Clams 'gaping'...

Rovert

Rovert

Premium Member
Maybe some of the experts can address this.

I went away for a few days over this past weekend, and came home to find three of my four clams 'gaping'. The incurrent siphon is more open than I've ever seen them, yet everything else in the tank seems fine. LPS and SPS are all doing well.

I immediately fed with some phytoplankton, and turned the skimmer up, just in case. The only thing that had changed in a few days prior is experimentation with tank flow using a powerhead.

If necessary, I can post some pics later.
 
what species of clams are we talking about? were there incurrent syphons just open or were the mantles retracted also? did the alk drop?
 
T. maximas. Mantles are retracted, but then again I came home at night when the actinics were on. I think the timer on my actinic lights failed, and they've been running 24 hours for three days. Would that play a part? Perhaps they're just "tired" and this is their way of "yawning"?

I'll try to get some pics up later. Stand by...
 
Y'know, something else just occurred to me. I recently placed a branching hammer near the clams. Is it possible that there was a chemical "thing" going on there? I've since moved it off to another area of the tank, just in case.
 
I don't think the hammer is the culprit. I have a "wall" hammer on the sand about 10" away from some maximas and a gigas w/o any problems.
That just seems so odd, how frustrating! You have probably already done so, but I would check your water parameters again and also check the clams themselves for any sort of predators (snails etc), or to see maybe if you have predatory worm that is sneaking around at night and harrassing your clams...
Keep us posted!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9854701#post9854701 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DrDNA
That just seems so odd, how frustrating!
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Yeah, tell me about it!

Maybe it's just a passing thing. I just did a 10g water change, which equates to roughly 15% or more, if you account for the volume of sand and rock. Salinity is a tad low, at about 1.023, but I'll wait to hear back from you guys before I make a change.

Although the 'gaping' seems to be reduced from this morning, it's still present. And what's interesting is that they don't do it all the time... often they go in phases where the incurrent siphon is fairly closed, then it'll open up wide again.

There are four clams in my tank. They're all in fairly close proximity, yet one of them - the one with the bold markings - doesn't seem bothered at all. Can y'all take a look and let me know if this is PM, if I should be looking for other causes, or if I'm just paranoid?

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Ok, now I'm positively freakin' right the hell out.

What the F is this stuff????

Can someone tell me what the proper procedure is for a fresh water dip? I'm making up some RO/DI right now, but need some guidance on this.

Obviously, bring it up to tank temperature. Do I add anything to the water? Do I completely immerse the clams? How long should I leave them in for?

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i would hold off on the FWD.

the 24 hrs of light can be a problem, but first off what is your Alk?
 
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are you guessing your light were on 24/7 or do you know? i see a bunch of bubbles on the clams shells, looks like cyano or dinos, other then that they dont look that stressed
 
Well you got me looking at my clams now too! To me, the pics you posted don't seem all that unusual. I have a squammie that has been looking like it is gaping and then looks "normal" a few hours later and has been like that since I got it. It is still alive and well and adding new shell. My maximas do sometimes appear to "gape" like yours and then go back to normal, and I have also noticed that they are most expanded halfway through the day and tend to pull their mantles back some and "un-gape" in the last couple hours of the photoperiod.
I wish I could be of more help to you! Maybe it is maxima spawning season, for all I know. Either way, if they were mine, I'd hold off on the FW dip and give them another day or so and go from there. I have a feeling that this behavior is probably transient.
Good luck,
Jeff

PS - I think you said you had added a new powerhead and hammer coral. I dunno, try taking out the powerhead and moving the hammer back to where it was and wait a few hours and see what happens....
 
Yes, I know for sure that the actinics were on for three days straight, from Friday when I left until yesterday when I returned and realized that they didn't turn off.

I'll hold off on the dip until tomorrow.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9856587#post9856587 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rovert
Yes, I know for sure that the actinics were on for three days straight, from Friday when I left until yesterday when I returned and realized that they didn't turn off.

I'll hold off on the dip until tomorrow.
Click to expand...

hold off all together, dont add more stress
 
Still think I have nothing to worry about? The incurrent siphon is more normal now, but the mantle is continuing to retract further into the shell. I angled the clam to be more oblique to the water flow, but this still just doesn't look good to me.

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How long have you had that clam, is that one that you've had for several months now?
I agree 100%, it does look worse to me, although I am no clam expert. See what the others say about a FWD, it is my understanding that you have to match both temperature AND pH, I think by using baking soda and your pH meter.

How are your other three clams doing?
 
Jeff, this one is the clam I've had for about 5 years, give or take. The others are newer, but don't seem to be exhibiting the characteristics this one is.
 
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