wink31790 Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 Hi i bought a 6" maxima clam yesterday and it seems to be gaping, i can clearly see the insides of the clam i cant get a good pic at the moment but can some 1 please check it out Link to comment
ZephNYC Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 it doesn't look THAT bad, but there is need for concern though so you should check your nitrates and make sure they are not zero. Where did you get it from? If you are running carbon stop for atleast a few weeks and let a little DOC accumulate. Link to comment
NicoS Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 Clam looks good to me, just acclimating. Sometimes the inhalent siphon widens with acclimation. It's a beautiful clam. Link to comment
ajmckay Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 Slightly off topic, but there are websites dedicated to gaping clams... You can definitely see the insides and HD pictures are pretty much the norm... Yeah that definitely won't help you with your current issue though. We should really come up with some new terminology for this phenomenon... Anyways, I just wanted to add that Zeph seems to really know his aquatic marine clams (maybe other clams too?), so it sounds like this symptom will be resolved once it acclimates more and conditions remain or become favorable. Link to comment
wink31790 Posted April 4, 2013 Author Share Posted April 4, 2013 Last time i checked which was last week my nitrates where at .2, im currently running bio pellets should i stop that for a while? I live in gibraltar so i buy all my fish coral and inverts from a nearby shop in spain Thanks for the help guys:) Link to comment
ZephNYC Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Slightly off topic, but there are websites dedicated to gaping clams... You can definitely see the insides and HD pictures are pretty much the norm... Yeah that definitely won't help you with your current issue though. We should really come up with some new terminology for this phenomenon... Anyways, I just wanted to add that Zeph seems to really know his aquatic marine clams (maybe other clams too?), so it sounds like this symptom will be resolved once it acclimates more and conditions remain or become favorable. Hi, and thank you for the compliment! Gaping has been studied to the point of ad nauseum., and there is still no single answer to why clams gape. All we can say is that it is an indication of stress and not necessarily an indication of starvation. Although a starving clam will definitely gape. We have had clams gape for months and had exhausted every possible cause, only to watch them "fix themselves" by just moving them to the other end of the tank. Clams are the most sensitive inverts commonly maintained in aquaria, and almost always the first to indicate when something is wrong with your water parameters. For WInk: Your nitrates are ok, but don't let them get any lower. I really do not have any personal experience with bio pellets, but as long as your nitrates don't go to zero I don't see the problem. I actually prefer manual vodka dosing when it comes to clams because that carbon source floating around the water column will STRONGLY benefit your clams, while the carbon in a bio pellet reactor never gets into the aquarium but stays inside the reactor. Just let your clam ride it out for a week and keep us informed if it gets worse. Its a beauty!!! Link to comment
wink31790 Posted April 5, 2013 Author Share Posted April 5, 2013 I currently have it placed on the sand bed, my tank is 22 inches deep and I'm running two 150 watt 14000k metal halides supplemented with two 39 watt T5 actinics. Should I move it up the rock work or leave it where it is and let it acclimate to the lights and move it up slowly? Link to comment
ZephNYC Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 I currently have it placed on the sand bed, my tank is 22 inches deep and I'm running two 150 watt 14000k metal halides supplemented with two 39 watt T5 actinics. Should I move it up the rock work or leave it where it is and let it acclimate to the lights and move it up slowly? Your lighting is fine, it should do well at any depth in your tank. Just leave it alone for now. Check and see how "gapey" it looks at night. They reveal their problems more at night then the day time. Link to comment
x3thelast Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 occasionally my two clams will gape open wide enough i can see the gills and sometimes straight thru them. they're healthy and thriving tho, one of the clams is new the other ive had for 2 years now, maybe its a way of flushing things out thru its gills? Link to comment
wink31790 Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share Posted April 7, 2013 Just to update that my clam seems to be gaping less, but it dosnt seem to be opening up all the way either. It does react well to passing fish and changes in light. Its mantle is fully extended but the actuall clam dosnt seem to be too open. if that makes sence Link to comment
ZephNYC Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 Big clams don't always open all the way. Under very strong light they often (usually) open less. Try to get a better picture...top down shots are best. Link to comment
wink31790 Posted April 9, 2013 Author Share Posted April 9, 2013 these are the best pics i could get hope it helps. It looks not that open when i compare it to the derasa Link to comment
ZephNYC Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 these are the best pics i could get hope it helps. It looks not that open when i compare it to the derasa Dude, you're a worrisome parent !!! Your clam is perfect! Relax and enjoy. Link to comment
x3thelast Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Here's. pic of my small maxima gaping (you can see inside, the gills) Link to comment
ZephNYC Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 not a good sign. Is it even worse at night? Link to comment
tigrtraps Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Slightly off topic, but there are websites dedicated to gaping clams... You can definitely see the insides and HD pictures are pretty much the norm... Yeah that definitely won't help you with your current issue though. We should really come up with some new terminology for this phenomenon... Anyways, I just wanted to add that Zeph seems to really know his aquatic marine clams (maybe other clams too?), so it sounds like this symptom will be resolved once it acclimates more and conditions remain or become favorable. Let Me Forge Ahead On creating something that can solve this. Something that can be put near the gaping and measure the immediate area for things that can cause the issue. I know a guy... Link to comment
wink31790 Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 My derasa unexpectadly died last night, when i woke up this morning all its insides had been eaten is it possible that my nassarius killed it? It seemed to be perfectly healthy, the pic posted above was taken 2 days ago Link to comment
ZephNYC Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Let Me Forge Ahead On creating something that can solve this. Something that can be put near the gaping and measure the immediate area for things that can cause the issue. I know a guy... impossible...and quite humorous!!! Link to comment
ZephNYC Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 My derasa unexpectadly died last night, when i woke up this morning all its insides had been eaten is it possible that my nassarius killed it? It seemed to be perfectly healthy, the pic posted above was taken 2 days ago Sorry for your loss. Its always puzzling how a clam can go from looking gorgeous one day to dead as a door nail the next. The nassarius snails most likely had nothing to do with its demise, like bristle worms they just pile in after the clam dies because of the smell and a free meal. How long have you had it ? Link to comment
wink31790 Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 I had the derasa for around 3 months Link to comment
ZephNYC Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Exactly the time frame most captive clams starve in. And Deresa are the most forgiving. Don't you dare do any water changes or I promise you you will lose that maxima. Link to comment
wink31790 Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 I dont know much about clam behaviour but i did notice that the clam sometimes closed up quuickly then opened again, as if it was squirting water out. It used to do it a couple of times then opened up normally I tested for nitrates today and it was at 0, ive stopped using bio pellets for now see if it goes up a bit BTW thanks for the constant advice Link to comment
ZephNYC Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Don't get caught up in all the latest BS everyone tells you that you need. The most incredible tanks ive ever seen use NOTHING but the best skimmer you can afford. Youre welcome !!!! Link to comment
flypenfly Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Here's. pic of my small maxima gaping (you can see inside, the gills) Wow, that's some serious gaping. I thought mine gaped once in a while but jesus. Link to comment
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