Clam stays shut when lights are on.

M

minitruck

Guest
Well most of the time when the lights are on the clam is closed up tight. In the morning before the lights come on it is a little open and the flesh stuff is out just a little. I have checked my water and everything checks out but I have high phosphates. Could this be the problem? The clam is in a 20L with 130 watts of pc about 5 1/2 inches over it. The came out of a 250G with a 400 watt MH about 2 feet over it. Could the change in light be the problem? Any help or sugestions would be great!
Thanks, Josh
 
chipmunk

chipmunk

Member
Just a couple of questions to try to help you out.
Where do you have the clam placed in your tank?
what kind of clam is it?
Can you post a picture of the clam?
are you feeding your clam and what are you feeding it?
 
M

minitruck

Guest
Alrighty, here is a picture of the clam. The lights are on so it is closed up.

I have 130 watts of pc over the tank and the clam is on a rock all the way over on the right side of the tank. These are supposed to on the sand bed right? I tried to get the clam off the rock but it was not moving at all, it is VERY strong and I dont want to hurt it. It looks to have been in the same spot for a LONG time because it has grown around the rock. The color of it is purple with greenish spots.
 
M

minitruck

Guest
I found a pic of the clam when it was first put into my tank
 
yosemite sam

yosemite sam

Active Member
It looks to me like a T. crocea, which are one of the most difficult clams to keep. Please post the actual water parameters. Is it really in a 20L, or did you mean 20 gallon? A 20 liter way too small a tank for a clam, IMO. What other animals/inverts are in the tank?
 
M

minitruck

Guest
It is a 20 long tank. I will retest and post some numbers for you. I have a ton of stuff in this tank.
Here is a list:
Red and green open brain
Caribeian rose coral
3 types of star polyps
pulsing xenia
yellow turbinaria
green turbinaria
green and pink frogspawn
green hammer coral
orange monti digitata
5 other frags of some sort of sps
green candy cane
several different ricordia yumas
6 types/colors of zoos
7 other types of shrooms
acan echin
echinophyllia
big colony of favia
and 2 big frags of green slimer
Everything in my tank is thriving and growing well with the exception of this clam.
Thats alot of stuff huh?
 
promisetbg

promisetbg

Active Member
What about alkalinity,SG. and PH ?
Is the clam being blasted by flow...they don't like that.Is there anything in the tank that could be bothering it...inverts fish?
Also...look for pyramidillae snails,they look like rice.
I agree your lighting is inadequate for a clam.Your sps corals may not appreciate this lighting either.
 
chipmunk

chipmunk

Member
If I was a betting man I would say you need to get this clam under some metal haliads. If its a maximua 130 watts of PC lighting is not enough.
 
jer4916

jer4916

Active Member
lol, you have a clam under PC's?...i hope to God your joking. You have to have MH's to support that claim, either buy new lights like..NOW...or give him to some one with MH's or its going to die. they LIVE off of light.
~Chris
I cant believe a pet store would even sell you a claim with pc's ...did they even ask what kind of lights you have?
 
M

minitruck

Guest
Well, here is the bashing I was expecting. Thank for chiming in Chris. I have had a smaller clam in this same tank before and I brought it back from being almost dead. I figured since the clam is so close to the lights that it would do fine, especially since I had that other clam thrive and get back to health. Just out of curiosity Chris, what fish shop sell clams that are mounted on big ass rocks? I know that there are alot of people that have clams under pc's.
For the people that are trying to be helpfull, salinity is .025 and ph is 8.2 I dont know what my alk is since I dont have that test anymore. Need to get another test kit. There is very little flow in the corner where the clam is. Like I said before, EVERYTHING in my tank is thriving and growing quickly. The colors are great and the polyps are all out on the sps that I do have. The only other thing in the tank besides hermits and snails is a lawnmower blennie and a black saddle back clown.
 
chipmunk

chipmunk

Member
I have 6 clams and a oyster in my reef tank and I see that you posted that where you have the clam there is very little water flow. I would try moving the clam into some water flow. Everyone of my clams like to be in some sort of water flow or add another power head to your tank.
 
M

minitruck

Guest
I posted this same topic on reefcentral and it was decided that the lawnmower blennie was probably nipping at the mantle and upsetting it. I have since moved the clam to my 120 and it seems to be doing better, it isnt all the way out yet but its getting there. My 120 does have m.h. on it also.
 
M

minitruck

Guest
For now I have 250watt xm's over it. I also have the clam up close to the top so it gets a ton of light.
 
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