puntific Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 Well, I thought maybe with a very stable KdH that perhaps I could keep a clam. I put one in yesterday that had been in a shop for 3 months and it died overnight. NO3 is .1 dKH 9 Ca 400 80 SG .25 low Phosphates. WHAT'S KILLING THESE CLAMS IN MY TANK? (I've tried about 5 times over 7 years.) Could it be Hawaiin black brittle stars? One was approaching it last night in the evening before I went to bed. I'm so frustrated. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylaster Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 Perhaps you have some kind of heavy metal in the tank. I would run carbon for a week and then try a derasa, they seems to be the toughest out of all the clams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puntific Posted April 3, 2010 Author Share Posted April 3, 2010 I've never run carbon and was starting to wonder if I should after reading a post on SPS over at Reef2Reef. I have a ton of carbon that's 12 years old that I bought for fresh water tanks. They are in little bags about the size of a child's sock. Would that do the trick? Or what should I buy? Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 How are you acclimating them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puntific Posted April 3, 2010 Author Share Posted April 3, 2010 Well, they guy at the store... the owner.... said just float them for 15 minutes and put it in.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylaster Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 you do need to acclimate them slowly like snails. They are very sensitive to salinity changes. I would do the drip method for about 30 mins should be good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 Well' date=' they guy at the store... the owner.... said just float them for 15 minutes and put it in....[/quote'] What store? Pulled straight from a website. http://www.aquacon.com/acclimation.html Acclimating Corals, Anemones, Mollusks, and Clams First Get them to The Right Temperature Shipping is a stressful process and careful acclimation and a little TLC for the first few days will insure long-term success. Remove the outer bags and float the closed inner bag with the animal inside in your tank or sump for 30 minutes or until the bag and tank temp. are the same. Then Give them a bath! Every coral arriving at our facility is dipped in a mild iodine based solution as a biosecurity measure to help insure that pathogens are not added to our systems. We highly suggest before placing corals (DO NOT dip anemones, or clams or they will die!!) in your tank, you do the same. There are many preperations on the market , and we can provide one for you, or your local LFS will glady help you. If none are available to you the same solution may be made by going to your local drug store and purchasing a small bottle of Tincture of Iodine from the antiseptic section. Add 15-20 drops of Tincture of Iodine to a liter of tank water and allow the corals to stay in this dip for 10 -15 minutes. Rinse the animals with tank water prior to placing them in your tank. When finished, throw out the dip water, do not add it to your tank. Place the newly acclimated animals at mid-tank or lower for the first few days, with mild alternating current. After a few days most corals may be placed in their final location. For SPS corals, (acropora), it is best to keep them in a lower lighting area for at least 1 week. and over a few weeks slowly move them to final positions. If they are to quickly supplied with bright light, many times they will bleach, or RTN and die. For Sponges Only Note: Sponges should never be directly exposed to air. Follow the normal coral acclimation procedures for temperature, but once acclimated to the temperature, submerge the bag underwater in the aquarium and remove the sponge from the bag under water. Never let the sponge be exposed to air. Some live corals, especially leathers, and some SPS acro's, produce excess slime when shipped. After acclimation , hold the coral by the rock or skeletal base and shake the coral in the shipping bag before placing into the aquarium. To avoid damaging the coral, please remember never to touch the "fleshy" part of a live coral. My Coral's not Opening or Flowering! Many species of coral will not open for several days or weeks after introduction into their new home. Please allow time for the new addition to adapt to their new home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pds802 Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I have also been advised that you want to be sure and not let any air get into the clam.? Sorry for the loss Scott. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 you do need to acclimate them slowly like snails. They are very sensitive to salinity changes. I would do the drip method for about 30 mins should be good You used to breed them, didn't you Roy? Did you find they'd stay open during drip acclimation? IIRC, clams don't respirate when they're closed up -- they're completely isolated. On a closed-up clam, too big a change in water conditions during acclimation can be the same as not acclimating at all. I acclimated my clams for longer than that. For both my derasa and my crocea, I acclimated in a tupperware by increasing the total water volume of the tupperware by about ~1/4 each "step" then waiting for the clam to open up a bit. I did that until I had doubled the starting water volume, maybe an hour or a bit more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-3 Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 What fish do you have in the tank?? Also what inverts do you keep? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-3 Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I forgot about this thread. http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/showthread.php?t=18094 You definitely have something going on with invert related deaths. Have you check pumps for rusty parts? Have you ever used copper before in the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dave Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 +1 on the copper thing. I remember you posting about having trouble keeping snails, which leads me to believe that copper - or some other metal is in your tank. I think I have a copper test if you wanna grab it and see if that's the problem. Have you bought any rock from someone that had a FOWLR that may have dosed copper? Or have you medicated your tank lately? Let me know if you want that test kit - I think I PM'd my number the other day. HTH -Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puntific Posted April 3, 2010 Author Share Posted April 3, 2010 I didn't let it touch the air.... I have a green coris wrasse, leopard wrasse, purple tang, perc, GSM clown pair, Bangaii, Potters' Angel. Pretty sure I don't want to rat out the store... Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puntific Posted April 3, 2010 Author Share Posted April 3, 2010 Yep... can't seem to keep snails either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-3 Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 I didn't let it touch the air.... I have a green coris wrasse, leopard wrasse, purple tang, perc, GSM clown pair, Bangaii, Potters' Angel. Pretty sure I don't want to rat out the store... Scott It could be the Potter's. A lot of people keep the pygmy angels in a reef with success and others that have a lot of trouble. If its not something copper related or an acclimation issue I would say the Potters based on what you've said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puntific Posted April 3, 2010 Author Share Posted April 3, 2010 Well, as I watched, the potters never came near it. The potter is also a recent addition (in the last year.) The clam thing and snails have been going on for a long long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dave Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Hey Scott, did you ever get your water tested for copper? Figure anything out yet? Just curious!(scratch) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.