steelhead77 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 What about my Goby? Spitting sand on it? Because in the wild they live in a sand-free environment? I think that over the years clams have developed the ability to deal with sand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I'm way too bored today.... This is a picture to back up the fact that you can have clams with emeralds. These emeralds are the biggest I've seen in most anyones tanks and they are just fine with everything in the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 That sounds like one of those things that gets posted on RC and gets repeated often enough until it becomes gospel. No-one's actually seen it happen' date=' but because it was posted on RC it must be true.[/quote'] I read it on wetwebmedia. There is no harm in being overly careful. Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dee77 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 i had a emrald crab eat my clam i got a few months ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Was the clam alive or dead when the crab attacked it? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Here is a better picture of the mouth. Also can i cut the ruble rock away? It seems so off balance right now and i dont want it to fall and rip. I heard you can cut them at the base of the ruble rock. Or should I just leave it alone for a day or two and then perform surgery or just leave it the way it is regardless? Just use some superglue and glue the rubble to the rock you have it on. Looks awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dee77 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Was the clam alive or dead when the crab attacked it? lol it was alive lol it was with in 20 mins of me putting it in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandinga Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I wouldn't be worried about emeralds, they're herbivores for the most part. I would watch your shrimp alot more closely than the emeralds. I have watched scarlets pick at the mantle of my clams in the past...not really eating, but irritating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigjohnwoody Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 Sad to say the clam is not gonna make it I'm sure it is currently covered in nassarius snails and hermits. I'm so upset although atleast I know it was not me that killed it. Bad first experience shipping with fed ex. Liveaquaria did refund my shipping charges and told me no worries keep us posted. Just feel bad for the clam it was so pretty!! I will post pics tomorrow after work when I get home of the nassarius on the clam but need to go to bed have to be up at 4:30 for work. Thanks guys for all the support and help too bad it had to end on a bad note. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Sad to say the clam is not gonna make it I'm sure it is currently covered in nassarius snails and hermits. I'm so upset although atleast I know it was not me that killed it. Bad first experience shipping with fed ex. Liveaquaria did refund my shipping charges and told me no worries keep us posted. Just feel bad for the clam it was so pretty!! I will post pics tomorrow after work when I get home of the nassarius on the clam but need to go to bed have to be up at 4:30 for work. Thanks guys for all the support and help too bad it had to end on a bad note. :( It looked like it was going to make it from the first pics you took, that's really disappointing. That's good that live aquaria did the right thing by refunding the shipping. At least the clam wasn't taken from the wild. I hope this doesn't scare you away from keeping clams in the future. Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hozer21 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Sad to say the clam is not gonna make it I'm sure it is currently covered in nassarius snails and hermits. I'm so upset although atleast I know it was not me that killed it. Bad first experience shipping with fed ex. Liveaquaria did refund my shipping charges and told me no worries keep us posted. Just feel bad for the clam it was so pretty!! I will post pics tomorrow after work when I get home of the nassarius on the clam but need to go to bed have to be up at 4:30 for work. Thanks guys for all the support and help too bad it had to end on a bad note. :( (sad) man that sucks . I'm sorry to hear about the cla It looked pretty cool . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelhead77 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Sorry it didn't work out. That was a nice clam. I would wait at least 3-4 more months before trying again. IMO, your tank was WAY too young to support a clam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 There's a good chance it was as much the fault of the shipping company as it was a case of your tank being way to new. Don't put much stock in Mitchell's experience, not every tank is the same and for every person who put a clam in a tank that wasn't ready for it, IE less than 6 months, minimum, old and it lived, there's a 100 others who lost the clam within a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandinga Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 As soon as you posted the gaping mouth picture(last pics added), i knew it was going to last less than a day. John, you put alot of thought and effort into your setup, and it shows. BUT, please don't mis-understand the importance of a stable environment for clams. The clam was stressed from the delayed shipment, and then your tank not having the chemical balance a clam deserves ultimately resulted in another clam death. In the end, it was a nice meal for your inverts, that's all. Baby maximas, while beautiful, are extremely delicate. Please don't write this off as a shipping mistake, learn the lesson and move on. re-visit this clam desire in 6-12 months. This will give you more time to learn the in's and out's of your personal tank and H20 chemistry, while at the same time building organic wastes that the clams desire(that's right, they need more than Ca/Alk to survive). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigjohnwoody Posted February 14, 2011 Author Share Posted February 14, 2011 As soon as you posted the gaping mouth picture(last pics added), i knew it was going to last less than a day. John, you put alot of thought and effort into your setup, and it shows. BUT, please don't mis-understand the importance of a stable environment for clams. The clam was stressed from the delayed shipment, and then your tank not having the chemical balance a clam deserves ultimately resulted in another clam death. In the end, it was a nice meal for your inverts, that's all. Baby maximas, while beautiful, are extremely delicate. Please don't write this off as a shipping mistake, learn the lesson and move on. re-visit this clam desire in 6-12 months. This will give you more time to learn the in's and out's of your personal tank and H20 chemistry, while at the same time building organic wastes that the clams desire(that's right, they need more than Ca/Alk to survive). Hey thanks fir the kind words on my setup I did put a lot of work and thought into it. I do understand the importance of waiting and will wait especially for a baby. So thank you for that. I am not disagreing with you about my tank and myself being to new to take care of a clam. However I believe even if a tank is to young to support a clam for any length of time I am doubtful that my tank could have caused it's demise in less than 12 hours. All params are in good ranges! I might not have all the other necessary organic wastes to keep it long term but organic wastes to ne would be more of a starvation issue since clams are filter feeders. If this was not the case than no one could keep a clam successfully in a young tank regardless of hobby experience imho. However it was very upsetting to me and I will try again but I will wait for at least 3 more months which would put me at the minimum 6 month mark and I will buy a clam that is also 2 inches or larger. Thanks again everyone for the advice and support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trautman Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 i am sorry to hear for your loss. i know how painful it is to loose a critter (sad) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigjohnwoody Posted February 14, 2011 Author Share Posted February 14, 2011 Also the gaping mouth picture was just a better shot. My camera skills are lacking quite a bit. The mouth never looked any different from the time I opened the bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dee77 Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 If I was you I would find a clam at a Lfs instead of shipping it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Hey thanks fir the kind words on my setup I did put a lot of work and thought into it. I do understand the importance of waiting and will wait especially for a baby. So thank you for that. I am not disagreing with you about my tank and myself being to new to take care of a clam. However I believe even if a tank is to young to support a clam for any length of time I am doubtful that my tank could have caused it's demise in less than 12 hours. All params are in good ranges! I might not have all the other necessary organic wastes to keep it long term but organic wastes to ne would be more of a starvation issue since clams are filter feeders. If this was not the case than no one could keep a clam successfully in a young tank regardless of hobby experience imho. However it was very upsetting to me and I will try again but I will wait for at least 3 more months which would put me at the minimum 6 month mark and I will buy a clam that is also 2 inches or larger. Thanks again everyone for the advice and support. Well said. Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandinga Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 However I believe even if a tank is to young to support a clam for any length of time I am doubtful that my tank could have caused it's demise in less than 12 hours. All params are in good ranges! I might not have all the other necessary organic wastes to keep it long term but organic wastes to ne would be more of a starvation issue since clams are filter feeders. Your clam did not starve, I'm sorry if you misunderstood me. Your clam died, as 99% do, purely related to stress induced reactions. The cells in a clams internal structure can quickly breakdown when the pH changes, or temperature, or salinity, or or or...When this internal breakdown occurs, the clam is unable to breathe. Within hours, you will see a change in tissue. This is not starving. The key is limiting stress factors. +++ for buying local, larger species...or refraining indefinitely. Clams are the most beautiful thing we can keep. As responsible reefkeepers, it is our duty to provide the best living conditions possible for a species to thrive. All pets have this limitation. Unfortunately for clams, their beauty usually trumps the pre-requisites required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaunMonahan Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 If I was you I would find a clam at a Lfs instead of shipping it I second this... and sorry to hear of this loss as that was a real beauty. The gaping in one of the last picture posts was not a good sign. Here's a trick just in case you come upon this again with a gaping clam, and should be used as a last ditch effort to save: *Fill a small Tupperware container with enough of your tank water to completely submerge your clam into- so that it sits upright. *Take (3) table spoons of pure white bleach sugar and mix it into this Tupperware and tank water. *Place the gaping clam into the Tupperware sugar/tank water mixture. *Place Tupperware with clam in it under your reef tank lighting - but far enough away as to not bake your clam or over heat it. You may even float it in your tank to maintain constant water temp (careful, spilling sugar water may create cyanobacteria breakout). Leave your clam in this container for no more than 1 hr. Remove clam after an hour and gently close the clam to place back into your tank. I have used this technique on many clams and have found it to be successful more than 50% of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Your clam did not starve, I'm sorry if you misunderstood me. Your clam died, as 99% do, purely related to stress induced reactions. The cells in a clams internal structure can quickly breakdown when the pH changes, or temperature, or salinity, or or or...When this internal breakdown occurs, the clam is unable to breathe. Within hours, you will see a change in tissue. This is not starving. The key is limiting stress factors. +++ for buying local, larger species...or refraining indefinitely. I'm pretty sure the survival rate is more than 1%. I didn't even acclimate the clam I got online and it survived. I think if you are able to get a healthy specimen, like I was lucky enough to get, clams are a lot hardier than people give them credit for. Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald525 Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Shaun thanks for the tip. Bigjohn thanks for sharing your bad experience so we can learn from it. Mitchell clams are fragile. I have seen many experienced hobbiests lose them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigjohnwoody Posted February 14, 2011 Author Share Posted February 14, 2011 I second this... and sorry to hear of this loss as that was a real beauty. The gaping in one of the last picture posts was not a good sign. Here's a trick just in case you come upon this again with a gaping clam, and should be used as a last ditch effort to save: *Fill a small Tupperware container with enough of your tank water to completely submerge your clam into- so that it sits upright. *Take (3) table spoons of pure white bleach sugar and mix it into this Tupperware and tank water. *Place the gaping clam into the Tupperware sugar/tank water mixture. *Place Tupperware with clam in it under your reef tank lighting - but far enough away as to not bake your clam or over heat it. You may even float it in your tank to maintain constant water temp (careful, spilling sugar water may create cyanobacteria breakout). Leave your clam in this container for no more than 1 hr. Remove clam after an hour and gently close the clam to place back into your tank. I have used this technique on many clams and have found it to be successful more than 50% of the time. That is very interesting advice. Never heard of doing that thanks so much for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigjohnwoody Posted February 14, 2011 Author Share Posted February 14, 2011 The key is limiting stress factors. +++ for buying local, larger species...or refraining indefinitely. The reason I bought this on line was I have a gift card for liveaquaria and liked this clam the most so I bought it. What do you recommend buying since I have the credit/giftcard? What coral's do you believe ship the best? Also why do you say to refrain indefinitely? Are you against owning clams in a aquarium? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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