Clam Dying why can't i keep them?

[cumbeje]

What is wrong why can't I keep clams. They look great for a week or two and start dying. They are in a 700 gallon sps so parameters should be good. I have nitrates at 4 ppm and phosphates around .01. The clam is getting PAR of 200 for about 4 hours during peak time and it ramps up and down. You can see from pics below when I got it and now.

View attachment 20180110_141520.jpg

 

[Myk Verified Sponsor]

Could be a handful of basics. I find clams to basically be rather hardy. What are the other params of the tank? Possibly getting starved of nutrients, elements due to the competition of all the other life in the tank? Quality of the clam from where you got it, perhaps it was damaged? Pests, parasites, predators possibly?

 

[cumbeje]

alk: 9
cal: 440
mag 1400
phospahtes: .01-.03
nitrates: 4
PH: 7.85-8.0

It is SPS/LPS tank so parameters should be good. It is 6" clam so feeding shouldn't be necessary from what I read. Tank does get reef roids ect once a week though anyways. Getting PAR of 200 so think that is good. This isn't the first clam I have tried either. Just can't figure it out when others say they are pretty hardy.

 

[Myk Verified Sponsor]

Great build thread BTW!

Would recommend maybe trying to bump up that pH a little, but otherwise all looks really good on the numbers.

Sometimes with larger systems when they get mature it can be hard to appreciate the amount of life that is really in the system. If you are able to rule out pests and predators, the addition of trace elements can be a big help. I had a client with a 500 gallon system with a similar problem with clams. Disclaimer, I don't work for ESV, LOL! I post about ESV products a lot, but adding the Transition Elements to that system really made a huge difference in turning things around for the clams and a couple of other corals in the system that were struggling a bit.

 

[cumbeje]

Great build thread BTW!

Would recommend maybe trying to bump up that pH a little, but otherwise all looks really good on the numbers.

Sometimes with larger systems when they get mature it can be hard to appreciate the amount of life that is really in the system. If you are able to rule out pests and predators, the addition of trace elements can be a big help. I had a client with a 500 gallon system with a similar problem with clams. Disclaimer, I don't work for ESV, LOL! I post about ESV products a lot, but adding the Transition Elements to that system really made a huge difference in turning things around for the clams and a couple of other corals in the system that were struggling a bit.

Thanks for the build thread comment.

I do Triton test and add supplements per test. I am going to send out another Triton test out today to see if anything shows. I do stir the sand weekly but don't know if that could do anything but in the ocean sand gets stirred all the time. Just at a complete loss of what the issue is.

 

[shred5]

What fish do you have? any Angels?

That one pics shows allot of cyano...

 

[Myk Verified Sponsor]

Good call on the Triton Lab. Betting on that there may be some deficiency that needs to be dosed to make the clam happy. In the meantime I would highly recommend picking up some ESV TE and see if you get some improvement after about a week of use.

 

[ocboat]

There are a lot of people that have had trouble keeping clams alive in the last few years even if they had success in the past. Read through the last year of threads in this forum and you will see similar experiences. Nobody is quite sure why they seem to be more difficult than in the past.

 

[Myk Verified Sponsor]

I think that is a very good point. I feel like that with the increase in success and improvements in how quickly we can remove things (good and bad) from the water it has taken a bit of a toll on filter feeders. Seems like the popularity of ULNS really started the imbalance in some cases, but opened the door to another step in learning how to better keep a reef system. As we start to understand more with the tools like Triton Labs, trace element dosing, carbon dosing and better foods things will just get easier and better. Not saying that is the reason for the clam losses around the worlds aquariums over the past few years, but is my best guess.

 

[cumbeje]

What fish do you have? any Angels?

That one pics shows allot of cyano...

Just a flame and black nox. Never see either pick on clam. I do have Cyno on sand which I am fine with.

 

[Myk Verified Sponsor]

Hmmmm..... I am suspect of the nox, but would only keep half an eye on the flame, LOL!

I have a ton of good experience with flames in reef tanks, but would have to say I have absolutely no experience with the nox in a reef and cannot comment on it from experience. Still feeling like the nox would be a bad mix with clams and lps for some reason.

 

[jda]

I do no think that is enough light, but others might disagree. At 200 Par for maybe 8-10 hour might be enough.

However, this should not kill a clam in just a few weeks. Most hold on for months with too little light.

 

[Shigshwa]

Derasas can live with around 150-200 for an 8 hour period. A few week of light starvation can be enough to do it in if it was already starved at the LFS. I do suspect that it's insufficient lighting, even a Derasa needs a decent amount of light relative to corals. You may want to extend that peak period, it would also do your SPS good too.

 

[DSC reef]

To me the clam looks like it's being disturbed. I don't see any signs of pinched mantle. I'd keep an eye on the angels, and check the underside of the clam for pyramid snails a few hours after the lights go out. I would think 200 par is fine for a deresa but if there's a spot with more par on the bottom it won't hurt to move him there. Also, make sure it's getting some flow in its current area.

 

[shred5]

We used to keep Derasa under N.O. fluorescent lighting back in the day. Lighting is not the issue.
I agree it looks irritated. Either that cyano on the shell is irritating it or it is the angel. It only takes a peck or two a day from an angel and unless you watch all day you may not see it. Angels are notorious for biting clams especially a flame. I am suspecting the Angel. Pyramid snails have been mentioned and I would look under the mantel but I highly doubt they are a issue. Clams rarely come from the wild anymore and are farm raised and since have not been too much of a issue.

 

[DSC reef]

Our pyramids came on astrea snails. Didn't take long to populate the tank and decimate our collection with a clam over 5 years old. I suspect irritation as well

 

[Rjramos]

Just a flame and black nox. Never see either pick on clam. I do have Cyno on sand which I am fine with.

What’s a black nox? Currently, keeping a Derasa and a 6 inch máxima under LED’s.

 

[MarineMalecki]

This article was posted recently, maybe there are some helpful tips: https://blog.marinedepot.com/2018/01/james-fatherree-a-conversation-about-clams-with-professor-columnist-and-author.html

 

[locito277]

What’s a black nox? Currently, keeping a Derasa and a 6 inch máxima under LED’s.

Midnight angel is another name for the dwarf angel. It’s all black