Clam in trouble!!!!! Pics

[plateboy3293]

I traded my 5 in maxima for a smaller one about 3 in. I use an eclipse system 6. I bought a new daylight bulb ( I believe they are vho) from naturallighting.com. The tank runs on an carbon cartridge I change every 2 weeks or more often. I added a set of actnics over the top about two weeks ago. The lights were gradually added to the tank adding about 2 hours every day. The water changes are done every
Sunday about 1/3 of the tank.
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 30
Calcium 480 mg/L
Phosphates 0
Alkalinity 180
Salinity 1.024
Ph level 7.8

Livestock: Ordered from first added to last
Tank started on 10/16/06
5 lb of liverock
2 in sandbed
9 hermit crabs sold back to store
3 astera snails all killed by hermits
plate coral
2 frogspawn
1 lb of tongan branch
2 nassarius snail
4 in maxima later traded for a 3 in
7 mushrooms and ricorda
8 zoa
calerpa
feather duster
7 bumble bee snails
2 nerite
2 nassarius
3 in maxima this is the sick clam added on 2/6/07
starburst
1 damsel 1in
1 chromis 1in

Here are some images to show what the clam looks like, corals, invertabrates, and fish.

I would like to know what I should get for supplies or what I
could do to save the clam?
Pics

 

[plateboy3293]

http://s166.photobucket.com/albums/u103/plateboy3293/
Sorry about the first pic I do not under stand why only one pic came out. Sorry I do not know haow to post a website either except when I start the thread.

 

[plateboy3293]

Hey it did work!!!!

 

[a4twenty]

does the damsel go anywhere hear him? or any other fish or inhabitant ?

any corals within reaching distance?

have you looked for pyramid snails? link
look a few hours after lights out for best results, as they hide under the clams during the day.

i'm not sure of the scale your using for alk is there a conversion?

your tank is a 6g, any sump or hang on?

how stable are your parameters? do they fluctuate? ATO?

how do you maintain alk / Ca ?

when you do 1/3 water changes do you match tank parameters before adding?

how did you acclimate the clam?

can you post another couple of pictures but turn off the pump? it looks more like a crocea to me?

 

[plateboy3293]

The damsel stays near the top away from the clam it never seemed to mind the clam being there.

Ricorda and a mushroom but they were always there and the clam did not seem to mind.

I noticed one pyramid but I removed them.

Alkalinity 180 ppm

No sump or hang on

The parameters have not changed that much.

Alkalinity and calcium are not added to tank.

Tank parameters are matched almost exactly I wait about two days before adding the water so that the water is at the correct parameters.

I use the drip method that doctor foster and smith use. I also do a freshwater dip and then I quarintine them for a week under the same lighting.

 

[plateboy3293]

I uploaded some more images so click on the link again.

 

[a4twenty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9523761#post9523761 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by plateboy3293

I noticed one pyramid but I removed them.

make sure to check again, if you found one ........... as i said above check a few hours after lights out.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9523761#post9523761 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by plateboy3293

The parameters have not changed that much.

but do they fluctuate during the day? ( evaporation ) or from day to night?

your Ph is low, does it swing lower during the night?

what type of lighting do you have? and what photo period do you use?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9523761#post9523761 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by plateboy3293
I use the drip method that doctor foster and smith use. I also do a freshwater dip and then I quarintine them for a week under the same lighting.

so you acclimatize the clam then do a FWD? i don't think this is advisable, a FWD should only be used as a treatment for PM ( Pinched Mantle )

 

[plateboy3293]

The parameters are the same parameters that the other maxima was under. The ph does not swing during the day or night. I have an actnic bulb running across the top of the tank I believe it is 60 watts. The daylight bulb that I ordered is about 9 watts I think. The tank might also get slight output from a flourescent light in a 29 gallon. I don't understand your last question about what photo period do you use.
I do a freshwater dip then I aclimize the clam to the tank water just as I did with the first maxima I got. I did the freshwater dip because I buy the clams the day after they arrive at the lfs because they are normally all gone if I wait any longer.

 

[a4twenty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9526488#post9526488 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by plateboy3293
I don't understand your last question about what photo period do you use.

how long are the lights on for?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9526488#post9526488 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by plateboy3293
I have an actnic bulb running across the top of the tank I believe it is 60 watts. The daylight bulb that I ordered is about 9 watts I think.

so the clam is under 60w of actinic? this is a problem, even when you add 9w more, this will still be a big problem. here is a link to a really good lighting requirements thread. clams rely on good strong light for food production, 60w of low PAR light is not enough. i'm not sure how your other clam survived or for how long but this guy is not looking good. my best suggestion would be to take the clam back and wait until you can upgrade your lighting before trying another clam

HTH

 

[plateboy3293]

The lights are on for 12 hours actnics and daylight bulb.
Thank you

 

[hobogato]

i agree, that is no where near the amount of usable light for the clam. it would be if the daylight were about 60 watts and the actinic were 10.

 

[plateboy3293]

I returned it to the store on tuesday and I got my money back. I went back to the store today to check on it and the guy said somebody bought already thank you for all who helped me.