droopy clams

[ostrow]

Sigh. REturned home to 1 clam closed and 4 droopy/sad. No sign of anything nipping them, no sign of dreaded snails and I have a radiant wrasse anyway that would munch on any I think if they were there.

Thinking pinched mantel. Added 2 clams recently, 1 was Poppys and I'm sure it was ok, or fairly sure, the other was Dirk's purchased at IMAC and I have to say I'm suspicious for all the wrong reasons.

Anyway, can't remove as all are attached. Not running phosban anymore (6 weeks now) so some claims that iron products are the culprit of PM seem out of line based on that.

Hoping it will go away.

Expecting 5 dead clams.

Wish me luck. Swapped out the carbon will do water change tomorrow.

Sigh.

 

[Sullyman]

Good luck, I hope they perk back up.

 

[menard]

IME,If its Bacterial one dead clam will lead to a domino effect. Take's every single clam you have if you did not take the bad one out right away.Good luck, hopefully they bounce back.......PEACE

 

[pondfrog]

I agree with Menard. If they start to recede I would pull the whole rock and consider dips of some nature (Melafix?/ FW?). you will have nothing to lose.
I would also post pictures in the clam forum here and at clams direct emergency forum.
Steve

 

[ostrow]

Menard noone knows what causes the pinched mantle syndrome. Lots of assumption about protazoa/parasite but no identification as far as I can tell.

But all my clams are affected. Not sure how to treat. May remove to QT and use prazipro but have no real means to light the QT so it'll be back to display within 48 hrs no doubt.

I have a 57watt UV on the system which one would think would take care of bacteria and even parasites...

 

[menard]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7484455#post7484455 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ostrow
Menard noone knows what causes the pinched mantle syndrome. Lots of assumption about protazoa/parasite but no identification as far as I can tell.

But all my clams are affected. Not sure how to treat. May remove to QT and use prazipro but have no real means to light the QT so it'll be back to display within 48 hrs no doubt.

I have a 57watt UV on the system which one would think would take care of bacteria and even parasites...

Joel, in the past.this I always do move all the ones I know theres still sign of life to another tank not sharing the same water of course. If you could find some ammonium nitrate good add this to your QT and wait...............PEACE

 

[ostrow]

Ammonium nitrate? Where would I get this and under what brand name?

Anyway, not sure I can do this as lack required lighting...

 

[mhurley]

Careful with Ammonium nitrate...you don't want to end up on the terrorist watch list.

(That's the stuff used to make fertilizer bombs...a la Oklahoma city).

 

[menard]

Joel, yes its kind'a hard to obtain one nowadays. back in the old days yes. Its just too daam bad this is one good additives to perk up you clams............PEACE

 

[gotfish8]

I had the same thing happen to me. I had 6 clams different species that had been in my tank for a long time added a new clam that looked perfectly healthy and bam!!!!!! all of them died one by one about 3 weeks later $300-400 down the drain.
I guess I got some nice high $ shells to mount frags on LOL

I would recommending qt any new clam

 

[botp2k1]

That's sad to hear, I'm sometimes afraid of adding clams, add the wrong one, it goes and takes with it, one or more of the other healthy ones. With SPS, one can atl east frag and save, not with the clams. Good luck.

 

[NewSchool04]

If this is just the pinched clam thing that was going around a year ago you can fresh water dip them. Fresh water, I put some super buffer in it to raise pH and got the temp up to my tank temp. Dipped the clam the first time for 5 minutes, that didn't help. Next day did 15 minutes and the clam is happy as a . . .
It hurt me to do it because I couldn't believe they would get through it and they did, all 3 of them. I brought what ever the problem was into the tank on a new Maxima. There was a ton of info on clamsdirect.com when it was going on awhile ago but I'm not sure if it's still floating around the hobby.

 

[ostrow]

Could be something else, hard to know. I've heard a few stores have had whole stock wiped out recently

 

[NewSchool04]

try the fresh water dip, can't hurt at this point.

 

[Sullyman]

Good luck, I went through a clamtastrafy last year. One after another, until just my Gigas was left and it's still fine. The worst part is just what you are going through, if you don't know what's causing the gapping/pinched mantle, how do you try and stop it.
I wonder if running ozone might kill bacteria, protozoa.
I've all but given up with them until I have a system just for clams, because I don't know why they died.

 

[Douglas LEHMAN]

Hello Joel
How did the new clams look while in quarantine...
With the heat we had last week, were the aquarium temps stable. Unfortunately clams are a lot like anemones, by the time we recognize them ailing it usually to late to do any thing about it!

 

[ostrow]

Temps were stable. One new clam from Dirk at IMAC. It was the culprit. Did not QT it. In retrospect... But I'm not sure what that would have shown IF the problem is that the protozoa is activated by Iron levels and IF I have/had elevated organic forms of Iron in the water.

Anyway, I did the FWD for 30min. One clam is dead ... a couple actually fell off their rocks to the floor which is bad. One of those is the one that has died.

Others look slightly better after FWD but may not hold.

Did huge water change with another scheduled for tonight. Running about 4lbs of carbon.