Cant Keep Maximas and Don't know why!

[Dartolution]

So I have never had an issue with keeping Tridacnid clams in the past until now. I have gone through 2 since setting this tank up last July(isn).
The first one I lost was a 6" ultra maxima wild collected. It lasted about a month before withering away in its shell and dying.

Then I bough two ORA cultured Maximas thinking, yea aquacultured will be better after a few months.

Now, as of tonight, only having the a month or so, one of them died overnight.

The other has had a pinched mantle for a few weeks now and I did a RODI dip for 30mins tonight matching TEMP and pH.

My parameters are well within an acceptable range for clams, and my lighting is sufficient.
Here are specs and parameters:

40gallon std breeder with drilled middle overflow.
110NWB octopus skimmer
mag 3 return
down flow carbon reactor
shallow fine sand bed.

Salinity: 1.025
pH 8.0-8.3
Temp: 77F
Ca: 410-475
Alk: 8.0-9.5dKH (adjusting)
PO4: Undetectable (hanna)
NO3: Undetectable (API)
Mg: 1500ppm

This system is a SPS dominate system with some LPS and softies.

Lighting is a 300W Mars Aqua LED unit with two supplemental ATI blue+T5s (recently installed).

SPS are growing very well and have excellent coloration, PE is great on both SPS and LPS

Daily additions of Acropower AA 2ml

I also feed Oyster Feast/Coral Frenzy three times weekly.

I have never had an issue with keeping clams in the past and I have no idea why I can't keep them in this system.

I have checked heavily for Pyramid snails, none to be found.

Fish:

(2) Helfrichi firefish (recently added)
(1) Exquisite Fairy Wrasse
(1) Female Red mandarin
(1) tiny Blue Reef Chromis
(1) Solon Fairy wrasse in sump (mean as $#*!)
(1) Ranfordi Goby (recently added)


Both clams that have died has exhibited similar symptoms
within a day.. sudden death. Before perfectly fine, mantel extended, bright coloration. then sudden rapid tissue withdrawal.

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

 

[moliken]

my only thoughts are acclimation issues, but if you did that properly, i am left with lousy shipping or too cold something like that

 

[MondoBongo]

did you get the clams locally at a fish store, or were they ordered online?

did they appear healthy upon introduction? good shell growth? good reactions to light?

it doesn't sound like there was any visible physical damage to them?

 

[m0nkie]

did you get the clams locally at a fish store, or were they ordered online?

did they appear healthy upon introduction? good shell growth? good reactions to light?

it doesn't sound like there was any visible physical damage to them?

+1

check shell growth. A month into your tank, you should see brand new shells, pearl white color. If it doesn't have that, your clam has not been healthy this whole month.

 

[Dartolution]

Well One yes, the other not so much... Good reactions to light yes, but the clam wouldn't stay still... It kept pushing itself over and falling almost nightly. Finally I stuck it in the sandbed. A week and a half later it died.
The gold maxima is suffering from pinched mantle and I have done three FW dips on it so far which has helped considerably. The gold maxima does have new shell growth.

 

[MondoBongo]

If it won't stay still, then it's not happy where it is at. Too much flow, not enough light, something is wrong.

 

[Dartolution]

I suspect too much light.
The gold Maxima is content wherever I put it, however the blue one that I lost wasn't no matter where.

 

[ca1ore]

FWIW, I have also found blue Maximas in particular to be more prone to nipping by certain angelfish.

 

[Scranton]

I lost one recently had him about 3 to 4 weeks and died over night. It was only about 2.5 inches I was hoping to try Aqua cultured next now I'm not sure

 

[Dartolution]

I think IM going to stay away from Maximas and keep to what I know! Derasa and Crocea!

 

[hedgedrew]

have few questions how intense is your light in wild these things getting beamed with white shallow light and do you use gfo or vodka vinegar dosing or bio pellets

 

[hedgedrew]

i see from your thread that phosphates and nitrates are near zero that maybe your issue

 

[hedgedrew]

maximas are rock dwelling they usually don't do well on the sand they need to plant there foot not sure where you has\d them

 

[Dartolution]

Lighting consists of a 300W Mars Aqua LED fixture with 2 ATI blue+ T5 supplements.
No GFO or Vodka dosing or Bio pellets.

I do have no detectable PO4 and VERY VERY little NO3. (NO3 not detectable via API test kit).

I dose amino acids every day (acro power) 2.5mls (40 breeder sps heavy).
Dose 60mL Sodium Carbonate solution daily.

Skimmer is a Reef Octo NWB110.
Very little carbon dosing (1/2 recommendation) via a down flow reactor.

Feed the fish stuff like Mysys, Artemia, Brine, Flakes, pellets, fish eggs...
Corals get fed ROE, and coral frenzy currently.

I originally had the blue maxima on a rock indentation, it kept "kicking" itself off.

The gold maxima is still hanging in there, though one side of it continues to get pinched mantel ... I dip in RODI (pH match) for 30 mins, then its fine for a week, and starts again.

 

[animalkingdom]

I'd guess too much light too fast. Often after shipping light stress can cause issues. If you got it online then it could be that shipping event. If you got it at a store it may never have acclimated after getting to the store before you bought it. Also as with most inverts slow acclimation works best (drip acclimation).

 

[East_St_Reefs]

I've found that, in general, shipped clams tend to fare worse than LFS clams. Unfortunately, here on the east coast, it's rare to find a really nice clam in the LFS for anywhere near a reasonable price, so to find top notch stock you gotta go online. I've bought clams from LA, and they died almost immediately or got PM even though LA's stock and shipping is usually quite good. I've also bought clams from ebay (one guy in Agoura Hills, CA specifically - he's the only one I'd buy from), and had great success until a marauding eel decided to have a snack...lil s**t. The other clams I've gotten from him have been healthy, pyramid snail free and well packed.

A lot of your initial growth will depend on shipping stress, light stress, fluctuating temperatures or water parameters, calcium levels, and most importantly the condition the clam arrived in. Even if your water is perfect, if it was unhappy or injured when it arrived, it's going to take some time to recover, if it recovers at all. Your water sounds great for SPS but with no nitrates, that could be problematic for a clam - they need a little nitrate, 5-15ppm should do it.


If its light stress, your best solution will be to move everybody to the sand bed, let them settle down on clam time (at least 2-3 weeks), then slowly move them into and up the rockwork. I have a 6" maxima that absolutely REFUSED to stay in his original designated home, or anywhere else for that matter, and that technique worked to get him to chill out.

 

[East_St_Reefs]

5-15ppm nitrate shouldn't hurt your SPS.

Nitrates are formed from the metabolism of proteins, in other words, fish poop after chowing on meaty food - how often do you feed your fish? Your clams will thank you for a little extra fish poop.

 

[Dartolution]

Daily feedings alternating between mysis, artimia, eggs, flake, and pellet...

I dose amino acids daily as well.

One thing is that the Halimeda I have that hitch hiked on live rock is growing like crazy, along with bubble algae unfortunately but still no measurable nitrate or phosphate.

The gold Maxima is still alive but continues to get pinched mantle once a week... its getting annoying having to do FW dips...