sick clam

[quicksilver]

NO i called barry he runs clams direct. nice guy.

[ohioreef]

NO i called barry he runs clams direct. nice guy.

Cool, was he able to offer you any assistance?

[quicksilver]

He is still hanging around i think its my water quality like he thought just dont know what i am doing wrong have not killed him yet.  all my corals grow so fast strange.

[quicksilver]

I woke up this morning and my clam was almost dead my cleaner shrimp was in heaven  still dont know why. I thought he was making a come back I guess you never know with clams. I did add a derasa clam and he is doing well almost a half inch of shell in 2 weeks that's not so bad love my little derasa clam I just wanted to say thanks for every one that tryed to help me save him.

[MechanicalEngineer]

Sorry to hear this.  Unfortunately, very little is known about life in the ocean.  It's also important to keep in mind that everything has a lifespan, so the clam may not have been sick in the first place.  Keep up with water quality maintenance, and be sure that this death does not cause any spikes.

Good luck and sorry for your loss.
Nikki

[quicksilver]

I am buying every test kit possible i will get to the bottom his death will not be in vain. You guys are great with adivice don't know what i would do with out you. 

[quicksilver]

i banished my cleaner shrimp to my sump i think he is killing the clam. Good news he still alive and kicking trying to make come back I think.

[MechanicalEngineer]

I don't claim to know much, but chances are, the cleaner shrimp was just trying to help (aka, do his job.)  They're excellent at removing dead tissue, parasites, and other pests.  Just because it looked like it was eating your clam doesn't mean it was killing it.  It could've just been removing dead tissue. 

Glad to hear the clam is still alive.

[quicksilver]

actually I was kind of suprised i caught him  i know you are right just when a clam is sick it will just be 2 much some times.

[reefman]

I have always seen that if a cleaner shrimp or fish start eating on the clam then it is about to die. Sometimes shrimp may pick at the clams, but most times I have seen it the clam is on the way out.

[NORTHDIXIEREEF]

IF HE HAS BEEN SICK FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE HE IS STILL EATING, THEY CAN BE VERY PICKY. I WOULD TRY SOME DT'S PHYTOPLANKTON AND OR OYSTER EGGS. NOT SAYING THAT THIS IS A CURE, BUT A COUPLE OF TIMES I HAVE SAVED THEM BY TARGETING FEEDING THEM WITH DT'S, SMALL AMOUNTS 4 OR 5 TIMES A DAY AND PLENTY OF WATER CHANGES, MAKING SURE THAT TEMP,PH AND SALINITY ARE THE SAME {LIKE DEAD ON}

GOOD LUCK, I FEEL FOR YOU

[quicksilver]

I am doing about 5 gallon water changes a day and i am feeding phytoplankton but not oyster eggs dont even know where to find them. The clams do great for like 2 or 3 weeks and then start to pull in like they are sick or something time and time again at this point i think its my water or something that i am adding. My light is fine and i am usually dead on the salinity. Still got to find your store i hear good things. 

[UD Flyer]

I know absolutely nothing about clams, but something that no one has yet to ask is; what kind of water are you using, or where are you getting it from?

[MechanicalEngineer]

Um, quicksilver, I may be stating the obvious, but I wouldn't buy any more clams until you figure out the issue with your tank.  I noticed you were trying to find a gigas on another thread. 

Could you please give us ALL tank specs?  Tank size, lighting, salt, chemistry, anything you dose, water quality, etc.  If you've done this and I've missed it, I apologize.

[quicksilver]

I am using Soften water Huag water filteration system in my house. Good news i Hired some one to take care of my fish tank to do water changes and to test the water and feed my clams be cause i keep killing them.

[quicksilver]

Tank size is 75 gallon with 10 gallon sump light is curent usa 2 X 150W 14K MH and 2 X 130 Accent lights salt is red sea reef salt for soften water. I use Kent marine Magnisum & Calcium some times Purple up, I also add coral vite once a week. and once every 2 weeks Escential elements. Not sure on water quality i think it is good but my fish make it look messey. Nitrates 0 Nitrites 0 calcium was at 400 last i looked and alk, was 12 salinity was 1.024. Hope that might shine some light O yah i also feed photoplankton once a day for corals and clams.

[MechanicalEngineer]

First off, I wouldn't use water that wasn't RO/DI water.  A water softener and home filtration system generally won't take out everything.  It's very likely that there's some chlorine left in the water you're using...and that could be killing the clams. 

A 75g tank is not big enough to house a Gigas clam, if you were looking to buy one of those still.

I also wouldn't dose chemicals unless you can test for them. 

[slandis3]

A 75g tank is not big enough to house a Gigas clam, if you were looking to buy one of those still.

I have a gigas that went from 5" to almost 10" in a year. At the rate hes growing he will out grow my 240 Within the next year or so. They are a fast growing clam.I also agree if your not using ro water You could be getting some problems there.

[quicksilver]

I have a 90 gallon just for the gigas and will do a 180 in a year.

[quicksilver]

I know. My haug water system is the best on the market was a little over $3000 dollars it pretty much removes everything its a good system the rep said it will remove 100% of chlorine. And I know gigas get big i am going bigger just want and excuse to go bigger. I really think its me just adding the wrong amounts all the time. I been adding stuff like crazy cause it seems like my corals like it they grow almost in front of you eyes. 

[slandis3]

I would take a sample of water and get the tds tested. I'm curious of what it is.

[ohioreef]

I can guarantee that your Hague system is not giving you 0 TDS water which is what you really need for a healthy system.

[quicksilver]

Like i said i have a guy comming in on friday and he will test everything and work on the tank for me. I will keep you updated on what he finds.

[MechanicalEngineer]

Home filtration systems generally DO NOT go to 0 TDS because of the taste of the water.  Pure water isn't quite as yummy tasting as it sounds.  Even bottled water is about 300 TDS (Figi water says on the bottle what theirs is).  No matter how good your home filtration system is, it's not suitable for aquarium use (more than likely.) 

Please let us know what he finds.  In all sincere politeness, please do not obtain animals that you cannot keep thriving.  If you've had a problem with clams in the past, claim to not know anything about clams, and do not have a large enough system for a Gigas clam, then please wait until you are ready. 

Purchasing animals that require specialized care and not providing that care can ultimately lead to trying to find a new home for it...it would probably go to someone that also did not know how to care for it...and it will eventually die.  When masses of people follow this pattern, more harvesting of these animals will occur...and then the local pet store will be saying that anyone could keep them in a 29 gallon nano. 

Ok, I'm off my soapbox.  This wasn't directed entirely toward you, but for anyone considering large or specialized animals with the intent of "upgrading".  Everyone hopes for it, but rarely does it happen...instead, life happens. 

Speaking of having someone come look at your system...every month we need someone to host a club meeting.  If you were to host, you'd have lots of knowledgable people able to get a first hand look at your system.  It's a lot easier for unfamiliar eyes to spot the problem! 

[quicksilver]

I would love to host but my soon to be wife is not to happy on how much a reef tank cost I will ask. but anyways I will be a little embarrassed on what my system looks like compared to what you guys have set up. I am getting married May 24 so affter that would be fine but she wants to know how many will be comming and it will be some time in june or july. It Will be nice to have ideas on my New 90 but i am not sure if  I should go ahead and build it or go strait to 180 like I want.