Derasa death so quick.

[W Haymaker]

So from a rookie clam owner I'm thinking I went from a healthy clam to a dead clam in less then 48 hours. I've had about a 3 inch derasa for 3 weeks. Moderate light and flow and seemed to always act and react appropriately.

24 gallon tank, 2 clowns, lawnmower blenny, cleaner shrimp.

Gravity stable at 1.025 to .026, pH 8.2. nh3,no2,no3, undetectable. Dkh 9, calc 420.

Water change 4 days ago.

It appeared happy everyday until mid to late day yesterday. Then it seemed to contract internally but the shell remained open. Mouth is gaping. It appears dead but left in the tank for now. Usually the cleaner shrimp goes after my dead but it hasn't done that yet.

Also should add I supplemented with reef chilli every 3-4 days.

Any ideas? Or I'm sure I'm missing details. All are losses but clams are probably what brought me to this hobby the most.

 

[W Haymaker]

Picture

 

[TheSchwenkster]

No expert here but it does not look promising.

 

[jda]

They are the ultimate false-positive... looking great for long periods of time while slowly dying and then go from awesome to gone in two days. This is common. There is nothing that you can do for that clam. Sorry. The only positive-positive is new shell growth - this is the only way to know if your clam is thriving vs dying.

 

[W Haymaker]

Thanks. Good to know that. Also should note it was a goner for sure this morning.

 

[jda]

What kind of light did you have? This is the most important factor since your water parameters are in range. Light is the most important factor. Second, is the source of the clam... I do not like them to sit at the LFS where they are oft under-lit and see a bunch of swings. I want them as soon as possible after they leave the ocean.