Crocea Bleaching?

[Janina]

I just got my first clam and I can't tell whether the brownish spots on the mantle are normal or whether the clam is bleaching. I also can't remember whether they were there when I bought it or showed up since then. Wish I had taken a pic right after I got it home.
I need some expert advice. I've had the clam for about 4 days and I think it was under 400W MH at the store and I have 150W 10K MH with 2 x 65W PC actinic.
The clam has been sitting at the bottom of the 37cube on a 4" sandbed. So approximately 19" from the MH. I'm waiting for it to properly attach to the rock I put it on before I place it higher in the tank.

Thank you

 

[deepbelow]

will you post some of the other water parameters. phosphate, alk, ammonia,salt level, ect,.... also if you are running any kind of phosphate removers or carbon..... how old are you lights and any other info you might think of to throw in like filtration. thanks

B

 

[Janina]

Sure.
Alk is "normal" (sorry my testkit only says low, normal and high".
Ph 0, Calcium 500. SG 1.025. I dose with 2 part Ocean Blend alk and calcium 10 mg each per day. Ph 8.0 Temp 85

NO phosphate remover or carbon. I have a 20 g sump with refugium. Filtration is LR and deep sand bed, and refugium. Coralife 125 skimmer
Lights are 2 weeks old outer orbit 150W HQI and 2 x 65w actinics.

Does that help?

 

[critterkeeper]

Looks fine to me. If it's under different lighting, you can expect them to look a little different anyway...

 

[prugs]

If the store had it under 400watts. Maybe it was 20k.
I am concerned about the 85f temperature. Can you keep your tank cooler?

 

[Janina]

I wish I could keep it cooler but do far have not managed it. I've got a mag 7 as a return pump adding heat, the coralife skimmer has a pump int he water producing heat and I have a mag 9.5 on a closed loop adding some heat and then of course the MH is adding some heat. I keep my house at 78 degrees and I still can't get the tank any lower.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

I agree that heat can definitely cause bleaching- although usually not in one specific animals (unless it were already compromised). To cool your tank, get an ordinary fan and run it across your sump or top of the tank. People tend to overlook fans as a cooling method, but they are extaordinarily effecient when dealing with a wet medium. The blowing wind is not intended to "cool" the tank, but increase evaporation. Water that is turning from liquid to gas (in evaporation) needs a tremendous amount of energy to do so, and this energy is supplied in the form of heat. So the more evaporation you can cause, the cooler your tank will become. Of course, just watch for salinity issues and keep your tank topped off.

 

[prugs]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7969723#post7969723 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jmaneyapanda
I agree that heat can definitely cause bleaching- although usually not in one specific animals (unless it were already compromised). To cool your tank, get an ordinary fan and run it across your sump or top of the tank. People tend to overlook fans as a cooling method, but they are extaordinarily effecient when dealing with a wet medium. The blowing wind is not intended to "cool" the tank, but increase evaporation. Water that is turning from liquid to gas (in evaporation) needs a tremendous amount of energy to do so, and this energy is supplied in the form of heat. So the more evaporation you can cause, the cooler your tank will become. Of course, just watch for salinity issues and keep your tank topped off.

Very well said.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

thank you.