Is my clam slowly dying?

[FishOkay]

Would be nice if vendors and LFS added a bit of influence here too, even if just a sign next to clams for sale or disclaimer on every checkout page with clams. Onus is on us, of course, but would be nice when you see a great sale (bought my crocea for $65 on sale from $150) for a reminder/notice to stop and think, "am I ready for this?".

Without it sounding like im having a go or starting something lol I feel like that's totally the wrong mindset as you said the onus is on you and just because you see a deal doesnt mean you lose all normal thought process and just buy something alive on a whim. That goes with anything really not just clams.
Why would a reminder be needed before buying if at a minimum you should be asking the lfs about the animal and its needs before purchasing.
At the end of the day ultimately you cant rely on others its up to you to decide if your ready for a clam having done the research yourself prior to purchasing.
Again not having a go just my opinion on that.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

@ekandler sry about the loss. Been there. Lost my derasa few months back. Was with me for over 2 years and Prbly had 2 more birthdays before I got it. Get the Clam Bible. I have it. Wealth of knowledge. I now have a squamosa. Love it. On sand middle of tank, redsea xl 300 under 2x xf15 g5 pro ab+ w 90% intensity 12 hr photoperiod. 2 hour ramps either side so 10 hours 90%. So far so good. Took a while to find this clam from a friend. Don’t give up. Add that special look to the home system. Completes it. Has a big shell to fill but doing my best. Today. New shell growth visible under mantle side view. Oh and it spins like a top lol

 

[JoJosReef]

Without it sounding like im having a go or starting something lol I feel like that's totally the wrong mindset as you said the onus is on you and just because you see a deal doesnt mean you lose all normal thought process and just buy something alive on a whim. That goes with anything really not just clams.
Why would a reminder be needed before buying if at a minimum you should be asking the lfs about the animal and its needs before purchasing.
At the end of the day ultimately you cant rely on others its up to you to decide if your ready for a clam having done the research yourself prior to purchasing.
Again not having a go just my opinion on that.

Guilty as charged. I bought my crocea thinking I had the right environment for it: 100% gulf live rock/sand, AI Prime 16HD ("a really good light!"), food for lots of filter feeders (Reef Nutrition, take my money!), coraline growing everywhere... And bought Fatheree's book for reading on planes. Should have read it at home before ever getting a calm, and should have gotten a par meter before I got the clam. Lessons learned the hard way. I'm not trying to divert blame for my dead clam on anyone other than myself.

I guess my soapbox statement is that everyone should care about these animals, not just their final caretaker. Perhaps the deal example isn't best (although I do think normal thought processes are altered by FOMO and opportunity costs). Point was more that perhaps there are upstream actions that could improve outcomes for these clams with minimal effort. Just brainstorming, not blaming or shaming.

 

[minus9]

Would be nice if vendors and LFS added a bit of influence here too, even if just a sign next to clams for sale or disclaimer on every checkout page with clams. Onus is on us, of course, but would be nice when you see a great sale (bought my crocea for $65 on sale from $150) for a reminder/notice to stop and think, "am I ready for this?".

Totally agree. I’ve been to LFS that sold clams and have no business keeping or selling them.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Got this maxima about a month ago. It’s my first clam and I have a thriving mixed reef, so I thought I’d be okay to give it a shot. Seems like over the past month he’s been opening less and less, two pictures attached are first day I got him and a few days ago when he was most open.

I do regular ICP tests and happened to do one last week, results are here. I read the sticky post on clam care and only thing that caught my attention was desire for 0 nitrates. I currently am struggling with 0 nitrates and trying to elevate them, I thought that could have been the problem but maybe not?

it is in the sand bed, so maybe PAR? I have 2 XR30s over a 4 ft tank at 45% intensity. Should be about 180-200 PAR in the sand, but I’m in the process of increasing with an acclimation period.

any thoughts?

as a side, I was really happy with my clam mania experience and highly recommend them.

Clam looks a-ok
Avoid the extremes; Assure calcium no higher than 450, alk no higher than 11dkh, temp no higher that 80. salinity 1.025, Mag- 1300-1350 and Phos no higher than .06
Moderate flow and medium light and feed Phyto daily to every other day

 

[minus9]

Guilty as charged. I bought my crocea thinking I had the right environment for it: 100% gulf live rock/sand, AI Prime 16HD ("a really good light!"), food for lots of filter feeders (Reef Nutrition, take my money!), coraline growing everywhere... And bought Fatheree's book for reading on planes. Should have read it at home before ever getting a calm, and should have gotten a par meter before I got the clam. Lessons learned the hard way. I'm not trying to divert blame for my dead clam on anyone other than myself.

I guess my soapbox statement is that everyone should care about these animals, not just their final caretaker. Perhaps the deal example isn't best (although I do think normal thought processes are altered by FOMO and opportunity costs). Point was more that perhaps there are upstream actions that could improve outcomes for these clams with minimal effort. Just brainstorming, not blaming or shaming.

Trust me, I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years and it’s a part of learning unfortunately. I wasn’t trying to point fingers here, but wanted to raise a little awareness among us reef keepers. Most of the clams raised/farmed are for the food market, we’re just a tiny fraction of the market. Clams are not beginners animals and they’re probably not novice animals either, but if you do your homework, you can be successful. Unfortunately, the larger species seem to be the hardiest of the bunch and require a lot of room eventually, so I see the appeal of the smaller clams.

 

[OrionN]

I definitely sinks lots of money into clams. That is just me. I only want the best and they certainly don’t come cheap.

 

[minus9]

Clam looks a-ok
Avoid the extremes; Assure calcium no higher than 450, alk no higher than 11dkh, temp no higher that 80. salinity 1.025, Mag- 1300-1350 and Phos no higher than .06
Moderate flow and medium light and feed Phyto daily to every other day

If you don’t mind me asking, but where are you getting these parameters from?

 

[vetteguy53081]

If you don’t mind me asking, but where are you getting these parameters from?

Having an LFS these were numbers and keeping mine at these numbers which ive always used
some sources who state the same from quick search:

The Basics of Giant Clam Biology and Care

By James W. Fatherree The giant clams are called giants for a reason-- a record holding specimen had a shell that was over four feet in length. There are sev

reefs.com

www.algaebarn.com/blog
This is the first place many aquarists will fail. Clams need a tank that has stable salinity (SG of 1.023-1.025) , alkalinity (9-12 dKH), calcium (380-450 PPM), pH (8.1-8.3), nitrates (2-20), strontium (6-10 PPM, utilized in shell growth), and iodine (0.04-0.08 PPM). If any of these parameters falls out of place, the clam will suffer and likely die. Nitrates are usually a problem for SPS keepers, who tend to keep them close to zero. But, clams require nitrates of at least 2 ppm, or they will starve. Calcium and Alkalinity, and the other elements to a lesser degree, are used very quickly by clams and must be tested regularly to ensure you or your doser is dosing enough back into the system to keep up with the clams demand and usage.

Algae barn is more reliable with captive species

 

[minus9]

I would stick to James’ ranges, as those are more realistic and I wouldn’t necessarily put AlgaeBarn at the top of my list as to what parameters to keep clams. Not dissing on them, but most LFS that don’t actually keep clams themselves have a poor track record with keeping clams long term. I kinda flinch when I see certain numbers being pushed around, so I tend to question their validity. It’s the same with corals, especially acropora. I think dosing phyto should be for the tanks benefit, not clams, as people tend to rely on phyto to sustain them, which is the wrong mindset. I also think NSW parameters, with a little padding of nutrients is best with clams. I’ve kept them with a wide range of parameters, so I wouldn’t go crazy locking down numbers, but put more emphasis on learning observational skills and knowing what a healthy clam should look like. I think people would be surprised by some of the numbers that successful clam keepers keep their clams in.