My first clam

[iwishtofish]

not pm to me. i'm pretty sure that if you target feed the i siphon the clam will immediately retract, and send everything through the e siphon. unless you can do it so gently that it creates extremely low flow. if you're determined to use more than Reef Chili daily, water column is best\ imo

I'm glad to hear you don't see the pinched mantle - in fact, possibly with some embarrassment, I think I might have figured that out. Flow is high along the glass since I put those rocks there, and perhaps the clam is just avoiding haven't its mantle flap around.

I don't think a rock is adhered to the bottom of the clam, but I'm not sure. This is all I see when it leans to the side (bad pic):

I'll think on the feeding for a bit.

 

[Thepopo]

Reef Chilly is more of a Zooplankton type food. Get some straight Phytoplankton for the clam.

 

[moliken]

you got it right, Thepopo. i shoulda looked up reef chili. i still wouldn't feed clams, but if someone must do it, phyto is the way to go

 

[iwishtofish]

I know it must seem like I'm beating this to death, but I find the changes going on with the clam interesting. Today it is extending its mantle more (than usual?) in some spots, and then random curling parts in suddenly, even though no fish is around. It's almost acting like something is irritating it. Maybe an expert can tell something from today's pictures - perhaps not...

 

[Thepopo]

Might be a protozoa attack on her mantel.

 

[moliken]

maybe not. if you're prepared for a proper fresh water dip, you could do that, j i c it is early pm, but you neeeed to fwd correctly if you go that route. i would wait to see it the mantle retracts unevenly

 

[iwishtofish]

Might be a protozoa attack on her mantel.

Ugh - sure hope not. It's definitely different behavior, though.

maybe not. if you're prepared for a proper fresh water dip, you could do that, j i c it is early pm, but you neeeed to fwd correctly if you go that route. i would wait to see it the mantle retracts unevenly

Ok, thank you - I will wait a bit more, then. I'll research the fw dip process. I think I can float a container in my sump to match temp.

 

[moliken]

u also need a ph probe and baking soda to eq the ph from tank to fwd. fwd is relatively stress-inducing, so research it well. stronger clams can w/stand wd easier thyan compromised clams

 

[iwishtofish]

u also need a ph probe and baking soda to eq the ph from tank to fwd. fwd is relatively stress-inducing, so research it well. stronger clams can w/stand wd easier thyan compromised clams

Thank you. Hopefully it won't need to come to that. The clam was on an angle again this morning, but looking somewhat good, except for the possibly overextended mantle.

The LEDs just came on, and, as always, the clam got twitchy. The mantle seems to be retracting and extending equally, although one of the "folds" is still raised higher than it used to be. Almost as if a pointy vermetid were under there, but I can't see any such thing.

Last night:

Today:

Can a clam survive at a 45 degree angle if it still gets enough light?

 

[moliken]

survive, yes. thrive & grow nicely, no.
place some small rocks and small shells around him, or put some sand 1-2" in a tupperware container w/ some rubble, PUT IN THAT BEAUTIFUL CLAM, don't touch it for a week,. and let the guy attach to something, then take it outta the t'ware

 

[iwishtofish]

Well, about a month later, the clam seems to be doing well. Here's a fairly recent picture:

However, I am taking down my 75g tank, and the clam will be going into a 15g tank for an indefinite period. There will be a large coral banded shrimp in there, and a few hermits. The lighting will be PAR38 LEDs. I hope there are no problems!

 

[moliken]

good luck

 

[iwishtofish]

good luck

Lol, that sounds like "good luck, cause you'll need it!" I'm hopefully just looking at a few months in there. I'll do constant small water changes.

Do you think the CBS will be a problem? Mine liked to hop on my elegance to try to steal food...do shrimp ever tend to bother clams?

 

[moliken]

Lol, that sounds like "good luck, cause you'll need it!" I'm hopefully just looking at a few months in there. I'll do constant small water changes.

Do you think the CBS will be a problem? Mine liked to hop on my elegance to try to steal food...do shrimp ever tend to bother clams?

not my good luck at all. best of luck. don't know cbs and clams, but i never had a shrimp issue

 

[iwishtofish]

not my good luck at all. best of luck. don't know cbs and clams, but i never had a shrimp issue

I guess we'll find out about the CBS! I'll update on the progress, in case anyone is interested. It will be a challenge to get the light right with a PAR38 LED spotting directly on the clam.

 

[iwishtofish]

Thought I'd update on the clam. It's in a 15g nano now, for about a month, about 17 inches directly under a PAR 38 LED bulb. Flow is slow, although faster elsewhere in the tank. No skimmer, just very small daily water changes, and an HOB filter with a bit of carbon that is changed every 5-6 days.

I'm feeling pretty lucky so far.

 

[iwishtofish]

The clownfish really seems to find the clam to it's liking, sometimes getting almost right down on the mantle. Remarkably, the clam doesn't seem to mind...

 

[darmx]

kill the vermetid snail. Their mucus irritates the coral and possibly the clam. I superglue the snail in. I also have use pliers to break open their shell attached to the rock . Don't believe what others say about these vermetid snail ... they are the biggest pest and they proliferate in the tank like crazy. The best vermetid snail are the dead ones.

good read. google ... "Vermetid snails are bad for stony corals, coral crabs keep em in check"

 

[iwishtofish]

kill the vermetid snail. Their mucus irritates the coral and possibly the clam. I superglue the snail in. I also have use pliers to break open their shell attached to the rock . Don't believe what others say about these vermetid snail ... they are the biggest pest and they proliferate in the tank like crazy. The best vermetid snail are the dead ones.

good read. google ... "Vermetid snails are bad for stony corals, coral crabs keep em in check"

Yes, they can be quite annoying. I've been lucky so far that they have not proliferated in my tank - at least to the point of chaos. I think I'm beyond the practical point of eradication, though.

 

[iwishtofish]

Well, I'm happy to be able to report the clam is still kicking. I guess I'm doing enough right to keep it going in this 15g tank, although I'm slightly nervous every day that something will go wrong. I'm just trying to keep things status quo for the tank, in the hope that we can make it to the next one!

The clam loves to turn around at will, so I've just decided to let it do whatever it wants to do! The clown still stays close, but doesn't seem to nestle up top as much as it did.