Hi All,
Having now had my 650L system for coming up to 4 years and have managed to grow some good SPS I decided to take the plunge into clams.
I purchased a crocea and desara. The crocea is about 3” and is up on the rock work about half way up the tank. PAR is relatively high in my tank and so I have been running a gradual acclimatisation on my LEDs. The crocea seems to have settled well. It moved around a little adjusting itself to flow and light direction I think and now has firmly attached and well open. The desara is not so straightforward however.
The desara is smaller, just over 2” and I know smaller clams are difficult and I have been feeding phyto. The clam is on the sand bed in low-moderate random flow. It’s sitting in sand but with some rubble underneath as I know they like to attach when younger. It has been in the tank for around 2 weeks and does open during the day, but not fully. Checked for snails before placement etc. The problem is it seems to start to attach and point upward but then every 24 hours will have fallen onto its side. I know they cannot right themselves so I do then move it so it can get light to the mantle, but I also know they hate being fiddled with and moved. So what to do? Just leave it be??? I know they like to shift into flow/light, but just worried it will starve from lack of light when its on its side.
When its open mantle looks fine, not pinched, no gaping, no bleaching. Parameters below.
Any advice/tricks to try would be really appreciated.
Temp 78
pH 8.1-8.2
Alk 9 (calcium reactor minimal swing +/- 0.1 at most)
Calc 420
Mg 1360
Nit 8.5
Po4 0.15 (nutrients have increased a little recently as been feeding clams so feeding heavier).
Recent ICP test clean
Many thanks
John
Having now had my 650L system for coming up to 4 years and have managed to grow some good SPS I decided to take the plunge into clams.
I purchased a crocea and desara. The crocea is about 3” and is up on the rock work about half way up the tank. PAR is relatively high in my tank and so I have been running a gradual acclimatisation on my LEDs. The crocea seems to have settled well. It moved around a little adjusting itself to flow and light direction I think and now has firmly attached and well open. The desara is not so straightforward however.
The desara is smaller, just over 2” and I know smaller clams are difficult and I have been feeding phyto. The clam is on the sand bed in low-moderate random flow. It’s sitting in sand but with some rubble underneath as I know they like to attach when younger. It has been in the tank for around 2 weeks and does open during the day, but not fully. Checked for snails before placement etc. The problem is it seems to start to attach and point upward but then every 24 hours will have fallen onto its side. I know they cannot right themselves so I do then move it so it can get light to the mantle, but I also know they hate being fiddled with and moved. So what to do? Just leave it be??? I know they like to shift into flow/light, but just worried it will starve from lack of light when its on its side.
When its open mantle looks fine, not pinched, no gaping, no bleaching. Parameters below.
Any advice/tricks to try would be really appreciated.
Temp 78
pH 8.1-8.2
Alk 9 (calcium reactor minimal swing +/- 0.1 at most)
Calc 420
Mg 1360
Nit 8.5
Po4 0.15 (nutrients have increased a little recently as been feeding clams so feeding heavier).
Recent ICP test clean
Many thanks
John