Clams and no3

[chinmo]

hi guys, i currently have 8 squamosas.... 6 ard 1ft 2 abt 4 inch....

question is will they help lower the no3 levels? will more intense lighting help the clams to absorb no3 more? i'm currently running a 150 mh 20k , was gonna switch to 6500k soon, maybe gonna add 2 x 54 watts 6500k or 10 t5s to the clam tank.... Any one can advice?

[typrobin]

i heard before that they filter nitrate as one of their nutrients, but how much i really dunno...and also tat the bigger clams are more effective which i see tat u already have big big ones...

[chinmo]

i heard before that they filter nitrate as one of their nutrients, but how much i really dunno...and also tat the bigger clams are more effective which i see tat u already have big big ones...

well.... my tank inhabitants are

seahorse x7

a.perc x2

cleaner shrimp x2

turbo snails x10

squamosa x 8(will add more slowly in future)

seahorse bening fed 3 time a day with each time 2 cubes of mysis..

the tank's no3 reading was 5ppm constanly....... but after i change a new powerhead for the new skimmer, the no3 level rose up till 25ppm!

so abit confused wheather if the clams do reduce no3 not? hence seek out Bros advices

[chinmo]

they are like corals...the algae in their mantles will take in nitrate....but whether brighter light will help or like corals, bleach...i dunno

btw...a 1ft clam i so big and heavy..how u even carry it home??

take cab lor.... my arms nearly broke carrying 2 CLAM out from pasir ris to take cab!

[FuEl]

Eh? Why so worried about nitrates? I find that as long as they stay below 50ppm can keep most things already. I was knowingly keeping more sensitive hard corals at 25ppm nitrates last time. In the end the level dropped as i reduced by bioload. Too many clams might contribute to the bioload while removing nitrate slower than they produce it....Not forgetting the forever depleted kH and calcium values if not maintained constantly with a calcium reactor. Just some things you should consider too.

[chinmo]

Eh? Why so worried about nitrates? I find that as long as they stay below 50ppm can keep most things already. I was knowingly keeping more sensitive hard corals at 25ppm nitrates last time. In the end the level dropped as i reduced by bioload. Too many clams might contribute to the bioload while removing nitrate slower than they produce it....Not forgetting the forever depleted kH and calcium values if not maintained constantly with a calcium reactor. Just some things you should consider too.

erm..... best to keep no3 as far as possible yah....my kh was 2 when i tested it 3 days ago! has raise it to 8 today will too high cal level kill the clams or LS?

[Dispar_Anthias]

yes they do remove nitrate but the amt is so insignificant... You will need alot alot more clams to remove a more significant amt of nitrate

[tineng]

erm..... best to keep no3 as far as possible yah....my kh was 2 when i tested it 3 days ago! has raise it to 8 today will too high cal level kill the clams or LS?

they need calcium to grow....., before i started going to SPS, i never cared much about calcium. but when i started dosing kalk, you can see new growth at the shell of my clams...

[blueheaven]

Yes, having a few clams will not drop your nitrate significantly and they only suck away your Ca

[chinmo]

thanks guys.... personally i like clams! my future targets will be back to croceas! but i'll need another blue tub, the one at present only able to hse 3 more giants nia.....

BTW if i dose calcium too high.... will it kill my shrimps and fishes? every time i want to get the salifert calcium test kit, instead it was clams after clams ...... must really get the test kit!

[FuEl]

Calcium reactor is what you really need.

[chinmo]

bo $ liao....