I think Im Losing my crocea

[IchIsBadM'Kay]

this crocea clam is my first clam and i have had him for six months now and he was doing beautifully. This past couple of days his mantle has been retracted fully inside the shell and hasnt been coming out. his shell is closed all the way with just a hint of the mantle being exposed. my water has tested just fine, i bought a bi-color blenny two weeks prior to this issue and i thought that the blenny might be bugging it. I noticed once that the blenny tried to sit on the clam but never noticed it after that. the blenny would perch next to the clam and when he would go to his spot his tail would touch the clam. so i put some empty shells and rocks and now he perches somewhere else, but the clam still wont extend his mantle. I notice that he brings the mantle out just a little and sits like that for about ten minutes and then goes back in. Im really worried that hes not going to be able to eat which would cause him to die. Im lost, can someone please help me?

[jafoca]

Try putting a clear plastic cover (with holes for flow) over him for a day or two and see if he gets better. I used a "gladware" (fake/cheap tuppeerware thingie from grocery store) to do this when my squamosa was upset. It was my bicolor blenny biting it.

 

Could be the bicolor or another tankmate is bothering him.. This is one way to know for sure!

 

If you want more advice than that tell me everything about your tank (lighting, clam position, water params, etc...)

 

I have studied clams a lot (one of my favorite aquarium inhabiants) and hopefully I can help you.

[anonymous 2]

I would bet alot of money that it is the blenny. They are notorious clam nippers.

 

My $0.02

Phil

[OntarioLiftie]

i have the same issue but with the occasional nip from a powder blue tang and i have my clam under PC lighting and its doing fine especially when the tang leaves it alone. But just a questions how long does it take for a clam to die and what are the signs of it dieing?

[jafoca]

i have the same issue but with the occasional nip from a powder blue tang and i have my clam under PC lighting and its doing fine especially when the tang leaves it alone. But just a questions how long does it take for a clam to die and what are the signs of it dieing?

 

 

It can take a very long time for a clam to die (especially of starvation, which it might do under PC lighting). Some possible signs are: color shift in mantle (maybe bleaching), overextension of mantle - reaching for light, continuous moving, and lastly and most noticible - Gaping.

 

Some species of tridacnid clams will do find under PC lighting, but maximas and croceas are definitly to be avoided...

 

/EDIT/

Blennies do have a reputation for nipping clams, but not all will. My blennie nipped at a squamosa clam I added to my tank, but leaves both of my croceas alone! Maybe squamosa tastes better or looks more appitizing..

[Caesar777]

PC + crocea = death. That, and the blenny is probably bugging it.

[IchIsBadM'Kay]

PC + crocea = death. That, and the blenny is probably bugging it.

 

ok now i just feel dumb. its actually a maxima clam. i know for sure the lighting and the postion is fine, becuase his mantle was all the way extended but you could barely see the opening. the day i set it, it didnt take him three days to attach himself. i have two 96watt PC lighting in a 50g acrylic with a built in the back wet and dry. i have a 18watt uv sterilizer. my water tested (QUICK DIP RESULTS) 8.2-PH, 20-NITRATE, 0-NITRITE, 0-AMMONIA, and the salinity is at .20. i will try the topperware technique today thx.

[Caesar777]

That's not enough light. You need twice that if PC, or some MH. Open doesn't mean happy. The pic is small, but he appears to be gaping (speading his mantle far to collect enough light).

[Travis]

I agree withe C777. PC lighing isn't good for much. The reason why I say that is because a 55w PC bulb puts out about as much Lumens as the sun does on a cloudy, stormy day.

[IchIsBadM'Kay]

i though maxima's dont require that much of lighting. well i here is a pic of before and now, maybe this will make the problem a little more clear. thx for keeping up with me guys.

I agree withe C777. PC lighing isn't good for much. The reason why I say that is because a 55w PC bulb puts out about as much Lumens as the sun does on a cloudy, stormy day.

[jafoca]

That clam looks like a crocea to me.

 

Here is a list of how light demanding clams are, most demanding first:

 

crocea - MH or T5 lighting only

maxima - MH or T5 lighting only

squamosa, gigas, derasa - Strong PC is OK... better is MH or t5

[Caesar777]

A, that's crocea. B, Maximas need nearly as much light as crocea. Ditto on above, minus the T5 bull.

[andykee]

something else besides lack of light ###ed it off (edit: bothered it), but like everyone else said. it will most likely die due to lack of light, but it looks like something else was bothering it which caused it to close up.

[pheallox]

Well not to ### any one off but I have a crocea under pc. I would not sugest it unless you know what you are doing but he\she has grown 2'' in the last six months I got him at 3/4" and he lives in a 30 gal hex right bellow 2 96 watt quad lamps 1 50/50 1 10k and 2 28 watt actinic 03.......so it can be done you just need over kill on the pcs........sorry I just HATE the word cant.

 

 

 

oh ya flush the blenny

[andykee]

Well not to ### any one off but I have a crocea under pc. I would not sugest it unless you know what you are doing but he\she has grown 2'' in the last six months I got him at 3/4" and he lives in a 30 gal hex right bellow 2 96 watt quad lamps 1 50/50 1 10k and 2 28 watt actinic 03.......so it can be done you just need over kill on the pcs........sorry I just HATE the word cant.

oh ya flush the blenny

just an fyi - a 3/4" clam is nonphotosynthetic and a 2-3/4" clam is just on the verge of starting to be photosynthetic

[Caesar777]

That, and they die slowly. It's "grown", but that's the mantle spreading for light. No clam grows two inches of shell length in its first 6 months! Hell, not in 6 months, period.

[IchIsBadM'Kay]

ok i already order 175watt MH lighting and i should get it tommorrow. but i still dont really understand how a clam would be exactly the same for over 6 months and then just act weird. and close up like that. i think its the blenny, because i see him nipping on my kenya tree coral which really is annoying to the coral. i hope tha lighting would bring him back, but i still can see some life in the clam, i hope it makes it through but tonight i am going to remove the blenny and tommorrow put on the MH lighting system. Ohh one more thing. Would 175watts MH lighinting with 10k be enough for a 50G tank with a builtin in wet and dry in the back. ohh and can someone send me a pic on how a clam should look like at a healthy state, and how far the mantle should be open and etc. because i am really confused from listening to my LFS and the fellow reefers in the forums.

 

That, and they die slowly. It's "grown", but that's the mantle spreading for light. No clam grows two inches of shell length in its first 6 months! Hell, not in 6 months, period.

[/q

[OntarioLiftie]

Ok nipping by fish my powder blue has nipped my clam will the nip grow back or heal because where he has nipped were there was missing mantal is now like a light purple skin filling in that space. Any ideas?

 

And second question is how can you tell if a clam is gaping because mine has wedged it self between an crevace in a rock and im not gonna attempt to move him because i dont want to tear his foot but anything i could look for? other then that bright blue but not really blue because my actinic lights is of a lower wattage then my main light but its still a brilliant blueish purple and the mantal is just extended enough to so that the it lies at a 90 degree angle to the shell its a 3 inch crocea and the mantal is ewxtended about 1/2 - 3/4 inch past the shell id say more of 1/2 inch.

 

Also it only closes up when its either being bugged by that one tang or at night or if a fish swims too close to it. The rest of the time its open and looking blueish purple.