gigas help !!!!!!!!!!!!

[zoebeaglezoe]

have had a gigas for about 6 months doing great in the last two days its mantel has started to shrink into it shell area it use to hang over the shells outer edge but now its not what can I do if anything at all? I have 4 clams total within 4-6 inches of each other and have been in my tank longer than the gigas and the other 3 are doing great look great and my lighting isn't an issue
I have 400 w metal halides and I dose dt's a few time a week
should I do a fresh water dip and if so how I have never done this before?

thanks for any advice you can offer.......

 

[mbbuna]

have you made any changes at all(new salt mix,started or stopped dosing something)do you add trace elements? do you run Rowa or Phosban or any other phosphate removers?

can you post a pic?

 

[zoebeaglezoe]

the only thing I started doing is adding kalk to my top off water in small amount not even the recommended amount w/ a dosing pump. don't have a camera

 

[mbbuna]

how fast are you adding the kalk?

do you use any phosphate removers?

do you add any trace elements?

 

[Peabody]

What kind of fish do you have? Have you checked for pyramid snails at night?

 

[zoebeaglezoe]

only thing I'm adding is the kalk at a slow rate with dosing pump I would say at around a gallon per day I have four fish 2 tangs vlamingi and a small kole a flasher wrasse and a magnificent foxface I add dt's every couple days if that. I have three other clams within inches of each other that are wide open with mantel fully exposed to there max. should I stop adding kalk? also I have a range of corals which are all fully open on a daily basis.

 

[mbbuna]

i dont think the kalk is doing it if you are adding it that slowly

check for pyram snails like Peabody said they look like this

 

[zoebeaglezoe]

I checked the underside yesterday at this time and just now and there isn't any snails that I can see ,should I stop adding kalk or anything else I can do or just hope for the best I looks worse today than yesterday now theres no mantel above the shell at all
but maybe thats from handeling it.

 

[mbbuna]

i think you can keep adding the kalk

you could try a fresh water dip but they can be very stressful and if the clam is weakened it may kill it

anyway this is how you do a FWD

put RO/DI water in a bowl or bucket, match the water temp to the tank water temp, aerate it for an hour, then place the clam in the water for 20min. while the clam is in the dip take a turkey baster and gently blow water over the clam, and all along where the shell and mantle meet, then right back in the tank.

it will look very bad for a few hours, but if it could handle the stress then it will look much better in a day or two

 

[Larry Combs]

Keep an eye on your foxface. I've seen a fellow reefer loose 10 clams in his 650 because of his, one by one.