Can I get a clam?

[Cherie cook]

My tank is about two months old now...all cycled, hair algae in the receding stage, all corals and fish doing great. It's an 80 gallon "cube" with a pair of clowns,small bristletooth tang, citron goby and two pearly jawfish. For corals I have some LPS and a few mushrooms and zoas. Is it too soon for me to be thinking about getting a small clam...I was thinking a maxima?

 

[TheSchwenkster]

Probably a bit early. Are all of your parameters stable? You mention LPS but not SPS. How is your lighting situation? You would need to be able to support 250+ par to support the clam.

 

[Retro Reefer]

IMO to early.. maybe 6 months, a year would be better. Get as big as you can afford, avoid anything under 2”.. you could probably do a derasa sooner

 

[hotashes]

Variables do vary on the tank and equipment. To tease, I got a 1" maxima clam in my nano tank after having set up 1-2 months. My tank is now 3 1/2 months old and clam is doing well with new growth (white shell).

A.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Maxima clams under 2” typically need phytoplankton in addition to good lighting to thrive..

 

[Cherie cook]

Params are stable and I have two Kessil Tuna blue A360we LEDs or lighting. I think I will wait...I'm in no big hurry, thanks all!

 

[TheSchwenkster]

Think that is a good idea. Maybe grab a cheap SPS and see how it does but two 360s should be good for light.

 

[DSC reef]

Good advice as to wait. I'd suggest reading up on tridacna. James Fatheree has written some great articles. When your ready to try a clam I would go with a derasa or a squamosa to start with.

 

[jda]

I agree with Squamosa or Deresa to start... they are not all that light demanding. Maxima need more than a Kessil, IMO... others will disagree, but I like them to have plenty of light, not "just enough."

Once your coralline is all over the place and you are getting tired of scraping it, this is a good sign that your tank is mature enough for the more complex creatures. I am not talking about just a few spots, but everywhere and growing more every day.