leximommy

i want a pair of clowns and a cleaner shrimp and if i can a clam. (does a clam need special lighting? what kinda special care does it need?)

its a 55 gallon tank, what else can i put in there? id really like a few more animals but dont want to jeperdize anything...so.....fish, crab, anything, that can go in a FOWLR

sgould

I believe most clams do require strong lighting. You certainly have plenty of room in a 55 to include additional fish beyond 2 clowns. Many gobies are easy care, and are kind of fun to watch as they spend a lot of time scooching across the substrate. You should also plan for a "clean up crew" to help control algae on the glass and rocks as well as detritus in the sand. Examples would be hermit crabs, turbo snails, nassarius snails (good to keep substrate oxygenated too), and various starfish (some of which are also good at helping keep the substrate oxygenated. Feather dusters are also very cool and relatively easy to care for.

leximommy

but cant snails and starfish climb out?.... the strong lighting for a clam....would a bulb on the regular light fixture work or would i need an expensive light set first?

sgould

I have 3 turbo snails, 1 nassarius and 4 hermits in my tank now...none have escaped The nassarius is the only one who seems to try, but he never makes it past the lip for the hood at the top of the tank. Not sure if the starfish would try or not.

The clams that I have read about need much stronger light than you would get out of a standard flourscent tank bulb.

leximommy

ok well ill research some more.... i have no problem buying an expensive light bulb, its just that if it only works with the expensive light fixture, i wont be able to do it....lol

sgould

Oh, I understand. I ran on a standard flourescent until just recently because of the expense. There is no hurry though...you can upgrade whenever the time is right for you.