallright14]

I forgot--I have one Flame Scallop. It hides alot, but besides that it looks healthy. Is there any way to get it to stay in sight? and how do they reproduce?--does it need anything more than DT's?

[DJREEF]

reef 55 - I agree with everything physh says, but to add that if you do get a T crocea or T maxima, you MUST place it on the rocks in the top half of your system. These clams don't belong on the sand. Good luck.

quiteallright- I'd lose the trigger if you plan on keeping Tridacnas. Yea, I know, he may have been a perfect gentleman/woman up to this point, but when you're dealing with critters who's survival depends on being able to receive light, undisturbed, then that concession must be afforded. The inquisitive predatory nature of triggers makes them public enemy #1 to any sessile invertebrate, esp one who's only defense denies it of the only means it has to feed itself.

DJ
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