what is wrong with P's clam?

For what its worth if you are keeping sps coral then you have enough light to keep any clam and that pinched look could be from several causes . Any dwarf angels or blennies in that tank or some type of clam eating mutant Tang ?
I have had a few to acquire a taste for the old clam a purple and a yellow and even a powder brown all liked to nip on them...
But if you are keeping corals then lighting is nit the issue I have kept clams under VHOs for yrs you have something bothering that clam either an internal pest infestation or and externial irritant or water problem ..

Or the issue could be the shortened photo period ? May want to jack that up to more hrs a day no reason to lower the lighting for a SPS coral under any T5 set I have ever ran across . Unless it was under a weak set of T5's to begin with and by weak I mean just sufficient light to keep a SPS alive ..

Any SPS I would ship out was under several 400 M/H with UVL VHO actinics and I mean under the light like this tank here a 90 has 3 400 20K and 2 48" VHO's I do have the clam about mid way in the rock work . Sometimes it more then PAR values that matter.

Just went and read through this thread I see you have a flamtail blenny , Is that the dark blue or black with a yellowish dorsal and tail fin ? If so I have seen those and the salifin and Bi colored blennies to tear the living hell out of sps and Lps and clams .. although they are supposed to be vegetarians .

And looking at those posted pictures of the clams decline over a 3 day period ? I would ask did you get this clam off of the Internet and it was shipped or from a LFS and if so how long had they had it and where was it setting in their tank and how was it moved to be bagged up ? For a 3 or 4 day period the clam show some serious decline from simple lack of lighting . And the fact you mentioned you had to move a SPS lower to get it used to the lighting suggest to me your lighting is not the cause .
T. Crocea clams are the most delicate clam's we deal with in home aquariums . I would not suggest one to be placed under anything but M/H's myself . Also they are very delicate to handle and placement out of the LFS and in your tanks . They can be harmed and take months to decline and die . So your clam may have been damaged in handling or shipment even?

 

related?

I am wondering if this thread I just started might actually be related...

It's a new occurrence, but I'm betting the clam new it was coming before I did...

http://www.3reef.com/forums/reef-lighting/my-white-lights-whistle-help-82414.html#post818238

 

It could be a problem with the ballast. Switch bulb positions so the white are where the blue were and vise versa and see if the same thing happens. If it happens with the same switch then it is a ballast issue, if it happens with the bulbs then it is a bulb issue.

 

I guess you responded on the wrong thread but I got you!

That is so painfully obvious thanks! I will do just that.

 

Yeah, I read the link and close it instead of answering.

 

couple days ago, clam was found upside down on substrate.

found it a new home (in the rockwork). took an hour to find somewhere it seemed stable.

today, it's on the ground again...

I don't know where i'm going to put this... they are remarkably hard to place seing as how there is no frag plug or similar, can't glue it, etc.

i don't know what i'm going to do...

i'll try to come up with something... but may have to just find it a new home...

Just venting at moment. will update when i figure out what i'm going to do.

 

Hi Peredhil

I know nothing at all about clams
but - I did once read (and I cant remember where) a very good idea for locating clams

the person who wrote it had a similar issue in that his clam kept propelling itself of the rockwork and ending up face down on his sand bed

what he did was use one of those artificial rock bowls that are sold as reptile water dishes and are about 1 - 2 inches deep
he put 1/2 of sand in the dish and secured dish , wedged it into his rockwork

this apparently created conditions the clam appreciated and also provided security against it being knocked off the rockwork due to actions of snails, crabs etc

Steve

 

steve. (<- is that inappropriate? I don't mean literally dude, just thanks )

that has lifted a burden from me... i was getting ready to find it a new home.

i will get one of these today. +k dude, +k

 

I had read where were putting a rock in their sand bed beneath their clams, letting them attach and then moving them. I like this on much better.

 

That is what I do.