• Welcome back Guest!

    MARSH is a private reefing group. Comments and suggestions are encouraged, but please keep them positive and constructive. Negative threads, posts, or attacks will be removed from view and reviewed by the staff. Continually disruptive, argumentative, or flagrant rule breakers may be suspended or banned.

Giant clams need help (1 Viewer)

  • Thread starter Guest
  • Start date
  • Tagged users None

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
G

Guest

I purchased two giant clams. One has a pink mantle and the other has a deep purple mantle with bright blue polka dots. After a month the purple mantle clam began developing pale areas in the mantle. At that time I changed from three 6 foot VHO actinic white to three 250 watt MH. I was carfull to expose the tank to the halides for short periods of time at first, increasing to the current 10 hour on/off schedule for three weeks and the clam shows no sings of slowing or reversing its loss of zooxanthellae. The clam also does not appear to be opening quite as far as it used to . The halides are chiller cooled and do not seem to be causing any temperature problems. All of the other tank inhabitants are doing very well and showing growth, including the other clam.What are yours suggestions for saving this clam????? :?
 
A

AggieBrandon

Guest
Joined
May 22, 2003
Messages
2,045
Reaction score
0
Location
Bellville, Texas
where do you have the clam positioned in your tank? In the rock work or on the bottom? Are you feeding the tank anything that the clams can use?

Brandon
 
OP
OP
G

Guest

I don't know the answer, but have you tried posting on the Tridacna clam forum on ReefCentral?
 
OP
OP
G

Guest

Hi Brandon.
The clam is on the rock ,and I feeded my tank with DT's and cylopezze.

I have NO any type of angel fish, only has 30 green Chormis.
 
A

AggieBrandon

Guest
Joined
May 22, 2003
Messages
2,045
Reaction score
0
Location
Bellville, Texas
Hmm...how far below the metal halides is the clam? I have a tear drop maxima and a crocea in my tank with 250 watt metal halides. I originally placed the clams in the rockwork but after watching them decided to see how they would do on the sandbed. After moving them the clams opened up much more and appear happier. Not sure if this may be the case for you but you may want to try moving them down since the metal halides are fairly new to them.

Brandon
 
OP
OP
G

Guest

Reefmadness.

The bleaching or loss of zooxanthellae in your purple Tridacna maxima clam is probbly an indication that it is adapting to the changes in the light field which it has experienced since capture. These clams are photosynthetic, and depend on the intense light for their food. If the clam is not opening like it used to, however, is a very bad sign. When I see any clam behaving this way I promptly move it to a new location. Sometime,it is possible that a predator ( worms, mantis shrimp, carnivorous snail ) is irritating it at its present location,and moving the clam it would provide relief.
The clams also require calcium and strodium to form their shell.. be sure to keep the calcium level up above 400 ppm, and add strontium according to the direction of commercially available solutions.
Also, clams can get infections which are often lethal in a very short time, so you must act quickly if they are not opening properly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top