quy_nquyen Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 here's a picture of it when i got it this is what it looks like as of last night. sorry the pics are not very clear i think it has PM but can someone confirm? should i give it a freshwater dip? and if i should perform one then i would have to use RO water with with ph of about 8.2 (like in my tank) and also match the temp of the RO to my tank water? how long should i dip the clam? any help would be appreciated Link to comment
calvin415 Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 I've done dips many time with past clams but IME the PM comes back as the bug is now in your tank. The FWD's will keep the clams alive, but the only way I was able to get rid of it was to put the clam into a new tank after a FWD. As far as I know there is no cure, Barry N. w/ Clams Direct is probably the leading expert and researcher looking for a solution. Oh, and as for how long, I started mine at 3 minutes and worked up from there... The longest I've done was 15 minutes. Link to comment
cyenna Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/jf/index.php Link to comment
quy_nquyen Posted January 30, 2007 Author Share Posted January 30, 2007 thanks a lot for the fast response.. cyenna ive read from that site already, but it freaks me out when they say that FW dip should be done for about 30 mins.. calvin i think im going to dip it for about 5 mins and see if conditions improve. unfortunately i do not have another tank to move the clam after the dip.....grr Link to comment
calvin415 Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 I know what you mean, it really sucks... I eventually had to start another tank just to keep clams, once pm hits the water it's always in the water. I've read somewhere that iron promotes PM so run a phosban reactor in your sump full of carbon to try to remove as much as possible. Link to comment
quy_nquyen Posted January 30, 2007 Author Share Posted January 30, 2007 i figure IF it lives and gets it AGAIN i'll just donate it to anyone that's willing to pick it up Link to comment
quy_nquyen Posted January 30, 2007 Author Share Posted January 30, 2007 if you look at the picture above you can see that the clam has now opened and went back to NORMAL? except for that crease in front in which i made a white arrow looking at it in this view it looks like it's back to normal. while i am writing this my big turbo snail was moving near it and it's shell touched the clams mantles and now it's back to how it was in the first post..... is this normal for the mantles to some what scrunge up and stay like that for a while after something touches it? any ideas? Link to comment
quy_nquyen Posted January 30, 2007 Author Share Posted January 30, 2007 bump for opinions Link to comment
ezcompany Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 first of: tank specs calcium alkalinity (dkh) ammonia, nitrite, nitrate water temperature lighting distance from lighting some of the pictures look like its hyperextending, meaning its demanding more light. croceas are the most light demanding of clams, i would not put it under anything less than 150 14k hqi. it COULD be PM. if you are confident its not your lighting, proceed to post in clamsdirect forums and we can help you from there in proper instructions of FW dipping your clam. Link to comment
a1rabbit Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 What's "PM"? Pinched Mantle? If so, how does a pinched mantle stay in the water... I confused. Link to comment
quy_nquyen Posted January 30, 2007 Author Share Posted January 30, 2007 first of:tank specs calcium alkalinity (dkh) ammonia, nitrite, nitrate water temperature lighting distance from lighting some of the pictures look like its hyperextending, meaning its demanding more light. croceas are the most light demanding of clams, i would not put it under anything less than 150 14k hqi. it COULD be PM. if you are confident its not your lighting, proceed to post in clamsdirect forums and we can help you from there in proper instructions of FW dipping your clam. been testing calcium and levels are 550 constant. (i know that's a little high but i cant seem to figure out where the extra Ca is coming from. i also used a my test to test someone elses tank and it matched their results) i dont have a tested for dkh but i tested my pH and it was about 8.0-8.1 ammonia, nitrite, nitrate are all 0 temps always at 80-81 70 watt mh with 14k bulb and about 10-12 inch or so from the light. i posted on clamsdirect last night as well to recieve help from them. Link to comment
ezcompany Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 been testing calcium and levels are 550 constant. (i know that's a little high but i cant seem to figure out where the extra Ca is coming from. i also used a my test to test someone elses tank and it matched their results)i dont have a tested for dkh but i tested my pH and it was about 8.0-8.1 ammonia, nitrite, nitrate are all 0 temps always at 80-81 70 watt mh with 14k bulb and about 10-12 inch or so from the light. i posted on clamsdirect last night as well to recieve help from them. lower your Ca to less than 450. it is your salt mix thats causing the Ca increase. what kind of salt would do that! get rid of it!!! get a test kit for dkh asap. Alk and Ca are the 2 most important water parameters and you should definitely have one. your ph is low. try dosing kalk and push it up to 8.2-8.3 range. and use Salifert for test kits please. what brand is your bulb? and for people who don't know, PM is a ailment caused by an unknown protozoan. Link to comment
quy_nquyen Posted January 30, 2007 Author Share Posted January 30, 2007 im using the salifert Ca test kit... and instant ocean salt which i know should only give me 340ppm of Ca when used with RO water. i dont know what type of bulb i am currently using as i bought my mh system + bulb from another reefer on the site as of right now the clam doesnt seem to show any pinching on the mantles. Jin i just looked at your clams and i see what you mean by hyperextending. should i i raise the clam to a higher spot in my tank? and how bad is 550 ppm of calcium?toxic? i'll mix a fresh batch of saltwater when i get home from school and i'll test it with my kit before i dump it into the tank. i tested another reefer's tank who uses IO salt and got readings of about 330 so i dont think it's the test. but i havent dose my tank with anything either..... Link to comment
ezcompany Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 you must've gotten a fluke batch of salt. test it asap. Link to comment
Asin Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 you must've gotten a fluke batch of salt. test it asap. I agree with EZ, he is the King of the Crayon Sticks! Link to comment
quy_nquyen Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 i just tested some freshly mixed saltwater and it was 430ppm i retested my tank and got results of 630ppm... (i performed test twice in case i made a mistake the first time) i dont know what's causing hte fluxuation..... perhaps this is whats stressing the clam rather than PM. Link to comment
ezcompany Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 retest a small 1 gallon batch. then get salt from the bottom of the bucket and test another 1 gallon. make sure to mix thoroughly before testing, preferably at least 2 hours for accuracy. what is your substrate? are you using aragonite crushed coral? and you dose absolutely nothing? and how are chris and sue treating ya..nm, i'll go check myself lol Link to comment
quy_nquyen Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 im not using crush coral for sand. the only thing i added into the tank was that sealab # 28 cube and shortly after addinged it i tested the water and got about 550ppm of calcium so i thought it might have been the cube so i removed it from the tank... this was after i got the clam so i have no other calcium result to compare it to. the cube has been out of my tank for several week but people say the sealab cube is just like a placebo so i dont think that's caughing the Ca to jump. jin do you think i should trade the clam and bionic to another reefer for some zoos since my tank will eventually kill the clam anyways? Link to comment
ezcompany Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 im not using crush coral for sand. the only thing i added into the tank was that sealab # 28 cube and shortly after addinged it i tested the water and got about 550ppm of calcium so i thought it might have been the cube so i removed it from the tank... this was after i got the clam so i have no other calcium result to compare it to. the cube has been out of my tank for several week but people say the sealab cube is just like a placebo so i dont think that's caughing the Ca to jump. jin do you think i should trade the clam and bionic to another reefer for some zoos since my tank will eventually kill the clam anyways? u can give it to Asin, i'm sure he's willing to give clams a try. he has more light and stable calcium and alk, although if u like ur clam, i wouldn't give up on it just yet. how is it looking now? how bout doing a 30% water change over the next 3 days to lower your calcium? Link to comment
quy_nquyen Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 right now it looks the same as the first pic in post 7. i guess i'll do a few water changes to lower the Ca levels for the next few days and see how it does. Link to comment
quy_nquyen Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 im using this type of sand "Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Reef Sand" oh crap is this the reason for my high Ca? is this causing the high levels of calcium in my tank? Link to comment
Phixion Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Hmm, I wouldn't guess the sand, but you never know... My guess is also the salt. I/O is good stuff, but there's always potential for a bad batch no matter the brand. Good luck Shawn! Link to comment
Asin Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 im using this type of sand "Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Reef Sand" oh crap is this the reason for my high Ca?is this causing the high levels of calcium in my tank? No way, bro. That's the sand I use exclusively on all my tanks. I've never had any issues with CA at all. Link to comment
quy_nquyen Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 as of right now the clam looks just like when i first got it, so im at least happy for that. im also relieved because Chris over at clamsdirect said that the high level of Ca shouldnt harm the clam(im still going to try to find out what's causing the elevated amount of calcium though). thanks for all the great advice and help calvin, jin, asin and you too matt. Asin you ALMOST got free gift today. Link to comment
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