Clam advice

[rayn]

Found this little derasa clam at the lfs. It closed up as soon as I tried to take a pic.

Does it look good from the pic?

 

[Sabellafella]

Found this little derasa clam at the lfs. It closed up as soon as I tried to take a pic.

Does it look good from the pic?

Get a photo of the mantle, otherwise, looks like it had some killer growth!

 

[rayn]

The mantle looked good from what I could see before it closed. It opened up again as soon as I moved away. Didn't like the phone shadow.

They've had it about three weeks already.

 

[Elementalj]

Put something under it, like a little plate of calcium or another shell that it'll fit in. Never tear byssal fibers once they're attached. That things gonna get YUGE!!!

 

[rayn]

'm a bit hesitant now. I just did a water change on my tank, which at the moment is a 20L. Test results come back with alk at 9.3, cal at 330, sal at 1.
026, and nitrate at freakin 64!!!

I am using a res sea kit, and it is expired. When I add the final reagent it almost automatically goes pink. Maybe I need a new kit.

 

[Elementalj]

'm a bit hesitant now. I just did a water change on my tank, which at the moment is a 20L. Test results come back with alk at 9.3, cal at 330, sal at 1.
026, and nitrate at freakin 64!!!

I am using a res sea kit, and it is expired. When I add the final reagent it almost automatically goes pink. Maybe I need a new kit.

Um, yeah! That calcium needs to come up a little and the alkalinity needs to stay close.

Any way to test magnesium?

 

[rayn]

Did have, but the bottle leaked all out from laying on its side. Maybe two tests out of it.

I figured cal could stand to go up, but didn't think it was that low. It was the nitrates that scare me.

 

[Elementalj]

You gotta get magnesium under control before alkalinity and calcium will fall into line. I'd suggest a water change soon for the nitrates and a trip to the LFS for a couple of kits. API kits will work in a pinch and are pretty cheap IMO

 

[rayn]

LFS just sold their last mag test right before I got there, so no luck on that area. While working in the fish room though, I remembered I had a old one. It is expired, but I did the test anyway. Came back at 1280. Should I raise some?

 

[Sabellafella]

'm a bit hesitant now. I just did a water change on my tank, which at the moment is a 20L. Test results come back with alk at 9.3, cal at 330, sal at 1.
026, and nitrate at freakin 64!!!

I am using a res sea kit, and it is expired. When I add the final reagent it almost automatically goes pink. Maybe I need a new kit.

Usually with other test kits, around the expiration date imo are fine BUT the red sea kits are completely toast around the expiration date. I would deffinitly get another.

 

[Elementalj]

LFS just sold their last mag test right before I got there, so no luck on that area. While working in the fish room though, I remembered I had a old one. It is expired, but I did the test anyway. Came back at 1280. Should I raise some?

My fella here is correct with the expiration date. Even though 1280 isn't a bad number, 1350 should be the target, but you need accuracy so grab another kit somewhere. Salifert is cheap on amazon, and it's usually at the house in a couple of days.

 

[rayn]

I'm working on ordering new test kits now. I like the red sea, but will use others as well.

 

[Elementalj]

Red Sea and salifert are nearly identical in results, at least with magnesium and alkalinity because I've used both. Sometimes salifert is cheaper though. It's the packaging to be honest.

 

[Kungpaoshizi]

+1 to salifert
I enjoy red sea products very much, but their test kits suck.