Is My Clam Alive?

[gesock]

I have my clam not opening up. All levels are good and I believe he's getting plenty of light. Picture attached. Should I be concerned?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have my clam not opening up. All levels are good and I believe he's getting plenty of light. Picture attached. Should I be concerned?

What test kits are you using ? Parameters are very important.
Clams can be rewarding and colorful but there are a few precautions:
Temperature not to exceed 80
Ca not to exceed 450
Ph not to exceed 8.3
Alk not to exceed 11
Salinity best at 1.025
Nitrate not to exceed.8
Moderate water flow
Good lighting

They’re a sensitive species. You CAN’T allow ammonia, nitrite, or even nitrates to build up. This means adhering to a strict schedule of 25% water changes every week. Set up dosing to provide the trace elements the clam will need to survive if you can’t. Fluctuations in temperature, oxygen levels, pH, or alkalinity can make your maxima unhappy. Maxima clams also need light and lots of it which fuels the photosynthesis carried out by the zooxanthellae within their mantle. Without proper light, the clam will starve.

 

[landlubber]

mine would react immediately if i shaded the light over it by quickly retracting into the shell. if you're not seeing anything i would consider testing if the foot is anchored down or not.
they can get pretty gross if you leave it long enough so it pays to be proactive.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I have my clam not opening up. All levels are good and I believe he's getting plenty of light. Picture attached. Should I be concerned?

It looks unhappy.

If you're sure that your chemistry and lighting is correct, have you checked for pyramid snails?

They irritate a clam and could cause it to not open.

 

[gesock]

What test kits are you using ? Parameters are very important.
Clams can be rewarding and colorful but there are a few precautions:
Temperature not to exceed 80
Ca not to exceed 450
Ph not to exceed 8.3
Alk not to exceed 11
Salinity best at 1.025
Nitrate not to exceed.8
Moderate water flow
Good lighting

They’re a sensitive species. You CAN’T allow ammonia, nitrite, or even nitrates to build up. This means adhering to a strict schedule of 25% water changes every week. Set up dosing to provide the trace elements the clam will need to survive if you can’t. Fluctuations in temperature, oxygen levels, pH, or alkalinity can make your maxima unhappy. Maxima clams also need light and lots of it which fuels the photosynthesis carried out by the zooxanthellae within their mantle. Without proper light, the clam will starve.

I have my Hannah kit. It's readings are consistent with my LFS and my cheap kit are showing I do 30% water changes every two weeks, which I'll start doing more of. I dose Tropic Marin complete everyday. My temp does fluctuate within a degree but I can't seem to get it to level out. I'll move it if he's not anchored to a location with more light.

Thanks for all that info.

 

[Tankkeepers]

What test kits are you using ? Parameters are very important.
Clams can be rewarding and colorful but there are a few precautions:
Temperature not to exceed 80
Ca not to exceed 450
Ph not to exceed 8.3
Alk not to exceed 11
Salinity best at 1.025
Nitrate not to exceed.8
Moderate water flow
Good lighting

They’re a sensitive species. You CAN’T allow ammonia, nitrite, or even nitrates to build up. This means adhering to a strict schedule of 25% water changes every week. Set up dosing to provide the trace elements the clam will need to survive if you can’t. Fluctuations in temperature, oxygen levels, pH, or alkalinity can make your maxima unhappy. Maxima clams also need light and lots of it which fuels the photosynthesis carried out by the zooxanthellae within their mantle. Without proper light, the clam will starve.

Iv been considering a clam myself

May I ask why exactly they don't like calcium about 450

This may be a probkem for me as I run around 500

Iv been asking alot about them

Your the first person to say anything about calcium

What about magnesium mine is about 1450

I run everything a tad high so it takes longer to deplete anything if somthing goes wrong

My softy lps and sps coral has done well for the life of the tank 2 years so far with 0 losses and great growth and color

Everyone has always just told me if I can keep sps I can keep a clam as long as I feed it

I feed the while tank way more then nessisary so not worried about that itll be stuffed full of food every few days

Reef rx killed one but that was not water parameters that was meds and its been out of the tank Now for over a year treating bryopisis

I'm not worried about the rest as they are undetectable in my system I run very clean water with lots of food served and removed before it breaks down

 

[gesock]

It looks unhappy.

If you're sure that your chemistry and lighting is correct, have you checked for pyramid snails?

They irritate a clam and could cause it to not open.

I haven't sent any snails mess with it but I know my spiny urchin loves to crawl around/on it

 

[gbroadbridge]

I haven't sent any snails mess with it but I know my spiny urchin loves to crawl around/on it

Pyramid snails are tiny white snails that normally hide around the foot of the clam.
Google them, and then check your clam.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

How long have you had this clam? There is no growth on the shell, the algae has almost completely covered any previous growth so it’s not been doing well for a while.

 

[gesock]

How long have you had this clam? There is no growth on the shell, the algae has almost completely covered any previous growth so it’s not been doing well for a while.

About 6 weeks. It just recently started staying closed.

 

[sublime275]

What test kits are you using ? Parameters are very important.
Clams can be rewarding and colorful but there are a few precautions:
Temperature not to exceed 80
Ca not to exceed 450
Ph not to exceed 8.3
Alk not to exceed 11
Salinity best at 1.025
Nitrate not to exceed.8
Moderate water flow
Good lighting

They’re a sensitive species. You CAN’T allow ammonia, nitrite, or even nitrates to build up. This means adhering to a strict schedule of 25% water changes every week. Set up dosing to provide the trace elements the clam will need to survive if you can’t. Fluctuations in temperature, oxygen levels, pH, or alkalinity can make your maxima unhappy. Maxima clams also need light and lots of it which fuels the photosynthesis carried out by the zooxanthellae within their mantle. Without proper light, the clam will starve.

I guess my 5 growing clams should be dead since I’m not following your “precautions “.

 

[sublime275]

Iv been considering a clam myself

May I ask why exactly they don't like calcium about 450

This may be a probkem for me as I run around 500

Iv been asking alot about them

Your the first person to say anything about calcium

What about magnesium mine is about 1450

I run everything a tad high so it takes longer to deplete anything if somthing goes wrong

My softy lps and sps coral has done well for the life of the tank 2 years so far with 0 losses and great growth and color

Everyone has always just told me if I can keep sps I can keep a clam as long as I feed it

I feed the while tank way more then nessisary so not worried about that itll be stuffed full of food every few days

Reef rx killed one but that was not water parameters that was meds and its been out of the tank Now for over a year treating bryopisis

I'm not worried about the rest as they are undetectable in my system I run very clean water with lots of food served and removed before it breaks down

Don’t take his “precautions” as gospel.

 

[sublime275]

I have my clam not opening up. All levels are good and I believe he's getting plenty of light. Picture attached. Should I be concerned?

Unfortunately when a clam looks like that it is near death.

 

[Duffybubbleboy]

I would put him on a flat area with nothing touching it’s sides. it probably takes takes more energy to stay open on its side with a rock on one side. I lay mine on the bottom, and hammer it with light and flow. I will second the notion it’s not enough light paired with it being on its side using energy to “lift itself open, rather than just open. It would be hard to give it too much light.