Is this clam a gonner?

[Formulator]

I’ve had this maxima for about 6 weeks and he has been thriving, always siphoning and wide open during the day. Today his mantle is detached, but it seems like he is still trying to siphon. Parameters are pretty good (see below). Only recent change was an Alkalinity correction over the last 24 hours. I had been running at about 8.3 dKH because it was easier to maintain stability with manual dosing. I introduced an auto dosing pump and decided I wanted to raise my baseline to about 9 dKH due to potential SPS growth rate benefits and would be able to maintain it easily with the new dosing pump. I have been raising it slowly and it is at about 8.7 dKH today (0.4 dKH increase over 24 hours). I’ve also been chasing high phosphates and have reduced phosphate from 1.0 ppm to 0.1 ppm over the course of about 2 weeks using GFO.

Two questions: Is it game over for the clam or could it recover? Is the alk change or PO4 reduction the likely cause (for future reference)?

Salinity: 1.026
pH: 7.9-8.3 daily
Alk: 8.7 dKH
Ca: 490 ppm
Mg: 3200 ppm
NO3: 1.0
PO4: 0.1 ppm

 

[JoJosReef]

Unfortunately, it is a bad outlook for that clam. @shakacuz @OrionN @minus9 might have some advice, but I suspect it's past the point of no return.

 

[PharmrJohn]

Is your Mg level a typo? If not, I would venture to guess that this is the reason your clam is not faring well.

 

[OrionN]

That clam has not been growing so it was not happy long before today. It is a goner, and it would take a miracle for it to recover.

 

[Formulator]

Is your Mg level a typo? If not, I would venture to guess that this is the reason your clam is not faring well.

Yes apparently a moment of dyslexia! 1320, not 3200. Thanks for catching that.

 

[Formulator]

That clam has not been growing so it was not happy long before today. It is a goner, and it would take a miracle for it to recover.

May I ask how you came to that conclusion?

 

[shakacuz]

agreed. goner, sorry

 

[Formulator]

Since I have the attention of some resident clam experts, @shakacuz @OrionN does anything stand out among my parameters that would have led to its demise? I dose live phyto and coral nutrition AB+ daily, oyster feast 3-4x per week.

I would like to attempt keeping one again, but need to understand what went wrong here.

 

[shakacuz]

Since I have the attention of some resident clam experts, @shakacuz @OrionN does anything stand out among my parameters that would have led to its demise? I dose live phyto and coral nutrition AB+ daily, oyster feast 3-4x per week.

I would like to attempt keeping one again, but need to understand what went wrong here.

did you confirm if no pyramid snail? also considering the amount of GHA in the picture and your no3 being 1.0, and po4 being 0.1, i would say these numbers are wrong and there is actually a significantly higher amount in the water being consumed by the GHA. clam could have been starved by the GHA.


and thank you for your comment, i still have LOTS to learn and @OrionN is much more versed in clams than i!

 

[Formulator]

did you confirm if no pyramid snail? also considering the amount of GHA in the picture and your no3 being 1.0, and po4 being 0.1, i would say these numbers are wrong and there is actually a significantly higher amount in the water being consumed by the GHA. clam could have been starved by the GHA.


and thank you for your comment, i still have LOTS to learn and @OrionN is much more versed in clams than i!

Thanks. Yes, I’m battling a bit of a hair algae bloom at the moment. I recently rebooted my tank after a period of neglect. My phosphate was through the roof an nitrates at zero for a long time. I have to dose nitrate daily now to keep it from bottoming out and this has helped bring my phosphates down along with GFO. Also brought a large refugium online. Nutrient management, snails and an urchin are slowly taking care of the hair algae, but it is not a fast process.

 

[OrionN]

May I ask how you came to that conclusion?

Looking at the shell, there was not much growth. The algae are growing up to the edge of the shells. Normally the clam mantel block light, along with growth of the shell will result in white shell on the outside of the shell edge. Of course, the inside of the shell always white, but your clam shell shas not white scuts or much of a white edge to it.

 

[JoJosReef]

Do you mind sharing with us what your lights are, lighting regimen and position of the clam in the tank? Flow also good information.

 

[cbranin]

he dead, prob from lack of light and husbandry

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

The small change in alk didn't do that... looking at all that algae and the very white sand, I would say your tank is new and unstable. It even has algae growing up over the shell in only 6 weeks.

 

[Formulator]

My tank is 8 years old and I have healthy SPS, LPS, and inverts in the tank. I have been doing this a long time and am just in an ugly phase with the GHA after some trouble with nutrients and old tank syndrome after a period of neglect.

I run 2x 250w 16k halide bulbs plus 2 blue plus and 2 actinic T5s. I run the MH bulbs for 6 hours/day with 2 hours of T5 only before and after MH period. The clam was completely extended and siphoning for many weeks before suddenly dying today. It is positioned near the bottom of the tank, but with my MH bulbs it still gets about 250 PAR. Here is a photo of the clam just a few days ago. Sorry for the poor resolution as I had to crop from a full tank shot.

 

[Formulator]

he dead, prob from lack of light and husbandry

Excuse me, but please explain. I am new to these forums, not to reefing. I would appreciate help rather than judgment

 

[Formulator]

The clam is here. I think I may have discovered a potential contributing cause. My diamond goby is making a mound of sand in front of the clam. Could a mouth full of sand kill a clam?

 

[JoJosReef]

The clam is here. I think I may have discovered a potential contributing cause. My diamond goby is making a mound of sand in front of the clam. Could a mouth full of sand kill a clam?

That's a maxima, yes? Generally, they prefer to attach to the rocks than in the sand like a derasa or squamosa. I usually try to avoid putting clams near areas that get a lot of disturbance. James Fatheree has a good book on Tridacna clams that's worth a read.

250 PAR for a Maxima isn't bad, but that clam can benefit from more PAR for sure.

 

[Formulator]

That's a maxima, yes? Generally, they prefer to attach to the rocks than in the sand like a derasa or squamosa. I usually try to avoid putting clams near areas that get a lot of disturbance. James Fatheree has a good book on Tridacna clams that's worth a read.

250 PAR for a Maxima isn't bad, but that clam can benefit from more PAR for sure.

Thanks a lot. Yes it is a maxima. I will check out the book you recommended. It was on a rock, but you can’t see it because my goby has been burying that rock for some reason.

I didn’t realize clams needed so much light. With my MH lighting, I have often ended up frying anything other than SPS in the upper half of the tank.

I have a good PAR map of the tank. What is a good target for maxima clams? They are such cool creatures and I’d really like to keep one if I can ensure its wellbeing.

 

[OrionN]

This T. noae i had for several years. I poked at the mantle to show the shell. The last roll of scutes are all white. The last 1/4 inch of the shells are all white.