Clam dying :(

[PicassoClown04]

I bought this maxima about a week ago from my LFS where it was open and doing well, light reactive. Yesterday it was halfway closed and not reacting to light and I did a 25% water change. Today it’s still halfway closed and not reacting. I do feed newly hatched brine shrimp every day because of my pipefish, no other foods or supplements. Im using Reef Crystals with the salinity ant 1.025 and temp is 75-76 F with ann inkbird.

Any ideas?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

@Miami Reef , who is the clam guru?

 

[dedragon]

I dont see anything too bad, something could have just knocked into it causing it to close up a bit. Mine did this for a couple of days and then I realized a large piece of substrate was on it, took it off an it was fine. Not reacting to light is a bit worrisome though. Best I could think of would be to keep everything stable for now.
What are calcium, alkalinity, nitrate, and phosphate levels right now? I would also check at night to see if anything like pyramid snails were doing any damage.

@OrionN is pretty knowledgeable about clams, maybe they can help

 

[Shibaken3]

par?

 

[Shibaken3]

also, did you check for parasites? remove anything that's on the shell maybe disturbing the clam

 

[TnFishwater98]

Pyramid snails love clams. They are very small…

 

[TnFishwater98]

 

[PicassoClown04]

I picked up the clam (after looking underneath for byssal threads and there were none) and a lot of nasty flesh/brown slime (very similar to BJD in euphyllia looking) came out of the mouth. The foot area was white and looked to be decomposing. The clam did not react whatsoever to being touched, flipped upside down, etc. I think he’s a goner. Anybody have any theories?

 

[JGT]

How’s your lighting? Pics look dark. The need a lot of light.

 

[PicassoClown04]

 

[PicassoClown04]

How’s your lighting? Pics look dark. The need a lot of light.

I had to cover the light because the blues were washing out the photos. I have an AI Prime HD on about 50% intensity on a 7.5 gallon tank. Clam is around 12” away from the light

 

[nrupaw]

is the mantle peeling off the shell? if so, i'd recommend you yank it. no coming back from that.

Was it one of those tiny 2-3 inches? Ive never had luck with them. i've had better luck with the larger clams. more hardier IMO.

Clams are sensitive creatures. If you're good at growing acros, you're good with clams. if the tank's not setup for acros, clams will be very challenging

 

[PicassoClown04]

is the mantle peeling off the shell? if so, i'd recommend you yank it. no coming back from that.

Was it one of those tiny 2-3 inches? Ive never had luck with them. i've had better luck with the larger clams. more hardier IMO.

Clams are sensitive creatures. If you're good at growing acros, you're good with clams. if the tank's not setup for acros, clams will be very challenging

I’ve had other clams in past tanks that did really well. All started around 1”, this one is closer to 2.5”-3” and looked healthy at the LFS. You’re right about this not being an acro tank but I did dose some calcium and alk for it so I thought it would be fine. Maybe bad luck of the draw :/

 

[dedragon]

This one looks to be a goner from the last pics. Clams sometimes just dont show they are going until it is too late. Most likely it wasnt in the best health when you got it and was just on its way out when you put it into your tank

 

[Tamberav]

I picked up the clam (after looking underneath for byssal threads and there were none) and a lot of nasty flesh/brown slime (very similar to BJD in euphyllia looking) came out of the mouth. The foot area was white and looked to be decomposing. The clam did not react whatsoever to being touched, flipped upside down, etc. I think he’s a goner. Anybody have any theories?

It is dying, I would toss it. The slime is probably just decomposing flesh and such.

I don't see much in the way of new growth but it is hard to tell from the photos??? There is green algae on the side it looks?

new growth will look something like this, big white line, I would not buy a clam at the LFS if it didn't look like it was growing.

 

[OrionN]

That clam looks like it is beyond recovery. The pictures are not detail enough but it looks like it was growing recently. It also seem, from what you said, to be heathy at the LFS. Did the LFS employee yanked it off the attachment? If they did, then that was likely the cause for its demise.
mid it was unattached or the removal from the attachment was done correctly with sharp knife, the. Your tank condition did it in.
1 week is not long enough for it to died during to lack of light. It is likely due to chemistry abnormalities from your tank. You said you had a clam before, what happened to it?

 

[TnFishwater98]

Wash out and keep the shell :smirking-face:

 

[vetteguy53081]

I bought this maxima about a week ago from my LFS where it was open and doing well, light reactive. Yesterday it was halfway closed and not reacting to light and I did a 25% water change. Today it’s still halfway closed and not reacting. I do feed newly hatched brine shrimp every day because of my pipefish, no other foods or supplements. Im using Reef Crystals with the salinity ant 1.025 and temp is 75-76 F with ann inkbird.

Any ideas?

Unfortunately yes and I do see both vermetid snails and tunicates which likely irritated them.
Clams dont have much issues unless something is off with the water quality as they can be sensitive with change. Dont allow ammonia or nitrates levels to build up by developing a schedule of 20% water changes per week. Add occasional trace elements which helps the clam's survival.
Changes in temperature, oxygen, pH, and alk can make your clam diminish as will lack of light needed for photosynthesis within their mantle and without proper light, most clams will starve.
A few numbers to keep in mind with them (ranges) :
Temperature not to exceed 80
Ca not to exceed 450-475
Ph not to exceed 8.3
Alk not to exceed 11
Salinity best at 1.025
Nitrate not to exceed 80
Moderate water flow
Good lighting

These are ranges and not absolute. There are many types of clams, and not all require the same lighting needs. It’s a myth that all clams need intense lighting. My favorite clam species are crocea and maxima clams for ease of care but they also require more light. Gigas and derasa clams can get by in deeper tanks with use of t5 or LED lighting.
My favorite clam species are crocea and maxima clams for ease of care but they also require more light. Gigas and derasa clams can get by in deeper tanks with use of t5 or LED lighting.
Crocea and maxima clams do best under high-intensity, reef-ready lights. Maxima is my favorite.

 

[Auto-pilot]

Unfortunately yes and I do see both vermetid snails and tunicates which likely irritated them. Clams dont fall down this quickly unless something was off with water conditions.
They’re sensitive species. You CAN’T allow ammonia or nitrates to build up. This means developing a schedule of 20% water changes each week. Set up dosing to provide the trace elements the clam will need to survive . changes in temperature, oxygen levels, pH, or alkalinity can make your maxima unhappy. Maxima clams also need light and lots of it which promotes photosynthesis carried out by the zooxanthellae inside their mantle. Without proper light, any clam will starve.
A few numbers to keep in mind with them (ranges) :
Temperature not to exceed 80
Ca not to exceed 450
Ph not to exceed 8.3
Alk not to exceed 11
Salinity best at 1.025
Nitrate not to exceed.8
Moderate water flow
Good lighting

These are ranges and not absolute. If you learn nothing today yet, remember this rule: The more colorful the clam, the more light it requires.
Light and flow are two very important considerations for all reef clam is no different. There are many types of clams, and not all require the same lighting needs. It’s a myth that all clams need high-intensity lighting. My favorite clam species are crocea and maxima clams for ease of care but they also require more light. Gigas and derasa clams can get by in deeper tanks with use of t5 or LED lighting.
Crocea and maxima clams do best under high-intensity, reef-ready lights. Maxima is my favorite.

Question do clams brown out or change colors like coral when they don't get enough light??

 

[Tcook]

I bet that the lfs twisted the clam to get it free and destroyed the foot. Not your fault. My lfs owner carefully and slowly releases the foot from the glass with a razor producing minimal damage if any to the portion of the foot furthest from the clam.