I bought this clam 6 months ago. It was doing fine but yesterday when i got home he;s fully open and not closing up. what could be wrong with it.His color is fine just isnt closing like he was any advice. have 300 watt metal hilides so its not the lighting or the water conditions. ammonia is o nitrates .05 nirites o calcium is 350 ph is 8.4 evryting else is ok. need help want to save this animal
derasa clam help
- Thread starter weincsatyoi
- Start date
It sounds like it may be too late. Once they fully relax and stay open (even with stimulation), they are usually too far gone. It sounds like it may have been a cumulative problem--maybe not enough food, wrong habitat, etc. Where did you have it placed? It should have been on a hardpan, preferably flat surface (such as a rock)--not sand, contrary to popular belief. Moving it now won't do much good, though. All I can say is to hope that it might pull through, but chances are slim now. Maybe try some live phytoplankton for a while.
oh my gosh it on the sand it only took one day for his death. this happened over night. when i fed him this morning he did respnd a little. i hope i dont lose him
forgot to say the lfs i got him from also had him on the sand said thats where he should be placed. i was thinking if may be something messed with it.
Well, keeping on the sand can chronically irritate them in some cases. Many people have luck with them on the sand, but it is far from being optimal for most species. In fact, the only species found on sand with any sort of regularity (and it is still found mostly on rock) is Tridacna gigas. Keep water quality high and keep trying to feed it passively via phytoplankton.
Doubtful it only took one day for their death. Clams don't tend to let you know they are going downhill until it is often too late. That is why some are warned on forums about how they are keeping their clams even if they seem fine after a few months.
The pH wasn't out of the ordinary (actually optimal for calcification)--the calcium was on the low side too. Should be at least 380-400 and up to around 450 ppm Ca++.
thank you guys for the input. i have since raised my calcium levels. but i did forget to say that i went on a two week vacation andmy tanks were left up to a close friend to take care of these tanks. i thinks the clam didnt get fed on a regular basis as well as the calicum falling but i havelearnednever to leave my tanks in some elses care.