GIANT CLAMS

LIreefguy

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Just wondering if there has ever been an studies of how much giant clams help with nutrient control in our tanks.

also see that vendors and lfs sell them as a beneficial to the natural filtration, but has there actually been an studies to see how much they help?
maybe brs should do a study on this
 

jda

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I don't want BRS to set up a tank with mature and healthy clams in a sterile/fresh tank.

When they get larger, they do filter feed and they can keep N and P down some. In the end, they do digest and excrete some of what they take in, so they are not N and P sinks like a sand bed or live rock can be.

I would not rely on clams to filter the water very much, but they do likely help some.
 

hart24601

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I also don't think anyone should add a clam for filtration purposes. The growth rate between species also drastically varies and even individuals so even if one test was done it wouldn't be nearly enough to form conclusions.
 
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LIreefguy

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if the guys at brs did the test. I have a feeling they would do it right

Sobthe tank wouldn’t be new and sterile

I didn’t say I was buying a clam for this purpose

Just when I see adds for clams they stare it ads biologically filtration. Wondering how much if any
They say a large clam can filter a surprising amount of water each day

So what exactly as how much

I do have a flame scallop over a year old. Just wondering that’s all
 

hart24601

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There are just so many variables it would be really hard. If you look at Fathertree's clam book even individuals of the same species can grow drastically different so the nutrient consumption could potentially be 2x plus let alone between species. Sometimes large clams will seemingly randomly slow growth as well so it's not constant. The other hard to account for issue is the light intensity. More light generally is more growth with these guys to a point. It's just so much variability I don't think anyone could draw useful information from the test. One would also have to be able to measure water chemistry very precisely and somehow prevent algae and other uptake organisms from growing.

It's a nice idea, and it would be interesting if taken in context but I don't see how the information would be useful since best case it can be so variable. That's why it the amounts are always so vague when you see places say the can reduce nutrients.
 
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LIreefguy

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Yes probably be hard I agree
Maybe giant clams aren’t that good of a choice
But maybe years ago before refugiums people would of thought keeping algae to reduce nutrients where a bad and unrealistic idea


Now it’s common place

You see in harbors when the reseed clams the water quality dramatically improves

Any chance we can duplicated that in the hobby. Are are filter feeding clams just not particular in the hobby

I would say no but many things that where impossible to keep are no common place in this hobby. So you never know


I remember 20 years ago I would buy a flare scallop and within 3 months it would be fish food

I know have one in my tank for 18 months

So just got me thinking

Would 5-10 giant clams help enough in nutrients to make a factor or would they just be beautiful pieces.
 

hart24601

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I personally have 3 Maxima's, 1 baby gigas, 2 derasas, 1 squammy, 2 hippo clams in my system. While they make a drastic drop in calcium and alk levels I have not noticed really any change in my other nutrients. I use a large chaeto fuge that keeps phosphates around 0.02 and nitrates under 5ppm seemingly no matter how much I feed or livestock I add for what it's worth.
 
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LIreefguy

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How big is your tank
How many fish you have
Are they big , small , med

How much do you feed
1 cube mysis , sheet nori etc

Also how big is the fug in gallons

One quick question how you know it’s the fug and not the clams keeping your nutrients in check :)
 

hart24601

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How big is your tank
How many fish you have
Are they big , small , med

How much do you feed
1 cube mysis , sheet nori etc

Also how big is the fug in gallons

One quick question how you know it’s the fug and not the clams keeping your nutrients in check :)

I had the fuge before the clams. Nutrients always been that level so I know it's the fuge.

Tank is Waterbox 100.3 so 70 gallons. Sump is Rubbermaid stock tank 150g not sure how much water is in there. Maybe 120g. Fuge is a laundry basket in sump with kessil h380 over it.

Fish stock are 12 chalk bass and few wrasses. I have feed several cubes a day plus hatching baby brine to feeding 1 cube a day to see what changes would happen nutrient wise but the chaeto seems to keep it solid.
 
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LIreefguy

LIreefguy

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Simple yet effect laundry basket. Love it

12 bass. That must be a sight to see

Yes then I would probably say that giant clams ding do much to help with nutrients
 

Troy V

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From my personal experience with a large clam is that they can and will suck the NO3 and PO4 where the system will become a parasite to it's needs. I have a 550+ gallon skimmerless system and the NO3 is undetectable, and PO4 are consistantly <.01. I have had periods where the clam would stop growing due to health issues, stress, or who knows why, and the difference in the tank is incredible. I will need to use the skimmer and GFO to keep the levels in check. But once the clam kicksin again the change in the tank is dramatic. Algae stops growing on the glass and SPS coloration fades. I enjoy keeping the clam, but if something happens to it I would never get another. Keeping a successful SPS reef is far easier without a Gigas.
 

hart24601

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From my personal experience with a large clam is that they can and will suck the NO3 and PO4 where the system will become a parasite to it's needs. I have a 550+ gallon skimmerless system and the NO3 is undetectable, and PO4 are consistantly <.01. I have had periods where the clam would stop growing due to health issues, stress, or who knows why, and the difference in the tank is incredible. I will need to use the skimmer and GFO to keep the levels in check. But once the clam kicksin again the change in the tank is dramatic. Algae stops growing on the glass and SPS coloration fades. I enjoy keeping the clam, but if something happens to it I would never get another. Keeping a successful SPS reef is far easier without a Gigas.
How many pounds is your gigas if you has to estimate?
 

jda

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They can also process ammonia. I have N and about .1 (undetectable without an IC test) and P at about 1-3 ppb on Hannah Ultra Low - I do have a pair of 8 and 11 inch blue squamosas that don't seem to mind even if they are not the entire reason that it is this low. They grow faster in NSW level N and P since calcification is better.

The biology of these creatures has not changed. This fad of higher levels of poison (N and P) will pass just like many other and people will be back to low and barely detectable.

I do think that it is funny how people advertise them, but this is nothing new. Ever single LED manufacturer says that their light is the best... and how is this possible? Another one that gets me is "reef safe with caution" on a fish - does this mean that the fish will not pick at your corals if you put out an orange cone and somebody leaning on a sign that says "slow" on one side and "stop" on the other?
 

hart24601

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I think we might be getting slightly off track from the original question of quantifiable reduction of various compounds in our systems. I do remember an research article about gigas clams consumption rates but I don't think it would be very applicable to our systems but I'm trying to find it.


There is a shocking amount of research on Google scholar about many clams, it must be taken in context of course, but it's fun to browse.
 

FishyDP

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1000s of oysters are dumped into bays in Florida for their filtration capabilities, to help combat red tide and other water quality issues. I am not an expert in this area, I have just read some articles. This sounds like a similar topic, but with clams. Interested if clams function similarly, following.

Agreed, if BRS chose to do a study on something like this they would do it right.
 
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