Is my crocea TOO open?

[hefner413]

I've had my crocea for a short while now. I've heard that they can open TOO much. Could you tell me if this is too much? If not, what is TOO much?
Thanks

 

[babyb]

not sure if its to much but today i saw one at my lfs that was basicly all the way open, like shell was layin g of the ground, i asked the girl about it and she said it was fine like that, but i know it was deing, it looked pathetic

 

[anonome]

Yours looks ok to me. You do not want to see any of the internal organs persay. The shell open extensively....etc.
Looks good.
Usually they will overflow their walls. Can't think of a better word. But, definately stretch outwards more than that.

 

[anonome]

Depending on where they came from it is not unusual for them to open that wide for awhile to get the nutrients they need. Feed a filter media food to the tank to be sure. The lighting will usually surfice for the remainder of their needed food.

 

[viper_930]

It's definitely gaping, but it happens often with croceas so it's not necessarily a serious issue. How long have you had it? What's all your water parameters? What kind of lighting system do you have?

 

[chris&barb]

Originally Posted by ViPeR_930
It's definitely gaping,
it is definitely not gaping. the term gaping is over used and misunderstood when it comes to clams. Croceas tend to hold there incurrent syphons open more then other species but an open incurrent syphon is not gaping. gaping is a loss of control of the abductor muscle. when this happens the clam cant hold its shell together and the shell "gapes" open. this condition also has an effect on the clams ability to extend its mantle and the mantle will recede inside the shell margin.
with that said. your clam looks a little pale but otherwise fine. you may want to move it closer to the light.

 

[hefner413]

I got it 1 wk ago.
My parameters are not perfect:
ammonia 0
ites 0
ates 0
pH 7.8 - just started dropping - I've done my research and will make some Kalkwasser tomorrow. I guess this could be a reason it's gaping.
Temp - 80
SG: 1.025
Ca++: 440
KH: 16.0 - hoping the Kalkwasser will fix this too
Phosphates: 0.5
And I have 4x 54W T5's. 2x actinic 2x 10thouK - the clam is in middle of tank

 

[hefner413]

and by the way - the little area of white is actually sand - it was kicked up by the powerhead when I moved it today. I also started a post on that to make sure it was safe- everybody said that was fine.

 

[chilwil84]

whether gaping is the right term or not its intake side is a little more open than my or other crocea clams that i have looked at. i dont know what can or should be done if anything about it. the color looks good to me crocea clams tend to look very different depending on the angle and that is evident in your pictures some have lots of pattern and some just look plain yours looks to be somewhere in the middle to little more color pattern. your tanks conditions and parameters might give us a little more to go on

 

[chilwil84]

sure post your specs while i am typing kh is very high how old is your test kit it may be giving you a false reading 4 ho t5s on a 55 you should have the clam in the upper third (i saw should but not all want to be that high) of your tank that may be why it is a little more open due to it trying to get more nutrients because of less light than it is used to

 

[viper_930]

Originally Posted by chilwil84
whether gaping is the right term or not its intake side is a little more open than my or other crocea clams that i have looked at.
I'm aware of what gaping is, but whatever we call it, I would agree with you that the clam is much more open than what I would consider normal.
Have you tested the alkalinity of your new water used for water changes?

 

[hefner413]

I have not tested the alkalinity of the new water - good idea.
The test kit is brand new - aquarium pharm reef test.
I've been reading about low pH and high KH. I've been told that Kalkwasser will correct this problem.
And yeah, the camera angle makes a huge difference. The first photo looks MUCH more dull than it does while I'm looking at it in the tank. ANd the second looks a little better actually than it does in the tank.
Thanks for your advice everyone - I appreciate all the help I can get.
This is my first clam and I hope to have success.

 

[teen]

looks fine to me.

 

[cadillac swang]

actually that clam looks damn good, i have an exact one like that in a 80 gallon 8x54 t5 and mine is opened that same amount if not a lil smaller then yourz first had him under pc, i realized now that i switched, he didnt expand like i thought he would or that you see in other pics of clamz but like the other gentlemen said came out the shelle or overflowed his walls. i could actually see under neath that flap

 

[chris&barb]

Originally Posted by ViPeR_930
I'm aware of what gaping is
if you consider that clam gaping then you do not understand what it is.
this is a gaping clam

the photo of the clam the original poster posted looks fine. again Croceas tend to hold there incurrent syphons open more then other species. that clam also has nice mantle extension. the clam has only been in there tank for a week and is still adjusting, i wouldn't try fixing a non existent problem

 

[viper_930]

I'll just take your word for it.

 

[chilwil84]

this is my crocea under nova extreme 8 bulb fixture with better bulbs than it came with. it has been on the bottom of my 90 for over a year (refused to stay on rocks) to at least give you a reference. and please no bubble algea comments with i could find an emerald crab that would help control it tghe s$%t drives me nuts the bubbles that is

 

[vicegrip]

Looks healthy! just like he should!

 

[zanoshanox]

they're just opening that big to feed. They all look perfectly normal.