Clams Eaten?-Clams-3reef Forums

damphir · 09-22-2007, 07:02 PM

Hey all,

Being new to clams I thought i would propose this question....I bought a new small clam yesterday "Super Grade Trichea" is all the dealer provided for info, which is very purple/blue on the inside. It looks today as if he is/has most of that purple is wilted on the inside of the shell (shrunken down to the middle). I am wondering if it was eaten or is this natural or anything I can do to help it. Hes mid level under 65w Coralife PCs 50/50. I have a cleaner shrimp, yellow tang, black ocellaris clown, brittle star, and lots of snails/hermits. His shell is open but all his color seems almost pulled to the middle. Please help! I want to do all I can to help him.

Thanks,
Damp.

coral reefer · 09-22-2007, 07:57 PM

Are you talking about a Tridacna? How many bulbs do you have on your tank and what are the dimensions of your tank?
If you have a Crocea or Maxima, I would seriously think of returning it and possibly go with a more hardy clam such as Squamosa or deresa, in my opinion...
Did the dealer tell you anything about the clam or help you in any way? If not, his credibility and his willingness to help you with your interest at hand should red flag your decision to purchase livestock there presently and in the future...

Tangster · 09-22-2007, 08:10 PM

Well first off you don't have enough light power , you don't mention the tanks age and the water parameters ? Also you may have set it on a rock and moved it and tore the basil thread and tore the muscle ? Then you may have a few pyramid snails or some other pest in the clam ? If all is well with the water and the was not moving it around the tank My advice would be to freshwater dip the clam .. in R/O water just make sure the Ca. and DKH are close to the tank water levels.. It sound's like to me the foot was ruptured or torn ?

damphir · 09-22-2007, 08:21 PM

Thanks for the help guys, I pulled it out of the tank and looked at it closely appears he is dead. I have no idea what would have caused it....I was told they were not hard to raise based on what I had and I am very upset with the dealer, he has now sold me a reef lobster that made a meal out of my blood shrimp and now this. He is in shambles and I have no idea what happened. The cleaner shrimp was picking at it yesterday but it did not appear dead. My calcium is 480. Stornium and Iodine are fine. I have a feeling when it was sold to me, it was not in great shape. I did not move it much at all from when i got it. I will not be doing business with him anymore....but it really upsets me he was killed because of it. I was wondering if I really needed metal halides considering I have such a shallow tank....55 gallon. 17" deep.

Thanks again guys.

lunatik_69 · 09-22-2007, 08:30 PM

when I bought my clam, the first question the lfs asked me was if I had mh's. I believe what happened to ur clam was you dont have mh's.

JustPhish · 09-22-2007, 08:41 PM

If the middle is already "wilted" the clam is dead. Problem is, clam could have already been well on it's way to death before you bought it. They die from the inside out. By the time they show any symptoms it's usually too late.

Why it died, who knows. Could have been anything.

Next time, if you're going to buy a clam, make sure it reacts to shadows quickly. If a hand passed over the clam blocking the light doesn't result in a "flinch", pass on the clam. Now, as clams get used to being in captivity this won't happen much anymore. My gigas will not react to most shadows. It's been used to all the activity in and around the tank for years and years so much so that fish can swim in and out of it's inhalant without much of a reaction. But a clam new to the store or your tank should definitely have a reaction. Also turn it upside down to make sure the byssal gland is present and intact.

Finally, there are few instances and even fewer clams I would try keeping with PC's.

HTH,
JP

damphir · 09-22-2007, 08:47 PM

Thanks for the advice. I will try that from now on.....It was closed when I put it in the tank but it opened up soon after but the byssal may not have been intact. This is the same guy that "forgot" to tell me the one tank with different clams had flatworms until i mentioned it.

amcarrig · 09-23-2007, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunatik_69

when I bought my clam, the first question the lfs asked me was if I had mh's. I believe what happened to ur clam was you dont have mh's.

A lack of light would not kill a clam that quickly.

When you pulled the clam out of the tank and pronounced it dead, was there any tissue in the clam at all or was it completely empty?

ziggy222 · 09-23-2007, 08:21 AM

i did lots of research before buying my crocea clam.mines doing great under 4x54watt t5s with individual reflectors over a 55 gallon tank.i was very reluctant because everyone said i needed mh lights but i would not use anything less than t5 for sure.my lfs would'nt have sold me a clam if i told them i had only pc lights.