14k mh ?

[magrath]

I have an established 65g and want to get a clam. My lighting is 2x96w actinic and 2x 250w MH 14K. Is the 14K bulb ok or do I have to have 10K?

[mbbuna]

ur clam would be much more happier with a 10k

[jacob30]

Plenty of light with 2 250 watt 14 K on a 65g (and they look nicer).

[rmesola]

probably wont make much difference... unless your intention is to grow them and not display them (then use 6500K)...

if you put it high enough in the rockwork (assuming it's crocea or maxima) it should be okay.....

if I'm not mistaken a 65g tank is only 36in wide and is relatively tall... if you put it high in the rockwork in the middle of tank, you'll have more than enough...

my 2 cents

[mbbuna]

hight in tank, intesity, dosent matter if the spectrum is not what the clam need to thrive

[magrath]

Thanks for all the great input,
The tank is fairly deep 24" I think I am going to start with a crocea. How high do I need to put it maybe halfway down the tank?

[mbbuna]

try to get it to atach to a small rock then move it up about half way or so

[magrath]

Sounds good,
Are their certain snails that will eat clams?

[mbbuna]

yes,alot-just look for pyrams. small white about the size of a grain of rice. come out after lights out,brush them off with a toothbrush and check 2-3 times a week untill u dont find them for awhile

[magrath]

Here is a pic of my tank with my PC lighting tomorrow I will be updating the lighting and I will take another hopefully with a new clam as well. Thanks for all your help.

[obed2010]

magrath,
250w 14K is fine for any clam. Mine have thrived for almost a year now. My tank is also 24" deep. When I used to try to move them up, they would always jump back to the sandbed. I have a derasa, three maxima's and three crocea's. Don't worry about it, enjoy!

[mbbuna]

obed2010, glad that uve had success be ur putting ur viewing preference over the needs of ur clams

[kidk3]

I have 14ks and my clam (just sold) loved it squamosa it grew over 3" in around 3 months.I think the tank health etc.. plays a large role

3x250w on a 180

[obed2010]

mbbuna,
"ur putting ur viewing preference over the needs of ur clams" Your base this statement on what? I have excellent reaction, excellent growth, feed phyto daily and the clams jump to the sandbed when moved up. I would say my clams needs are more than met. My response is based on experience. I'm sure yours must be different, but there is more than one way to do things.

[mbbuna]

yes there is! but, how deep do clams live in the wild and what is the spectrum at that depth?that is what i base that statment on.

[poon415]

Mcgrath,

You made the jump to MH's. Sorry I wasn't home last month when you where in the area. Tank is looking good.

James

[obed2010]

mbbuna,
Tridacna clams live from 1-20 meters. Very wide range of spectrum with red and yellow being filtered out first.

magrath,
"Is the 14K bulb ok or do I have to have 10K?" To answer your original question, yes it is ok(more than ok actually). Check out the past tanks of the month. Most run 10K-20K MH with actinic supplimentation and keep clams.

[mbbuna]

just a blip from D. KNOPS book
"huge specimens of T.gigas can be found in 20m depth where a T.crocea would hardly ever have any chanch to survive."
sunlight has about 5800 k ,ur not going to get a shift to 14k or 20k in 10 to 15 meters where these clams live

[obed2010]

mbbuna,
Light shift is dramatic with depth. Lets just agree to disagree.

magrath,
Check out the February tank of the month in the forum at . He's running 250w 14k Hamiltons.

[mbbuna]

ok we can do that

[Johnsteph10]

Clams can be anywhere from the surface of the reef - and even exposed at low tide for long periods -- to downwards of 60ish feet or more depending on species.

The articial lighting that we use - whether it is 6.5k Iwasaki to 20K Radiums -- are all fine for clams because they are highly adaptable.

[magrath]

Thanks for all the input I really like the new MH lights. I will send a pic tomorrow of the new clam.

It is funny how my old 2x96w 10K power compact lighting looked a lot brighter than my new MH 250w 14K lighting.

[mbbuna]

Originally posted by magrath
Thanks for all the input I really like the new MH lights. I will send a pic tomorrow of the new clam.

It is funny how my old 2x96w 10K power compact lighting looked a lot brighter than my new MH 250w 14K lighting.

that where the spectrum of light comes into play.
with 2 bulbs of the same wattage,the one with the lower k rating will be more intense then the other.the higher u go in k rating there is a larg drop in intensety. if u look down from the top at a typical crocea u will see a green glow that u dont see from the front .that is the clam's zoo reflecting the spectrum of light that it uses. there not using that much blue,to justify providing them with a prodominently blue light

[mbbuna]

www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i3/clam_care/clam_care.htm

every referance that i could find recomended the same spectrum for keeping clams. d. knop, j. spung, c. delbeek,

[mia1974]

I have had some difficulties keeping croceas (ultra, the colored reg. grade ones did fare better)in the past under 400 watt radiums. If the clam was not up on the rockwork right under the bulb they didn't do so well (slow growth, less color, even some losses). When I would first change out my bulbs there would be explosive growth on all clams but then within 6 months it would severely slow on croceas. Whereas the maximas were always fine on the sandbed- great color, pretty good growth never a loss. This was a 24" tall tank. I honestly think that croceas and maximas retain better coloration/grow better under 10K lighting., this could be just in my experience though and could be related to a number of factors (bulb height, water clarity etc)

I do personally like the look of 14K MH better and they probably would be a better choice than radiums, but I get a bit nervous because of my past experience so I will be mixing 10k and 14k just in case-especially since my new tank will be 30" deep.