Maxima clam maybe gaping?

[eleongsit]

Hi,

I got a Red Sea maxima clam about a month ago, it is attached to a piece of rock and I’ve got it in the highest point in my tank I can get it while being stable.

Wanted a second opinion on if this is gaping I should be worried about. The clam does react to shadows and movement by closing slightly or more if I poke its shell with a turkey baster.

Current parameters posted below as well.

Thank you!

 

[Uncle99]

I would agree with your assessment.
Is there palythoa growing under it?
That would irritate him, and stress him out.
Could be water chemistry.

Nitrate almost zero and phosphate zero is not necessarily a good place to be. Sometimes Dino’s take hold during zero nutrients and are toxic.

A stable 5-10ppm with .1 ish phosphate.

 

[eleongsit]

Thank you, yes I struggle a lot of those two parameters.

I’ve been dosing phosphate for over a year now and everyday it’s back at zero.

This last test was the first time I had detectable nitrates with out prior manual dosing of that as well.

Any tips of what I should do to get them to a stable level? To fill in a few more gaps this is a 22 gallon tank with 10 gallon sump. I’m running a small skimmer and have a tiny bit of cheato and some rock in my sump. The tank is not heavily stocked with just a 4 bar damsel who is a bully so lives a life of solitude, a peppermint shrimp and pistol shrimp.

Clean up crew wise it’s just a bunch of snails a few hermits and a tuxedo urchin.

Corals consist of zoas and mushrooms.

 

[JGT]

Lighting?

 

[eleongsit]

Sorry, lighting is a Radion XR15 G5

 

[JGT]

Should be fine. I’d focus on getting your PO4 up.

 

[exnisstech]

Does the shell show any white new growth? Lack of new growth is usually a sign things are going bad IME

 

[Uncle99]

You are doing the right things but Dosing phosphate for a year?
And zero? That don’t make sense.
Do you have any GHA which might be mopping that up?
Either that or I’d bet test error.
What test kit returns a zero?
Can we see the full tank shot for some context?

How sure are you that both kits are providing correct results?

 

[eleongsit]

Does the shell show any white new growth? Lack of new growth is usually a sign things are going bad IME

Im not 100% sure on this one. I can see white below the mantle but not on the exterior. Keep in mind I’ve only had it for a month.

Here is a picture I just took of it closed up to give an example.

 

[JGT]

No growth. Not a good sign.

 

[The Ugly Phase]

excuse too add more fish imo

 

[exnisstech]

Doesn't look great to me. @minus9 ?

 

[Tahoe61]

Unfortunately I am not hopeful. I would check the calibration on SG. Alk is is on the high end but that might reflect a higher SG value.

 

[Marine Betta]

Hi,

I got a Red Sea maxima clam about a month ago, it is attached to a piece of rock and I’ve got it in the highest point in my tank I can get it while being stable.

Wanted a second opinion on if this is gaping I should be worried about. The clam does react to shadows and movement by closing slightly or more if I poke its shell with a turkey baster.

Current parameters posted below as well.

Thank you!

Have you checked for pyramid snails? Do you dose phyto or any amino acids? That would probably help with your nutrients.

 

[Tcook]

Clam is starving. Likely was at lfs for some time. As mentioned double check your SG and get down to 1.026. Then recheck alk to confirm that 11 is artificially high. Are you using decent tests like salifert? Not sure why you have zero phosphate after a year of dosing. Do you know what par you are getting? I’m not familiar with that light. If it is comparable to a Kessil 360 then you are in the right range for the clam.

 

[DSC reef]

Great advice given. Ill just add tridacna doesn't mind some nutrients in the water. For future clams, white shell growth just under the mantle is a true tell sign that your clam is doing well. A large open incurrent siphon doesn't always spell doom but coupled with no growth and chemistry issues it usually doesn't end well I'm afraid.

 

[eleongsit]

Thank you everyone for the advice.

Yeah my salinity is a bit higher than normal for me it’s normally lower, I had a hiccup with my auto top off that caused that, I’m working on lowering it safely.

As for the question about dosing phyto or aminos I am not but I am dosing 7ml of all for reef a day, if my alk is too high I may have to lower that a bit. Phosphate has been an issue for a long time, I can never seem to get a measurable number 24hrs after dosing, I’m not sure where it’s all going maybe the live rock is absorbing?

For ALK and calcium in have been testing with a Red Sea foundations test kit, and for phosphate I use a Hanna checker .

Been toying with the idea of dosing red see AB+ or something similar, do you think this would work or should I go something more specific like phyto or amino based?

 

[Marine Betta]

Thank you everyone for the advice.

Yeah my salinity is a bit higher than normal for me it’s normally lower, I had a hiccup with my auto top off that caused that, I’m working on lowering it safely.

As for the question about dosing phyto or aminos I am not but I am dosing 7ml of all for reef a day, if my alk is too high I may have to lower that a bit. Phosphate has been an issue for a long time, I can never seem to get a measurable number 24hrs after dosing, I’m not sure where it’s all going maybe the live rock is absorbing?

For ALK and calcium in have been testing with a Red Sea foundations test kit, and for phosphate I use a Hanna checker .

Been toying with the idea of dosing red see AB+ or something similar, do you think this would work or should I go something more specific like phyto or amino based?

I would start dosing phyto and amino acids. It will give him something to eat since you have very few fish right now to provide nitrates to eat. I like Red Sea AB+, aquavitro fuel, and phyto feast. There are other options though.

My guess is that your nutrients are getting sucked up by the corals and the clam as soon they are produced. The rock probably has some role in that as well. More fish and heavier feeding will help.

Your alk is on the high side for the amount of nutrients you have. I would gradually lower that to 9 dKH or less if it really is 11.5 dKH.

 

[eleongsit]

I find the Red Sea tests a bit finicky, it’s possible my test results have a bit of user error….

I’ll test again this weekend for all values.

I will look into the aminos, phyto and ab+.

Additionally I did check for pyramid snails and other pests when I received the clam and did not find any but I will keep checking.

 

[eleongsit]

Question for the phyto as I’ve never used this type of product before, would it better to broadcast feed the tank or target the clam specifically?

I suppose same for AB+ or aquavitro, I’m guessing I use one or the other for this one and not both? It seems that the aquavitro is not available locally for me but I can get AB+. Should this be target fed as well?

If you had to get one before the other which would you prioritize ?


Also wanted to add I would love to get more fish but I had a rookie mistake with thinking my damsel…. I believe it’s territorial and is hyper aggressive to other fish so I am avoiding new fish…