First clam

[Fly Guy]

I have this beautiful blue clam about 4 inches. Not sure exactly what kind. Ive got him halfway up in the tank on his own ledge under 2 250 w MH 15k, and 2 110 watt actinics.

He seems very happy and opens up as far as possible every day i believe as well as freely moves himself around on his ledge.

My question is this.....


I already give the tank its daily shot of liquid lunch phytoplankton, should i ever feed him directly?

[Casey]

No you are just poluting your tank and will have an algae outbreak at some point your setup is perfect for him as is.

[Fly Guy]

Originally Posted by Casey

No you are just poluting your tank and will have an algae outbreak at some point your setup is perfect for him as is.

To be sure.......Do you mean pulluting my tank if i were to feed him additionally.....or do you mean that liquid lunch in itself is polluting the tank??

[Casey]

I mean the stuff itself pollutes the tank,dont use it to often if your going to,but yours is over 3" so he doesnt even need it.

[Fly Guy]

Originally Posted by Casey

I mean the stuff itself pollutes the tank,dont use it to often if your going to,but yours is over 3" so he doesnt even need it.

Hmmm. But the guys at Marine
Depot say to use it according to the directions......one shot a day.

Oh yeah, they make more money that way. Hmmmm. The stuff has a pretty good sales pitch.

Do you recommend not using it at all.....EVER?

What additives do you put in YOUR tank?

[Casey]

Yes you dont need it if you really want to feed him then bowl feed him,I only add calcium and alkalinity booster to my tank and strong MH lights and my clams are awesome.

[Loverotties]

Originally Posted by Casey

Yes you dont need it if you really want to feed him then bowl feed him,I only add calcium and alkalinity booster to my tank and strong MH lights and my clams are awesome.

I agree with him!Good luck,nice clam!How about a pic or two?

[whatevva]

I add just a small amount (one capful) of PhytoPlex (and Micro-Vert)everyday. I don't have any algae outbreaks or anything. Are there any water parms that could be affected? I test for phosphates once a week and I'm always at (or very close to) .003

[jeepjon]

Well, there are two schools of thought on the feeding the tank...do it or don't! I know Some people feed Zooplankton (like DT's Oyster Eggs) to their tanks...Eric Borneman believes heartily in this. Other's say NO....pollute. I think that there are different strokes for different folks. It is my understanding that the amount you need to add for phyto is a LOT! So...feeding the tank is an innefficient way to do it. Like Casey said...bowl feed (so the concentration is high), or don't feed...that's my opinion...but...remember...we all have our opinions!

[Fly Guy]

Thanks for the responses. The thing that makes the most sense to me is to not do anything. It looks great and if it appears to ever need anything more then i might reevaluate and most likely bowl feed. I only have 9 inches of fish total in my 80 and like it that way. A 4" mandarin, a 2 inch clown and a 3 inch LMB. They are super gentle to the bioload. The most polluting thing i do to my tank is hand feed my carnivorouos LPS once every couple of weeks but i am finding that my mr-2 is struggling to accumulate much skimmate with the current population.....im pretty sure thats a good thing though.

thanks all