Need Help With Clam!!!

[entice59]

i came home today to find that my blue maxima clam has a white tube thing coming out of its mouth like one of the tips of my anomie but without the purple tip........ the yellow one is next to it and its fine... but the blue one has it..... it looks wierd..... maybe its natural or maybe its not... i dont know, does anyone have any answers on this?

 

[ed r]

How does the mantel of that clam look? Is the color otherwise normal? How long have you had that clam and have you ever seen anything similar before? My Crocea Clam has a "mouth" opening in the center that is slightly different colors at different times. Often it is lighter in color. It does protrude slightly further than any other part. Can you post a picture? Is the clam fully open? Does it close in response to the usual annoyances?

 

[entice59]

how does normal look normal? ive been moving it alot since my sebea anomie has been moving closer and closer to it. it looks like a tounge coming out of its whole. its white. Do you know what that is? sorry my camera doesnt work=(

 

[bang guy]

Entice,
Everyone appears to be too polite to say it ut your tank has too much in it. IMO you are going to fast to be successful.
On the Maxima - How large is it? Measure it end to end. An apporximation is fine.
Are there any white rims on the top of the shell?
How far over the shell does the mantle go when the clam is relaxed?
How wide is the insiphon?

 

[entice59]

the gold maxima just did that tounge looking thing today and when i turned the lights on it put it back inside... the gold maxima is about 2 inches and the blue is about an inch and a half.
i see white rims on the oppisite side of the colored side, if thats what u mean(can you be more specific?)
When the clam is relaxed like it is now, you can see the clam fully open out with the mouth usually closed on the blue one and the mouth open on the gold one.
whats a the spifion? i assume its the mouth its pretty big on the gold clam....... like a little less than half an inch on both of them.
if i had a camera i would show you that it seems that i have a lot but if you saw my tank you could see that there is plenty of space in my tank
that long thing i described is coming out of the sides of the clams also

 

[bang guy]

Clams under 3" receive most of their nutrition from phytoplankton. This will be difficult in a small tank. There is a fine line between feeding enough plankton and having excess nutrients. I'd recommend DT's.
The white rim is the growing part on the top of the shell. If there's no white there then the clam is not growing. If the clam is not growing then it is dying.
I can't visualize what the white tongue is, sorry.
If you are already feeing your clams and you can see the white rim when the mantle is retracted then they are doing fine.

 

[entice59]

u mean the white inside the shell? whats DT?

 

[bang guy]

White at the rim of the shell. That's where the clam grows.
DT's is a live phytoplankton you can buy off the shelf.
Have you looked at other clams and identified all the "parts". It appears that some more research will help you out or a book on Giant Clams.

 

[entice59]

OHHHH!!! its white, ill probably buy some today, i just bought a scooter blenny a really small one and a fire shrimp =)

 

[j21kickster]

you should really research more before you stock your tank, from what it sounds, you havent ever considered feeding your clams. Do you replace Ca (calcium)?Those clams can get BIG. Have your anemones moved at all? in a 15 it could be trouble for your other corals. Also scooter blennies can sometimes be converted to food provided by you but more often than not, in that cmall of a tank they wont have enough natural prey to eat.Sorry to be depressing, but better i tell you know than later when you have serious problems.

 

[entice59]

whats more depressing is the seabe anomie*2 days ago*, the coral beauty*last night* and the gold clam died*tonight*, but the blue one is still alive... =( is there any way for me to keep the blue one alive still? i use kents liquid calcuim but only like a small squirt a week... the gold clam doesnt react to anything and it just stays half closed, plus there is a hole where it squirts goo and there a hole in the side of the clam where it looks like a V, like in the middle of the clam that is where this white tounge looking thing comes out sometimes but now its just a hole =( sucks, im looking for a book to buy, a all in one book which has info and pictures for reef and fish any suggestions? i know my tank is pretty small and the bubble anomie is only an inch big it moves around but not a lot.
the tube anomie, does anyone have info on that, i heard they feed on brine and left overs is that true? anyone have info on fireshrimp or are they just like the shrimp i have now?
im planning to get a penguin mini bio wheel tomorrow

 

[bang guy]

If your clam is unresponsive then I'm afraid it's already dead. There's a book titled "Giant Clams" by <something> Knopp (I think). It would be a great investment if you plan to try again in the future.
as a side note. 15 gallon tanks are not easy. Having a large bioload in a 15 will make it very sensitive to the slightest problem.
I recommend that you slow down a lot. It may look like you have a lot of room in that tank but it's at capacity with just the Maroon in there.
Is the Scooter eating frozen foods? If not, I suggest you take it back. Same with the Goniopora.
Remember, it better to have a healthy tank with just a couple inhabitants than a full tank will dying critters.
Please don't replace the Angel. A 15 will not support an Anglefish.
Guy

 

[entice59]

thanks for the info, what should i do then? what should i feed the scooter? what should i do now? i wont buy anything for a long long time.... how long should i wait?

 

[bang guy]

Some Scooters can be trained to eat frozen food. Brine shrimp will not feed them indefinately but it's a really good starter to get them used to eating dead food. I'm mostly familiar with Green Mandarins so I hope a Scooter expert will chime in. I've had mixed success with frozen Zooplankton.

 

[jonthefb]

entice59, every time you post, i usually reply like the others and say that you are going to fast too quickly. di dyou ever purchase a book on the stuff like i suggested before adding not one but two clams? you started with like a 7 gallon tank, and then jumped right into a 15 and i remember j21kickster and myself tellign you to slow down, before you began posting that things were dying. now here we are, stuff in your tank is dying, adn you have no idea why. pick up a book and READ! for the sake of your fish, and corals, take everythign back to your lfs, get a book and read it from cover to cover or you will continue to waste your money, and more importantly the lives of the animals in your tanks!

jon

 

[entice59]

ive been asking people if they recommend any books thats cover reefs and fish but i dont ususally get a response. they give me 4 books which i cant even afford. ive been looking around. Im going to stop buying everything now. except for the bio wheel. how can i get the blenny to eat? once i put my hand in the tank it goes away. would u think it was ok to get some snails and scarlet reef hermits.... or is that a no-no? the scooter buries itself in my sand and sticks its head out, good or bad?
im really sorry to disappoint everyone, i am very disappointed too, i get really depressed when something dies, my father is the one buying all this stuff, it really pisses me off when he comes home with the stuff without consulting me. he stopped now once i told him the importance of getting a book and for me to getting the info on anything before buying it. plus i cant return the stuff he buys since they are the wholesale bags everyone comes to sf for everysunday.plus ive been getting crappy advise from my friend, so im never going to get advise from him again, he told me yeah u can get clams they'll just filter feed and you wont have to worry about him and he said the coral beauty would do fine.... im pissed off at him >=(, never will i take advise from him again.... i wont add anymore fish in my tank
FYI for everyone, theres going to be a wholesale event oct 12-13 in sf. Its the 2nd annual roadshow.6th ave aquarium 425 clement st. between 5th and 6th ave. 415 668 7190. - over 1000 fish tanks sold at 1.50-3. a gal. 10 gal tanks for the first 300 people at 99 cents each. its free admission and its wholesale. not very important to me, but something you guys might want to check out in sanfrancisco if your in town. also, every sunday theres a bargin bags, i saw emperiors for 15 bucks last time, fireshrimp for 15, 10 damsels for 10 bucks, lion fish for 15 bucks, a giant puffer for 15 bucks, i advise you to go there at 10am when it opens since theres a giant group of people. I know i shouldnt buy anything there, just some info you guys might want to save money but check the fish before buying some might be sick or have bitten fins... =P its either wholesale price or below.
OK i just bought the bio wheel and its running.... *anyone know the difference from the fuvual i got rid of just afew minutes ago?*
does anyone know what product to get for the clams? the name of the product? i have kents concentrated calcium but do i need anything else do i need for the tank, i have cycle and conditioner
right now the clam looks like its not attaching its self from the shell, looks like its loose, i know this isnt good is there anyway to help it now?
thanks for the help

 

[herbbie]

I have a question about crocea clams. I just got one on Sunday, and my lfs guy placed him for me near the top of my tank on a flat rock, in case he decided to move around a bit. Well, he did move. So, I moved him to a different location, thinking he wanted to get out of the light, as he was pretty much directly under the light. I moved him to a less bright spot, but still a good level surface. This morning, he was on the bottom of the tank, on his side. I set him upright, and left him on the bottom. So far he hasn't moved, and he's opening up. My question is about the lighting. My understanding is that the clams prefer more intense light, and I'm not sure if he was actually trying to move out of the light or not. The only reason I'm suspicious is that I have had other corals who were supposed to like intense light, prefer less light than being directly under the Halides. I have a 220 gal tank, with two 400W MH. Or do you think he was just moving around a bit, I am just jumping the gun? Anther question is, my tank is 36"deep, and will he get enough light on the bottom of the tank?

 

[bang guy]

herbie - If you post a new thread I'm sure you'll get responses. My short answer: It can take weeks for a light loving animal to adapt to intense light after being light deprived.
Entice - I don't see how you can't afford a $50.00 book (The Conscientious Marine Aquarist or Natural Reef Aquariums). You've already lost twice that amount on livestock.
Read the book, try the Library.
Guy

 

[entice59]

since my both my clams are dead now ......... =*(****, if i have time im going to get a book, sorry to disappoint you guys. does anyone know what chemicals i should put in the water to make sure the remaining critters in my tank survive? like liquid iron

 

[overanalyzer]

Entice - I know you've gotten pretty beat up on this thread but here are a list of books I'd suggest:
The conscientious Marine Aquarist
Marine Aquariums from Beginner to Breeder - Highly recommend this one as he covers all different kinds of setups (DSB, Crushed Coral - large and small)
Check J21Kicksters post earlier about a good book - he recommends a great book!
Also - there is SWF for Dummies - if your dad is buying everything for you may want to pick this up for him to give him an overview of what you are trying to do.
Personally I have read about 14 different books - some short - some college style text books. They all differ in opinions and will tell you different things - but I think most people on this board are trying to tell you to educate yourself about the science behind this hobby. If you approach this like a hobby you will get frustrated and spend a lot of money. I am still not even to the point where I have fully decided on a tank (of course lack of money hurts here). Once you educate yourself you will enjoy this hobby!