New clam tank setup questions

[tendar]

Well I have ordered 2 new tanks last week but wont be setting them up for about 6 months when I move but getting them now so I have them when I move.
I have a 24x24x16 40 gall acrylic clam tank with a 6" slanted front at the top for viewing on order and a 100 gall 60x18x23 glass tank for my lps tank coming also.
Here is where I have not decided how I want to set up the clam tank.
I will either set it up on its own with a sump and skimmerless since there will be only 1 fish in there a wrasse of some sort should pyramid snails sneak in so bio load will be very light so going skimmerless and have had success before with skimmerless sps-clam tank before.
I will be going with about about 500 gph for water flow in the clam tank with a SCWD on the return and probably a small power head in there in case the return pump or some thing happens to stop flow on the return as a backup.
OR
Have the clam tank plumbed into the same sump as the 100 with a skimmer but my only problem with this is they will have to be next to each other and if some thing goes wrong with one then they both go wrong. Good part is more water volume for each and easier to keep calcium levels up for clame tank since LPS tank doesnt use much calk.
So what do you think would be better?

Any thoughts or better ideas?
GRegg

[Chuck S]

I would plumb them together with a central sump. I have done this with great success for years and it is alot easier to keep things where you want them like you already stated with the greater water volume. 500GPH seems okay for a 40 gallon but you could use more without harming them. The key is the same as SPS alot of water flow just not directly on them. My clams are in a tank with over 18 times turnover so you have some room for expansion if you choose. A six line wrasse if probally a good choice for parasites in your clam tank as well.

[Mojoreef]

Gregg I set up a simular clam tank for a friend. It was plumbed originally to his main sump of his reef. He ended up taking it off the sump and runs it sumpless. for flow he just used a couple of Powerheads. His reason was that he was getting to much of a calcium draw from it. Basically the clams would take any available calcium, which was ok for growing them but for resale it wasnt needed. He felt that it would make it easier to maintai his levels in the main reef if the clams were powering through all the cal.

Mike

[tendar]

That is actually one of the reasons I was thinking of having contected to the main reef so that that it would not deplet the calcium so fast with another 100+ gallon in the main system to draw calcium from. The main reef is pretty much all LPS with a few softies so they dont use a lot of calcium.