Am I Crazy? NPS and Clams?

[Brit’s Fish]

So, I am very excited to build a side by side NPS / Clam tank using the @Innovative Marine Concept Pro 20 AIO Encore Aquarium w/ APS Stand - White found here:
https://www.innovative-marine.com/s...-Encore-Aquarium-w-APS-Stand-White-p222130492Is this nuts?
Am I crazy to even attempt this?
How would you do it?
What clams would you add?
What NPS would you add to the other side?
Has anyone attempted something like this before that would share their experience?

I am thinking a single @Kessil A500x over the clam side for lighting.

Let me know that this is a crazy idea and save me a ton of time and money. Otherwise please share your thoughts and ideas.

I’m excited to see this build! I’ve looked at this tank a bunch of times and it’s super cool. I love your idea. Following for sure!!

 

[J1a]

Oh. Oops. I didn't looked at the aquarium link earlier. If you intend to run a clam/NPs tank, it's better for them to share the water and filtration. If you were to run separate systems, then the benifit I outlined in the earlier post will not apply.

 

[Sean Clark]

Oh. Oops. I didn't looked at the aquarium link earlier. If you intend to run a clam/NPs tank, it's better for them to share the water and filtration. If you were to run separate systems, then the benifit I outlined in the earlier post will not apply.

The original idea was to have a high light / no light system side by side. All would be connected to the larger system. Now I am thinking that I could do this all in one tank. I was thinking that I wanted to promote the lack of light on the NPS side.

 

[Spare time]

I wouldn’t attempt it myself in that volume of water.
NPS need to get fed regularly which as a result It would be difficult to manage nutrients.
Clams have a high alkalinity and calcium demand so you would need to make sure that you are able to supplement the tank and keep up with the demand. I don’t think water changes alone will do it.
It is doable but I don’t know to what extent.

OP could put a bunch of macroalgae with the clam

 

[Chrisv.]

Great ideas.
Ok, so I forgot to mention that I will have this tied into my existing 200 gallon system as an auxiliary tank all sharing the same water. The idea being that I would move the clams into the larger tank as they grow larger.

This makes it less crazy. Before this post, yes, I would have said crazy.

 

[J1a]

The original idea was to have a high light / no light system side by side. All would be connected to the larger system. Now I am thinking that I could do this all in one tank. I was thinking that I wanted to promote the lack of light on the NPS side.

NPS doesn't mean they have to exist in low light environment. There are plenty of sea fans, tunicates etc. in the shallow waters.

But sure, a light/dark system will probably work too. But I would certainly connect the two body of water together.

 

[Ro Bow]

So, I am very excited to build a side by side NPS / Clam tank using the @Innovative Marine Concept Pro 20 AIO Encore Aquarium w/ APS Stand - White found here:
https://www.innovative-marine.com/s...-Encore-Aquarium-w-APS-Stand-White-p222130492Is this nuts?
Am I crazy to even attempt this?
How would you do it?
What clams would you add?
What NPS would you add to the other side?
Has anyone attempted something like this before that would share their experience?

I am thinking a single @Kessil A500x over the clam side for lighting.

Let me know that this is a crazy idea and save me a ton of time and money. Otherwise please share your thoughts and ideas.

that looks awesome. I'd go for it.

 

[Ro Bow]

chili coral is a pretty easy NPS coral. Filter feeder but seems to do well in most systems unlike the holy grails like dendronepthya.

Live aquaria says expert only? Also it says low lighting, idk

 

[Ro Bow]

Live aquaria says expert only? Also it says low lighting, idk

beautiful though

 

[damsels are not mean]

These livestock suggestions are looking amazing so far. What about inverts and fish?

Honestly? why not seahorses? They love to hang onto gorgs and you will be feeding a lot of frozen to the corals anyways for them.

 

[Nano_Tuners]

Is this nuts?
Am I crazy to even attempt this?

In a 10g tank (that’s not plumbed into a larger system) I imagine it will be very very difficult for clams to thrive for any long term…

I tried something similar in my frag tank with a sea apple, thinking spot feeding it would be as good as it being in a large system, but gotta keep in mind that they basically feed all day. Even with several photo feeds a day it starved and the water was very difficult to keep clean :(

 

[Nano_Tuners]

Great ideas.
Ok, so I forgot to mention that I will have this tied into my existing 200 gallon system as an auxiliary tank all sharing the same water. The idea being that I would move the clams into the larger tank as they grow larger.

Oh didn’t see that, why bother with the AIO then? I’d consider adding a glass divider to a plain tank and just drilling a couple rear bulkheads that feed into your current sump

IM used to sell blank tanks, idk if they still do though

https://www.wetpetsupply.com/produc...cpc&utm_campaign=Google+Shopping&currency=USD

 

[Sean Clark]

Oh didn’t see that, why bother with the AIO then? I’d consider adding a glass divider to a plain tank and just drilling a couple rear bulkheads that feed into your current sump

IM used to sell blank tanks, idk if they still do though

https://www.wetpetsupply.com/produc...cpc&utm_campaign=Google+Shopping&currency=USD

Basicly this comes down to the footprint. I would do this with the smallest Ext they make but that is 40 and not as graceful. I want it to look clean from the outside. That means getting creative with the plumbing.

 

[Nano_Tuners]

Basicly this comes down to the footprint. I would do this with the smallest Ext they make but that is 40 and not as graceful. I want it to look clean from the outside. That means getting creative with the plumbing.

I believe the concept tank dimensions are essentially the blank for the nuvo 20 isn’t it? You might try giving them a call and ask them if they can sell you a blank of the 20g. I used to have one like 7-8 years ago, they were selling them on marine depot back then for like 200$

 

[Sean Clark]

Wow, lots of great ideas, some which I had not yet even thought of.

OP could put a bunch of macroalgae with the clam

I had not yet considered that.. thank you for .asking this just a bit more complicated...

This makes it less crazy. Before this post, yes, I would have said crazy.

Haha someone to keep me in check.

NPS doesn't mean they have to exist in low light environment. There are plenty of sea fans, tunicates etc. in the shallow waters.

But sure, a light/dark system will probably work too. But I would certainly connect the two body of water together.

True the NPS wouldn't have to be in the dark.
This was the contrast that I was initially going for. I thing asteticlly it would be striking. Practicly it may leave a bit to be desired.

that looks awesome. I'd go for it.

Thanks for the enablement...

Live aquaria says expert only? Also it says low lighting, idk

That was the plan initially.

Honestly? why not seahorses? They love to hang onto gorgs and you will be feeding a lot of frozen to the corals anyways for them.

Ok, you just made this one step harder / better.

 

[Sean Clark]

Oh didn’t see that, why bother with the AIO then? I’d consider adding a glass divider to a plain tank and just drilling a couple rear bulkheads that feed into your current sump

IM used to sell blank tanks, idk if they still do though

https://www.wetpetsupply.com/produc...cpc&utm_campaign=Google+Shopping&currency=USD

IDK if they would do that but that is definitely an option.
This was phase one...

https://www.innovative-marine.com/shop/Fusion-Pro-2-10-AIO-Aquarium-w-APS-Stand-White-p222130503

 

[A Young Reefer]

OP could put a bunch of macroalgae with the clam

The issue I was talking about has been solved when op mentioned that they will be connected to the same system. Any nutrients produced by the nps system should be stripped by the clams.

 

[dennis romano]

I have run a NPS for several years with sun corals, NPS gorgs, anemones, and feather dusters. Problem number one is feeding. Every critter had different food size requirements. For example, a blueberry gorg needed a different size food than a Dendro. On top of that, they had to be fed several times a day. If you go away for a few days, you may come home to death. It has happened to me. Another thing is lighting. Bright light indirectly will kill NPS. Algae forms on the animal and smothers it.

Not so much with sun corals but with gorgs and sponges.

 

[Sean Clark]

I have run a NPS for several years with sun corals, NPS gorgs, anemones, and feather dusters. Problem number one is feeding. Every critter had different food size requirements. For example, a blueberry gorg needed a different size food than a Dendro. On top of that, they had to be fed several times a day. If you go away for a few days, you may come home to death. It has happened to me. Another thing is lighting. Bright light indirectly will kill NPS. Algae forms on the animal and smothers it.

Not so much with sun corals but with gorgs and sponges.

That looks great! I was not planning on lighting the NPS side at all. Our local zoo has a small aquarium and one of the displays is a dark NPS system. I always liked the way it looked so I was going to try and emulate that. The only light that it would get would be spill light from the clam side. I won't really know how much that will be until I set it up and start playing with the lights. I want to create a stark contrast from the super bright shallow clam side and the deep dark NPS side all in one display.

Feeding is my main concern.

 

[dennis romano]

That looks great! I was not planning on lighting the NPS side at all. Our local zoo has a small aquarium and one of the displays is a dark NPS system. I always liked the way it looked so I was going to try and emulate that. The only light that it would get would be spill light from the clam side. I won't really know how much that will be until I set it up and start playing with the lights. I want to create a stark contrast from the super bright shallow clam side and the deep dark NPS side all in one display.

Feeding is my main concern.

The sun corals and Dendros will take brine shrimp and mysis. I fill a syringe with food and tank water and very gently shoot it towards the animal. Too much flow and they can't hold onto it. Every polyp must get some food. This tank is 25 years old. Every day, I stir up the bottom. The animals that need tiny food like the sponges feed on what is suspended in the water.