My clams spawned the other night.

[ccc]

About a week ago my 7" T-max that I have had for 2+ years closed up. Two days later he and my Crocea spawned. It was very cool my 10 year old son and I video tapped the event. The Crocea is doing fine but the T-max is still closed up. It has been almost 5 days. My parameters are fine, no real changes that I noticed. I stopped feeding Phytoplankton about 8 weeks ago.
Anybody with some advice would be great I dont want to loose this clam.

Thanks

 

[Julio]

try adding some phyto to the tank and see if that causes him to open up. Can you transfer yoru video to an avi so that we can ll see.

 

[psycho_clown]

yes yes would like to see that

 

[partagas]

YES please...............

 

[ccc]

I think the clam is going to die. He is recessing farther back into his shell. I have been adding some phyto, dont think that is it though. To those of you who want to see it sorry I dont have the first clue on how to get from video to my computer. My son took the tape to school today, his sience teacher wanted to see it. It was very cool the event lasted 30 min or so. I was going to bed and took one last look at my tank, and thought a power head fell down again. As I was looking I saw my Crocea contract and shoot a big cloud of eggs or what ever it was, and realized that wasn't sand floating in my tank. It was cool the fish loved it and my sps loved it, great big feast. I'm bummed that I am going to lose my clam that I've had for a long time.

 

[partagas]

Well I hope it lives and good luck with it.

 

[szesteve]

Hi ccc,

I've read in some other forums of clams spawning and then dying.

Some ppl say that it's natural for them to die, whereas others say that it's not really a spawning process, but a form of discharge before they die.

I hope this info helps, and I really hope your clam lives a long healthy life!

 

[witche42]

hi there, is there an update? sure hope he made it.

 

[ccc]

The clam died, I do think it had somthing to do with not adding phytoplankton. It was a bummer I had him for a long time. Thanks for the thought

Shane

 

[enitnelaVeyaF]

when unused gametes are not removed from the water it will fowl the water quickly and possibly kill of the life within the tank. This sounds like what happened...

Did you remove any of the gametes with a water change by any chance? The decaying eggs or sperm could have killed them. Phyto, in a healthy system, will be consumed by zooplankton and so on if the clam doesnt consume it.

 

[ccc]

This photo was taken about 2 years ago. Like I said when both clams spawned this clam above was not doing well the other was. When they were spawning the crocea looked like everything was working great when he expelled. The T-max did not expell like the other, it was a spawn induced by stress, is what I read.
Also I noticed no ill effects by the amount of eggs in my tank my fish were eating it and so were my corals, I dont even think I did a water change. I had my black cuke spawn one night also and clouded up the water I kind of thought it was a good thing for the tank

Shane

 

[Barry N.]

Shane,

Did you find out what triggered the spawn?

 

[enitnelaVeyaF]

well, they release thousands of gametes. more than a tank of any size could consume

 

[ccc]

Barry, I have only two ideas. I stopped dosing phyto and when I pulled the clam out it had bristle worms around its base.(I think because it was dying the worms were around not the cause) So I dont know, my other two clams seem to be fine I started dosing phyto again. I guess I will never know, but it is a bummer that was by far the best clam I had or have seen at my lfs since. Barry what do you think?

enitnelaveyaf- I dont know where all the gametes ended up but I do know the polyps were out on my stylophora like I have never seen, my fish were consuming it and never noticed my opr drop. So in the end it eventually left my system somehow right.

Shane

 

[Barry N.]

I stopped dosing phyto and when I

That would not have triggered the spawn. Most of the time it is a heat issue that will set them off.

 

[hwynboy]

enitenelvaVeyaf is right....after an event like that you need a massive water change and run carbon. I have heard of others that have had this event run the carbon and do a couple very large water changes so the water is not polluted and their clams have survived. That would have been my reccomendation sorry I did not see this thread earlier.

 

[derrikd]

my 9 " spawned and some one told me that it was due to stress, when he did this i just got him. mine is still alive. i got pics of this event also

 

[hwynboy]

When doing some research about clam spawning I also read that when they farm raise them they induce stress to help with the spawn event.

 

[Barry N.]

I also read that when they farm raise them they induce stress to help with the spawn event.

At the clam farms they will take the clam out of the tank or raceway and place in out of water for a period of time to induce spawning. There are some other ways they do it as well, one is to inject serotonin.