Clams good in SPS water?

[door]

my plan for my new reef is an SPS tank, using a couple euro-reef skimmers to totally scrub anything out of the water. Very light bio-load topped off with metal halides outa the wazoo. However, I also would like to do clams, but considering their a filter feeder, will they be okay in such nutrient starved water? Which would be the best species for this style tank if possible?

[SteveP]

The basic rule of thumb is to get a clam 3" in size or more. 4" is safer. That way they ware big enough to sustain themselves through their zooxanthellae alone, and you won't have to worry about feeding them. If you have adequate lighting (and it sounds like you do) they should be ok. Since you're going to be feeding your corals anyway the clams may get some additional nutrition.

Steve
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[MiNdErAsR]

Save your money on the dual skimmer thing. One will cancel out the other. Or just buy a more powerful skimmer. Either way you only need one.

My clams are doing fine in my acro tank. Using Precision Marine Bullet 2 to skim my 120g tank. No problems.

HTH

[Hammer]

Something to think about here. The clam itself will get food from the zooxanthellae, but the zooxanthellae itself is what needs the nitrates. So in a very low nutrient situation, you are starving the zooxanthellae, which in turns starves the clam.
The clam and zooxanthellae are not a closed loop symbiotic system, they both need nutrients from the water.