Clams problems

[joshuacohenjc]

I came home today and notices that there was something seriously wrong with my clam. It is very gar to explain what it looks like so I will post a couple of pics

Does anyone know how this could have happened an d of there is any chance it will survive?

 

[Bifferwine]

Did that happen all of a sudden, or did it happen gradually over time?

What kind of lights do you have? What are your water parameters? What other animals are in the tank?

The mantle looks ripped to shreds. I'd say little to no chance of survival... Sorry. :(

 

[wontonflip]

I don't know anything about clams' care, but I know it will be asked -- how long have you had it? What are your parameterss? What type of light do you have? Other livestock that might be irritating it?


Ninja'd :D

 

[joshuacohenjc]

Ive had it for about 4 months and it been fine till 3 weeks ago, when it got a hole on the middle, most of the clams at my local fish store are like that anyways Sony didn't think much of it. Here is a pic of it at the time

Today, it suddenly got worse.
I don't have any fish or inverts that can harm the clam unless somehow, a type of worm or brittleworm got it the tank, but I dont see how because I dip all my corals and my rock was base rock
I dont know if this could be the reason but calcium in my tank is 350, Its that that much lower than it should be so do you think that can be why
Other than that, I don't know.
I've been feeeding it brine and Mysis everyday and every 3 days I would give it phytoplankton (it was recommended when in bought it so I just followed it)
It is getting enough light and it is in the right amount of flow

 

[bjohanson1234]

To me, it looks like the clam shriveled up.

I am guessing that its foot got damaged. It can be fatal to clams.

Also, clams don't need to be fed. They are photosynthetic and can get all they need from the lighting.

Edit
Is that picture how you bought it? If so, that was already dying. The clam should have a large mantel that extends out over the shell.

 

[Bifferwine]

That big gaping hole in the middle means it's unhealthy. It's not normal. And since it deteriorated over several weeks, I think it's due to water quality or lighting.

What are your water parameters and what type of lighting do you have?

Like BJ said, clams don't eat brine or mysis. Feeding it could have harmed it if you were putting food inside of it.

 

[Northstar24]

Holes that large on a clam are never a good sign, since this happened over a period of weeks, I'm going to go with either lighting or water quality issues. After about 3 inches, clams do not need to be fed

 

[Bifferwine]

What kind of lights do you have? What are your water parameters? What other animals are in the tank?

And since it deteriorated over several weeks, I think it's due to water quality or lighting.

What are your water parameters and what type of lighting do you have?

since this happened over a period of weeks, I'm going to go with either lighting or water quality issues.

Hey I hear an echo in here! :mrgreen:

But seriously, you need to tell us your water parameters and what type of lights you are using if you want to figure out what happened to your clam. Without that info, we can only assume it was due to those factors.

 

[Northstar24]

Hey I hear an echo in here! :mrgreen:

But seriously, you need to tell us your water parameters and what type of lights you are using if you want to figure out what happened to your clam. Without that info, we can only assume it was due to those factors.

No echo, great minds just think alike

 

[Smitty]

I think he just bought an unhealthy clam, and it never recovered. Especially since all the clams at the lfs look like that. I'd take it back to the lfs and complain.

 

[Bifferwine]

Well, a healthy clam will have a small hole in its mantle, but not a big, gaping hole with discolored/bleached flesh. Like this:

 

[joshuacohenjc]

No, it was healthy for the first Three months that I had it. The picture is from last month
I had no idea tat the brine/Mysis could harm them, that is probably the reason
They are under 2 t5 (1 white 1 blue)
The water parameters are

Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrates - 0ppm
Nitrites - 0.1 ppm
Ph - 8.3
Dkh - 9.8
Calcium - 350
Magnesium - 1275
Phosphates - 0.1ppm
Temperature - 25.7-26.3C
salinity - 1.025

I do a 13% water change evey two weeks
The lights are on 12 hours a day (9am-9pm)

 

[joshuacohenjc]

It looked like than for 3 months, then it got knocked over a couple of times and ended up with a hole in it, but it hasent fallen since and its getting worse

 

[Smitty]

I'm sorry to say, but you don't have nearly enough lighting to support a clam. Sounds like there we're multiple reasons why it died. Sorry for your loss.

 

[bjohanson1234]

The getting knocked over is probably what did it in. Then again, it could have been going down hill since you got him. Did you get this from the same place you got the brains that aren't doing well? If so, I would not go back to that store. They might not be talcking care of their live stock propperly.

Also, two t5 lamps is no where near enough light for these guys.

 

[Northstar24]

They are under 2 t5 (1 white 1 blue)

No where near enough light for a clam, this more than likely explains the issue. The clam should have attached to the rock where you placed it, not really sure how it was knocked over, but I'm sure that didn't help

 

[Bifferwine]

Yep, lack of light would be my guess. Same thing for your corals that are doing poorly. Two T5 lamps will make it challenging to keep any corals in a 75. If you are using T5s over a 75, you should have a light with 6 bulbs.