Steamer Clams for food&filtration???

[Dwarf Seahorses]

In cold water reefs, clam filters have been used for years with great success. I have only seen one place do this (biological marine life supply center in Gulf of Maine) but it's not to say it hasn't been used anywhere else.

Basically a clam filter is a wide and long, shallow refugium with clams piled up everywhere. Think of what an oyster bed looks like, a clam filter is similar. The clams were cherry stone clams (yes the type you cook with) if I remember correctly. Cherry stones are a cold water species obviously.

Of course this was a temperate reef with temperate clams, I haven't the slightest idea of how it would work in tropical reefs.