Tiny Maxima

[ezcompany]

is that missing person ben affleck?

[Kalkbreath]

The question we need to ask, is not do corals eat?
...or even if clams eat.
The question is do they eat what we feed them ?

[Atticus]

Originally posted by ezcompany
is that missing person ben affleck?

It is Calfo. I need to change it out...

Here is a link to the sticky at the top of this very forum. There are some great articles here that show the usefulness of feeding your tank. Just try to take into account that DT's funded the research, take from it what you will.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...threadid=70806

[mbbuna]

Originally posted by Atticus
It is Calfo. I need to change it out...

Here is a link to the sticky at the top of this very forum. There are some great articles here that show the usefulness of feeding your tank. Just try to take into account that DT's funded the research, take from it what you will.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...threadid=70806

the DT's article the Shimek wrote is BS, i was trying to be nice earlier when i said "an article" i was talking about that article. if you read that article and look at the references that Shimek cites, then go read what he cites, Shimek spun and twisted them to craft an article for DT's to sell phyto. he omitted thing from those references that would flat out disprove his own article.

[Stoney Mahony]

Originally posted by mbbuna
the DT's article the Shimek wrote is BS, i was trying to be nice earlier when i said "an article" i was talking about that article. if you read that article and look at the references that Shimek cites, then go read what he cites, Shimek spun and twisted them to craft an article for DT's to sell phyto. he omitted thing from those references that would flat out disprove his own article.

Im so glad that Im not the only one that feels that way! I read through those cites and it was a joke!

[TropTrea]

I had just been at the MGM in Vegas where the rainforest cafe has numerious acrylic tanks. The first thing I noted was every tank looked extremly cloudy, and I thought there filteration system sucked. However on close examination it appeared to be the type of acrylic the tanks were made of. The surface was not the super clear that you get even with standard grade glass.

Now I have seen Starfire glass, and will say that in larger tanks with thicker glass it is a big big improvement over regular glass. However on smaller tanks with less than 1/'4" glass I'm not sure if the difference is worth the extra money.

Originally posted by prugs
Nope.
You could get an acrylic or starfire glass tank, that would help.

[critterkeeper]

Kalkbreath wrote:

"I have studied clams for a few years now; under the microscope, one can clearly witness the zooxanthella inside a clam's blood stream... I have never found plankton?[neither zoo plankton or phytoplankton] EVEN after days of target feeding... Ingesting food is carried out when the clams gills allow only certain substances to pass through their membranes. "

Zoox aren't found in the bloodstream, they are kept in a specialized system of tubes called the zooxanthellal tubular system. And the gills don't let things "pass through their membranes". Particulates are sorted and passed to the labial palps, then injested by the mouth, which leads to the stomach. Also, numerous studies have found phyto in their stomachs, as well as some other things, including zooplankton.

Really, this entire subject is covered in great detail in my book, but I can throw this in too. I was successfully keeping clams in 1993 - before there was any such thing as phyto in a bottle. DT's hadn't even been "invented" yet - it came out in 1996. I'd never even heard of trying to feed them anything - and they didn't die. I started a maintenance business in 1996 and had numerous clams in customers tanks - and never used phyto in any of them, until I started using live sand beds in a few tanks in maybe 1999. Never noticed any change in growth/survival of clams. That's how I knew DT's/Shimek's article was wrong before I ever looked at any of the references. Yes, it is complete BS.

[critterkeeper]

Oh yeah, the change in color with a change in viewing angle is normal. It's due to little reflective structures in the mantle called iridophores. Has nothing to do with glass/acrylic. Also covered in the book.

[jbittner]

I am so glad critterkeeper and mmbuna have the time to post on this board. I get so much info from them it is great. thank you both for you time and (as it seem) neverending effort to bring correct information to us "clam newbies".
BTW I have been keeping clams for 3 yrs and I have dosed Phyto 3x a week from the start. I always learn something from you guys.

[Gem Tang Rider]

Originally posted by critterkeeper
Oh yeah, the change in color with a change in viewing angle is normal. It's due to little reflective structures in the mantle called iridophores. Has nothing to do with glass/acrylic. Also covered in the book.

Thanks for the info:
Now I don't feel bad having a high iron content glass tank.

[jay24k]

There is no need for supplemental feedings or extra feedings for corals. The food you feed your tank is not consumable by the corals. If you did perhaps feed food that is small enough, they could possibly consume it. Also fish waste can benefit corals but when you say supplemental, to me that means adding food specifically for corals. I've known a few people who have successfully kept a tank without ever feeding it. They have a very diverse life in the tank which keeps the cycle going.

Like I've stated, feel free to show proof where feedings on clams make them grow any quicker then a healthy clean tank with sufficient lighting. To me, it is not only a waste of money, but also polluting the tank.