Maxima clam problem

jsaltzgi · 02-01-2003, 01:19 PM

Sorry to post in two forums... This is my first real problem with my reef!!!

My setup:
75 Gallon with 30 gallon sump. 650 watts MH, 440 watts VHO actinic.
Photoperiod VHO on at 7, off at 7:30. 150 watt 20K MH on at 9, off at 6. 500 watt 10 K MH on at 10:30, off at 6:00. sump lights on 24hrs a day

Water: salinity 1.023-1.026. Nitrates- not detectable w/ Salifert, ditto nitrite and ammonia. Calcium ~450, hardness 3.5-4 mgeq (also salifert, confirmed with seatest)-calcium reactor. I do 2 monthly 20% water changes, with rodi water and makeup water is also rodi (plus kalk or arragamite) The regimen hasn't changed for a long time.

pH runs ~8.11 at night to 8.4 in the evening.

Temp around 82

The tank is going on two years old now. I noticed that the oldest clam (a blue t. max) looked funny this morning. Looking in the incurrent siphon, the much of the gills appear to have dissintegrated. The crocea and other maxima look ok. The mantle has never appeared pinched. This clam has been in the tank for about a year now. It recently started moving around on the sand a little and moved about 6" in a couple days, right at the time when a larger astrea snail devided to bulldoze a pocillopora (about a week ago). It fell and hit the clam (I didn't see it fall, just in the morning and a piece of the coral broke off and was on the sand I immediately picked it up and moved it. I don't know if the two events are actually linked, as there was no apparent damage and the calm fully expanded as soon as the coral was off its shell. At first this morning it looked like there was something laying at the bottom of the incurrent siphon, so I picked it up and held it upside down for a little- nothing, I figured I'd try and see if any sand, etc would fall out. The shell shows no signs of the predatory snails...

I placed the little guy back out of harm's way and he opens right up. The incurrent siphon appears to be expanding toward the excurrent.

What should I do? I haven't been able to find any info about this...It is still very responsive to light and other than what I described, looks ok...

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!!

Thanks,
James

jsaltzgi · 02-01-2003, 01:55 PM

One other thing- there's nothing close enough to sting it (other than maybe when the pocillipora fell)- the nearest coral is like 6" away now.

I have no fish that have ever bothered it, although the clowns sometimes swim around the other, larger maxima.

James

02-01-2003, 01:19 PM	#1
jsaltzgi Reef/ SPS Addict Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Columbus,OH,43081 Posts: 144	Maxima clam problem Sorry to post in two forums... This is my first real problem with my reef!!! My setup: 75 Gallon with 30 gallon sump. 650 watts MH, 440 watts VHO actinic. Photoperiod VHO on at 7, off at 7:30. 150 watt 20K MH on at 9, off at 6. 500 watt 10 K MH on at 10:30, off at 6:00. sump lights on 24hrs a day Water: salinity 1.023-1.026. Nitrates- not detectable w/ Salifert, ditto nitrite and ammonia. Calcium ~450, hardness 3.5-4 mgeq (also salifert, confirmed with seatest)-calcium reactor. I do 2 monthly 20% water changes, with rodi water and makeup water is also rodi (plus kalk or arragamite) The regimen hasn't changed for a long time. pH runs ~8.11 at night to 8.4 in the evening. Temp around 82 The tank is going on two years old now. I noticed that the oldest clam (a blue t. max) looked funny this morning. Looking in the incurrent siphon, the much of the gills appear to have dissintegrated. The crocea and other maxima look ok. The mantle has never appeared pinched. This clam has been in the tank for about a year now. It recently started moving around on the sand a little and moved about 6" in a couple days, right at the time when a larger astrea snail devided to bulldoze a pocillopora (about a week ago). It fell and hit the clam (I didn't see it fall, just in the morning and a piece of the coral broke off and was on the sand I immediately picked it up and moved it. I don't know if the two events are actually linked, as there was no apparent damage and the calm fully expanded as soon as the coral was off its shell. At first this morning it looked like there was something laying at the bottom of the incurrent siphon, so I picked it up and held it upside down for a little- nothing, I figured I'd try and see if any sand, etc would fall out. The shell shows no signs of the predatory snails... I placed the little guy back out of harm's way and he opens right up. The incurrent siphon appears to be expanding toward the excurrent. What should I do? I haven't been able to find any info about this...It is still very responsive to light and other than what I described, looks ok... Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!! Thanks, James Last edited by jsaltzgi; 02-01-2003 at 02:13 PM.

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02-01-2003, 01:55 PM	#2
jsaltzgi Reef/ SPS Addict Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Columbus,OH,43081 Posts: 144	One other thing- there's nothing close enough to sting it (other than maybe when the pocillipora fell)- the nearest coral is like 6" away now. I have no fish that have ever bothered it, although the clowns sometimes swim around the other, larger maxima. James

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