grassi Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 It could be a sign of stress. But now you have to be the one to be calm lol Give it a few days to adjust Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted December 1, 2010 Author Share Posted December 1, 2010 It could be a sign of stress. But now you have to be the one to be calm lol Give it a few days to adjust Hope this helps This hobby is going to make my hair turn grey at the ripe old age of 17. Do your clams ever have droopy mantles or do they always look like my first pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeFit Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 unfortunately clams are not the best beginner or even intermediate hobbist choice. over reactions can easily kill a clam just as fast as not paying attention to it. If a clam looks sick, thats when its most likely already to late to do anything about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeFit Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 hey what about Luigi? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwenReefin Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 On a positive note, your clam, Mitchell, looks totally kick *** in that tank. It will survive, I have a feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Lights are off on Luigi's. I had to put the lights on a different time schedule because I was burning the fuse too often. He's doing great, almost fully recovered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Sorry Robert, we served up Luigi last night with some nice chianti over a bed of fettucini covered in alfredo sauce, Alex's own recipe even, it was amazing.... LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 No, Mick is kidding. We will cook it for new years lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 LOL I was tryin to get that message typed out before you replied LOL Oh well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted December 1, 2010 Author Share Posted December 1, 2010 I searched online and couldn't find anything about droopy mantles, just pinched mantles, but doesn't pinched mantles make it look tight not floppy. If it looks like it did this evening in the morning should I move my power head? Maybe it doesn't like the amount of flow its getting. On a positive note' date=' your clam, Mitchell, looks totally kick *** in that tank. It will survive, I have a feeling. [/quote'] Thanks, he really does add something special to the tank doesn't he. Lights are off on Luigi's. I had to put the lights on a different time schedule because I was burning the fuse too often. He's doing great' date=' almost fully recovered[/quote'] I gotta see this Luigi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelhead77 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Hate to be a downer dude, but, IMHO, that tank looks WAAAYYY too sterile to be keeping a clam. From what I understand, clams need a very well established tank (as well as good lights) in order to survive, they are filter feeders and filter stuff out of the water column - stuff your new tank does not have at this point. I sincerely hope it makes it. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylaster Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 the 'droopy mantle' is a sign that the clam is maximizing it's surface area for the zoanthallae to get sunlight. It is normal, by the pics the clam looks fine. This could also be a sign of not enough light. Flow rate should be slow for that species of clam. Infact here is a list of where certain clams are found in the wild crocea - surf zone high wave action maxima - surf zone down to 20 ft moderate wave action hippopus, squamosa, deresa - 20-40 ft low wave action gigas - 20-80 ft low wave action I would be worried about the tank parameters since it is so new, clams do need small amount of nitrate, phosphate (mostly for the zooanthallae) Things to watch for if the clam is not happy It will move around a lot until it finds a spot it likes Don't let it get pinched between two rocks so it can't open If the mantle doesn't come out over the shell that's a bad sign (for over a day) Make sure fish, other inverts dont bother it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylaster Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 one more thing i forgot, make sure you roll the clam slowly over so any air bubble trapped in the mantle can escape, this will kill the clam if the bubble are left in there, let the bubble escape through the mouth (long frilly opening in mantle) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberduck9 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 yes yes definatley burp your clam (slowly roll it over). I had a Derassa for a long time. I found that it did best with an option. I scatterd some small rubble pieces, 3/4" to maybe 1" around him on the sand bottom. not enough to trap him but enough to give him a choice of anchoring to a rock as well. definatley liked that. The drooping is healthy, its just trying to suck up as much light as posible. If it starts to gape you have an issue. The number one thing you can do is not to stress. Just keep up on your water changes. With such a new tank you should be able to keep your perameters fine with just water changes. you shouldnt have to dose yet, with such a new tank and so little in it to suck up calc and mag. Do keep an eye on your phosphates though. For me this hobby has taught me that the more I stress the worse things get. You are more likely to make mistakes and jump the gun on dosing or moving it and just make it worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandinga Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 seriously? you have had your tank up for what...a month...maybe...and you have a clam? Sorry, I get frustrated with uneducated purchases. Clams need mature tanks. lots of light, stable conditions and...did i say a mature tank. here we go again. I am amazed that you are all so encouraging... Post it on RC and see what those jackals have to say about it. good luck clam, though your fate has already been sealed. Mitchell, in the future, please do some serious research before adding specialized tank mates like clams. You aren't the first and certainly won't be the last to make this mistake. You shouldn't even think about adding a clam until you have a decent amount of corraline algae growth. Your tank has zero right now, but with good care and research it will happen. These things take time....patience patience patience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylaster Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 you are not completely correct Mandinga, reason being is that i have kept and bred clams in new tank environments, it can be done, but as you stated you MUST have stable conditions. As long as he keeps vigilent about his water quality the clam will do ok. but i am still worried about having it under t-5's really needs to be metal halide or natural sunlight, this is part of the reason why the clam is stretching it's mantle as much as it does due to lack of light Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 The fact that he asked for advice and his worries are a good sign. In case my offer to host it for a while is still valid. As for t5, I think that with some of the new top notch units out there you can easily keep clams. But they must be set up with some good par bulbs and well cleaned/mantained reflectors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted December 1, 2010 Author Share Posted December 1, 2010 Before the lights turned on I tried burping it. No bubbles came out, but I did thorough job, so I am pretty sure there is no trapped air. His mantle looks back to normal, its not droopy like it was last night. He also hasn't pooped today, so that's good. Mandinga, I know I messed up and I feel really bad that I am put this amazing animal's life at stake. Hopefully it isn't doomed like you say it is, but if it starts to show any signs of stress I'll be checking it into the clam hotel haha. I'll make sure to keep the reflectors really clean, it has the stock bulbs in it right now, but I have new bulbs bulbs at the top of my christmas list. What are good brands? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 I like ATI, but also Geiseman (or whatever it is spelled) are good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandinga Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 stylaster...of course an experienced reefer can keep clams alive in a new tank. key word "experienced". Would you recommend that he buys the clam? shoot straight. Mitchell, thanks for not taking my post the wrong way...this kind of thing happens all the time. There is some great advice on here about keeping your clam alive, and if you follow it(specifically the Kh and Ca requirements) you may succeed. Clams have other nutritional needs, usually trace ammonia and other elements are essential for long term survival. Truth is, clams are one of the most difficult and most beautiful creatures we can keep. Even some of the most experienced reefkeepers shy away from clams...because of the challenge. (Grassi/stylaster not included) Recently I lost all my beautiful clams to a bacterial infection...something that was nearly completely out of my control. In a matter of days, I had lost over $500 in clams. I am a little sensitive about this subject because I see so many new reefers make this same mistake. The silver lining here is that IF you do what you need to do to keep the clam alive, your entire reef will benefit and thrive. On a side note, you do not need to feed phyto to clams...the Zooxanthellae in the clams mantle will absorb the light and convert to energy(food). FYI in the future, many shops in the area have beautiful clams and excellent advice about them. Westside aquarium and Upscales have wonderful clam selections. I promise you that they wouldn't sell you a clam(unless you insisted) just yet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandinga Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Also, get the clam in a spot where you dont have to move it...everytime you move it, burp it, bump it, or whatever, you stress it...a cumulation of stress will kill a clam overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted December 2, 2010 Author Share Posted December 2, 2010 I like ATI' date=' but also Geiseman (or whatever it is spelled) are good[/quote'] Does 2 ATI Blue Plus, 1 ATI Aquablue and an ATI Purple Plus sound good? I don't like really blue tanks, do you think this is going to be too blue? How would these bulbs compare to a radium metal halide? What bulb combos do you run? Thanks Also are there any local stores that sell ATI bulbs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeFit Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 Does 2 ATI Blue Plus, 1 ATI Aquablue and an ATI Purple Plus sound good? I don't like really blue tanks, do you think this is going to be too blue? How would these bulbs compare to a radium metal halide? What bulb combos do you run? Thanks Also are there any local stores that sell ATI bulbs? those bulbs wouldn't compare to a metal halide because they offer little to no photo spectrum. If you ran just those on your clam, it would surely die in a matter of weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted December 2, 2010 Author Share Posted December 2, 2010 those bulbs wouldn't compare to a metal halide because they offer little to no photo spectrum. If you ran just those on your clam' date=' it would surely die in a matter of weeks.[/quote'] Whats photo spectrum. The reason I picked those bulbs is because I saw this picture in this thread http://www.3reef.com/forums/reef-lighting/t5-bulb-combinations-w-pictures-59447-13.html and really liked the way his tank looked. I thought it would work because from the picture it looks like he is keeping a maxima on his sand bed. 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.