clam help

H

Hooked

I am trying my luck with a clam addition and now I am concerned. It is a Crocea Clam and has been in my tank for about 6 weeks. Over the last couple of days it barely opens - sometimes not at all. I have it under PCs on the bottom and I have sinced moved it a little closer to the top. Any suggestions, advice?
 
From RC:

These clams require the most light of the Tridacna family. They occur in the wild mostly in very clear waters less than 15 feet in depth. (6 meters according to J.F.) The minimum recommended lighting requirement for a healthy Crocea is under a 150 watt metal halide of a reliable 14k bulb at a maximum depth of 20 inches, preferably less. To be on the safer side, a 10k bulb is recommended , and is closer to the "true" color of natural sunlight. I have seen some Croceas under 70 watts of halide, but these are normally placed high up in the tank. 70 watt bulbs are also considered by some as the least developed bulb, therefore being more inefficient in terms of their output compared to their 150 watt counter parts. 150 watts of (14k) metal halides would be the minimum ?safe? amount of lighting. They will do even better under a 250 watt or 400 watt metal halide . If you are using 250 watts and above, you can place the Crocea even deeper in your tank, or even use 20k bulbs. If using T-5s, make sure the bulbs have individual parabolic reflectors on them, and the clam is placed at the upper half of your tank to be ?safe?. Power Compacts will in a lot of cases NOT be adequate for Croceas.
In the case of T-5 lighting, remember only the 10k bulbs produce enough photo energy for PAR on clams, and the actinics produce little to no PAR depending on color temperature. It is also noted that the longer the bulbs are, the more penetrating power they carry. Thus a Crocea should be fine in a 20 inch depth under a 36 inch fixture. Having a Crocea in a 20 inch depth under a 24 inch fixture raises doubts, as most 24 inch fixtures only have 4 T-5 bulbs under them, with 2 of them usually carrying heavy actinics or some shade of high color temperature bulbs. In this case a retrofit is recommended to be able to cram in more lower temperature bulbs.


In short, you do not have enough light for this clam. I wouldn't keep a crocea under anything except mh (maybe t5 in a really shallow tank).

As for suggestions/advise...either upgrade the lighting quickly or get rid of the clam...and in the future might try reading what each animal requires before buying.

Here is some great info from reefcentral on clams
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1072234

Lighting isnt the only requirement for them. You also need to monitor calcium, alk, salinity, mg, pH, etc...

More good reading for you...
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1237978
 
You didn't mention how many watts of PC... Many people have kept them under PC lighting, though higher wattages (more lights) etc. To help determine if it is light, you need to rule out water conditions so I would check your parms and make sure they are in check. High nitrates, low alk/ca could be a problem. Also check around the base of the clam itself to make sure there are no parasitic snails. These would be small conical shaped snails about the size of a large grain of rice and would be stuck to the foot or around the rim of the mantle itself. Also do you have any fish in the tank? Some fish have a habit of nipping at clam mantles, such as angels. Look for tattered edges on the mantles. There is also illness. One of the most common problems with Clams is called Pinched Mantle disease. The edges of the mantle would look crimped or raggedly bunched up, like someone had a draw -string laced through it.
 
I have to go with Angela on this one. A crocea really shouldn't be kept under PC's. A squamosa or deresa would be a much better choice.
If you desire to keep clams I would suggest reading "Giant Clams in the Sea and the Aquarium" by James Fatheree. The club library has a copy.
 
It is a 100 gallon non reef ready tank. I have 2 24" 130watts in the back and one 48" 260 watts in the front. A total of 560 watts. Waiting to hit the lotto to get the 60" really good light that I want. Checked parameters on Friday and everything was where it is suppose to be but my nitrates were at 20 a litttle high but I think they may be because I added a couple of fish and have a water change coming up probably today.
I added a couple of poor pictures for genrralization. I have a Purple Tang, Clown Tang, Copperband, 3 clowns, Chromis, Star Blenny, Harbor ang engineer Goby, Coral Beauty, Swallowtail Angel, Purple Psuedo, 6 line, Blue Hippo and a Foxface. Around 120 lbs of live rock and some coral. Refuge was built by Bill at Neptunes Cove.
 
I take it it is positioned under the yellow tang or to the right of the gorg in those photos? Try moving it half way up, put a piece of LR under it... While my Coral Beauty doesn't nip my clams, I have seen other pygmy angels do it and I have no idea what a swallowtail angel is/looks like, but that would be something to consider as well.

While 20ppm of nitrates is okay for a softie or LPS tank, long term for clams that is probably pushing the limit of their tolerance.
 
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