jadams7 Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Alright, last sunday I was in Eugene and decided to grab one of the ORA tank raised clams they had at Aqua Serene. The little guy I got is a 1" derasa, and was acclimated for about an hour into my established 24 gal aquapod (with sunpod 150w halide) which currently houses my other clam temporarily (3-4" maxima clam, doing great). It opened up fine, was sitting on the sand bed for a day, then decided to close up almost all the way over night/the next morning. The only fish I have in the tank is a small 6-line wrasse, I also have the usual assortment of cleanup crews, a coral banded shrimp, fire shrimp, and peppermint shrimp. I let him sit for another day, he did not open up, and in fear of him coming in with a disease of some sort, or him not enjoying the nano, I decided to move him to my recently setup 2x2x2 tank. Prior to putting him into the new tank, I gave him an iodine dip for 10 min, then acclimated him into the 2x2x2. So there he has sat, all day today, barely open (maybe 1/4 inch). Open just enough to see him still in there, and he will still close up all the way if I reach in and attempt to get my hand close to him. He is sitting in the sand bed, I have a 250w 14k halide on the tank, and he is on the bottom not directly in the light, but still getting plenty. I tested the water in the 2x2x2 just to be sure... Phosphate 0ppm Nitrate 0ppm Nitrite 0ppm Ph 8.0 Ammonia .25 ppm Calcium 520 (scratch)My questions are...what should I do from here? Leave him be, and if so for how long? Move him into stronger lighting? Less lighting? I read they prefer a sand bed, but should I move him to a rock? Try feeding him or something? Move him back into the 24g nano? Did I forget something? Just a bit nervous here(scary), I may be overreacting I guess, seeing as it has only been a couple of days, but I just dont want to lose the little guy. I have never had a problem with my maxima clam, so this caught me a bit off guard. Better safe than sorry I guess, so if anyone has any suggestions that would be awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
180Brandy Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Try feeding it. I know that you have to hand feed clams that are under four inches. Once they get bigger then Usually the lighting you have should be enough. Has your clam attached it's self in the sand? Also what is your mag levels? Also your calcium levels are on the high side. Your calcium levels should be between 400 and 450. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseCityAquarium Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Did you try burping it? alot of times they get an air bubble when transfering them from tank to tank. Also I have had reallly bad luck keeping clams smaller then 2" in a tank with shrimp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 I don't have clams, and I probably won't get one any time soon, but... Did you check it for pyramid snails and pinched mantle disease? There was a thread a little bit ago about clams that were having problems with pinched mantle. I think a freshwater dip clears it up. It is worth a shot if nothing else. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jadams7 Posted May 7, 2009 Author Share Posted May 7, 2009 Hey thanks for all the help guys(and gals)...but unfortunately it was too late. Woke up this morning to find a mucus ball inside of a shell. I guess this was just a lesson learned in buying small clams... I did check for pyramids and mantle disease and it looked to be fine, my magnesium test kit is missing the little card (so i have not checked it yet) and I thought I got all of the air bubbles out. Was going to try to feed him this morning, had the cyclopeeze all ready to go, but it was too late. I figured I would give him a couple days before feeding, but I will try that a bit earlier next time (if there is a next time). Again, thanks for the help guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 I'm sorry to hear that! Did the clam look healthy at the store? I've never had one, yet, but have been thinking about getting one, and want to learn as much about them as I can beforehand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 So sorry. It is not easy to loose something like that. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beckie Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 calcium? Try feeding it. I know that you have to hand feed clams that are under four inches. Once they get bigger then Usually the lighting you have should be enough. Has your clam attached it's self in the sand? Also what is your mag levels? Also your calcium levels are on the high side. Your calcium levels should be between 400 and 450. Is the calcium to high for just clams? I thought you could go higher than that and be safe. Sorry for the loss. Beckie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benny503 Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 I followed the thread to see the clam is doing alright since last night. I guess it didn't turn out good, I never have a clam because of this reason. Sorry to hear that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
180Brandy Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Some of the best advice I can give is one make sure your tank is established before getting a clam. By this I mean if your tank is new wait at least 8 months or more so your tank can settle down. Next make sure your calcium levels are between 400 and 450. 440 is a good target range. Then find out what the clams needs are certain clams like to be in the sand others like to be in the rocks. I also believe that you had way to much ammonia in your tank. It should be 0. When clams are under 4 inches you have to hand feed them. Usually with a turkey baster. So sorry for your loss. I do hope you get another clam in the future!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Sorry about your clam; for future reference they don't eat cyclopeeze, phytoplankton is what they want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jadams7 Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 siskiou- looked pretty healthy at the store. it was sitting in a little sand bed, so I figured it would be fine there. As for the tank being established, I was using the same rock, sand, and water from a tank that has been established for some time. Also, he didnt seem to do well at all in the original 24g aquapod also, which had an ammonia of 0. From what I have heard from most people, it is just best to stay away from clams under 2". My other clam does great, and he is larger, in these same tanks. I am sure it definitely can be done, I just will not gamble another decent chunk of $$ away on such a small guy. I will just grab a larger one next time. Lesson learned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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