Help with clams

[AJO]

Please if you have any ideas or thoughts on what I'm doing wrong let me know.

I have tried to keep Crocea and T. Maxima clams alive in my tank with no success.

Stats:
9 month old tank.
12 gal. tank with 8 gal. sump/refugum. with chem pure
300 gph through sump and koralia one pump in tank.
tunze nano skimmer.
150 watt HQI MH. 14K on 8 hrs. a day 8” from water, reverse lighting cycle for refugum.
1.5" sand bed.
not sure how many lbs. live rock.

Live Stock:
no fish
no crabs
8 Strombus maculatus
6 SandBed clams of the genus Tapes.
2 Nerita sp.
1 Tonga Nassarius Snail
4 sps frags doing fine.
some different frags of zoas doing fine.

Parameters:
1.025 salinity
78-79 temp.
480 cal.
9 dKH
1470 ppm Mg.
0 phosphate per cheap test kit
0 nitrate
0 nitrite
0 ammonia
8.3 ph

Maintenance:
ATO with kalkwasser 1/2 teaspoon per gal.
10 ml. per day of two part ESV
4 gal weekly water change using RO/DI and coral life salt

Clams are placed on sand bed and do fine for about 3 weeks than their inhalant gets large and the next day they are laying on their side and began to deter ate. I have had two clams and both have died the same way. Help what am I doing wrong?
both clams were acclimated over 45 mins.

 

[Ricunger]

What are your levels of strontium and iodine? also what were you feeding them?

 

[Troutmasters02]

What's clam size when you bring them home? Small clams require lots of food while young. Once large, they are zooxanthellae. Provide lots of phytoplankton or dissolved organic matter. Also, the clam could be ill prior to purchase. A healthy clam will have a quick response to shadow movement. If a clam is injured or dying, the closure response is often weak or slow.

(info referenced from Marine Invertebrates by Mr. Shimek, Ph.D.)

 

[AJO]

I don't know what my levels of strontium and iodine are.
I will get some test kits this weekend and let you know where the levels are at.

The clams I have gotten were on the small side about 1.5"-2.0"
they both seemed healthy they had quick response to any movement near the tank, and had been in the fish store tank for at least a month befor I brought It home. I did not feed them anything. Next time I will try feeding them some phytoplankton.

Thank you

 

[ScottyS]

Clams need a bit of nitrates, but I don't know how to advise you accomplish that.
I've had luck for 4 months with a T. crocea (I think) which I got when my tank was only about a month old (1 month post cycle and starting to add animals) because it was cheap so I couldn't resist. It got 2 holes in the tissue (I think my flame hawk clipped it swimming by) which are almost completely healed. I take its healing as a sign of its health.

 

[Newreeflady]

Those clams were on the small side... try to get something larger.

Also, getting healthy stock and doing proper acclimation is key.

Did you check them for snails/pests?

Sand beds are not where Crocea belong (maxima yes.)

They don't like strong flow... were you getting good extention?

-A

 

[skinz78]

small clams like that have a very high mortality rate. get one about 3"