New Clam looking stressed

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I got a new crocera a week ago.

He looked pretty good. I took him out to feed him a few days ago and looks like he might be gapping now. I did move him for less light and current. There is still plenty of light. He is about half way up the reef in a 24-inch tank. He is reacting very well and the mantel is full. Only one corner is a little receded.

Calcium 550 (a little high) I did a water change to help bring it in line.
Alk. 11
PH 8.2

I also got to new maximas yesterday. I want to make sure they stay healthy. One is a great gold color.

Advice or comments appreciated.


Paul
 
Nice maxima in the first maxima pic.

The crocea doesnt look too bad to me at all. Probably a bit stressed but it doesnt look sevee. I would leave it alone. The worst thing to do is to move it around or start changing things that ernnt necassarry. I would give it a few ays and assess the situation again.

HTH

John
 
my crocea is about 4 inches and it's been gaped .like that for months, growing nice and no problems...don't worry, some Croceas have siphons that just open that way.
 
I would watch it closely - those two pics look like central bleaching and mild gaping.
Croceas do react differently.Are you feeding those guys?
Adam
 
It definitly is not bleaching. The pictures do not do the unique coloration justice. It has darker blue around the edges, the center has a lighter blue and white with some pink spots. This was a really unique looking clam - that is why I got it.

Do you think moving it higher for more light would be good?

I did take him out once to feed him. It was a little selcon, algae paste, and a very small amount of the smallest size golden pearls. He did not seem to like being moved. There was a some mucus that he expelled. Then again it might have been waste.

I have not removed him again but I do feed the tank.

Daily I feed the fish and corals with my home made food. It has a variety of fish, shell fish etc, nori, golden pearls, selcon, algae paste, vitamins, and brine shrimp. Usually once a week I will put a chunk of this directly on a few corals.

Every other day I put in selcon, golden pearls (various sizes) and algae paste. When I feed the tank I use a baster to target the clams and a couple other corals. Then it circulates for an hour with the filter off.

Weekly Iodine.

It is definitly a well fed tank, but I use a good skimmer and have low phosphatess and no nitrites.
 
smy168 def. stop the Strontium and Iodine doses...they can really mess up a Clam

This is interesting.Do you have any references I can read, or can you tell me how your clams reacted to these additives.I dose a small amount of Iodine twice a week, and this may be affecting my clams.
 
My first time with clams taught me and some experienced reefers filled me in on the rest...

The first time I used Iodine, I dosed twice a week as well. I had 4.5 inch Maxima that was brilliant blue and open, well the colors started bleaching first, then the mantle pinching finally non-reaction to light /shade. All in all it took about 40 days before I realized that it was the Iodine...then it died. I've been warned by reefers, lfs, friends and sellers that iodine and strontium is not something I should dose with moving forward. I wish I was able to find info to read, but I figure a no, means no...
 
smy168-
Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention,and for gettting Dr. Ron's input.I dosed Strontium-Molybdenum once and saw an immediate effect on my clams, so I discontinued after the first dose.I was using the iodine in light doses because my Ricordea responded so well with its addition.I lost 2 clams over the last 6 months and I have 2 other Croceas with color changes.The larger Crocea(about 5")I've had for over a year. It didn't fade-it actually turned a dark puple-brown.The smaller Crocea(about 3") just faded to lighter colors.I kept thinking it was lighting and food.I moved all the clams closer to the light and began to feed DT's on a daily basis which seemed to help a little,but after about 3 days they would look sick again(another addition of Iodine).The smaller Crocea I bought about 9 months ago along with another of the same size.Its tankmate has never showed any ill effects.What I have noticed is that most of my Croceas took months to attach.I also have 2 sqamosas.The one I have had the longest detached from its byssal and moved a few inches,but started to reattach,but not with much strenghth.I have a 9" Deresa and 4 gold max's that are showing great health and growth.I have 4 more smaller Croceas( 2 1/2 to 3")that show no ill effects.My other Grade A Max was one that I lost.It took about 3 days for each of the sick clams to die(1 Max,1 Crocea).The first sign was they retracted about 1/2 way into their shell and started to fade.This was an overnight occurance with both of them.I moved them to quaratine tanks,but they just got worse.I believe these 2 clams were just not as healthy as the rest, and were unable to fight off the ill effects of the iodine.I hope the other 2 will recover to their original health and coloring.I have been setting up a clam only tank over the last month.I figured I could control the tank conditions much better this way. I would not be dosing iodine in this tank,but I may have never attributed their condition to the iodine without your input.
Once again,thank you.
 
Thank you for the help and actual back up to the recomendation. All to often people on these boards just toss out a recomendation based on thier experience but don't really think about the question or the situation.
 
I'd love to hear more information about iodine and clams. Does anyone test for iodine that has happy clams and detectable iodine? I wonder if there is a safe base level, or if it is harmful in even the smallest quantities. Iodine is obviously present to some degree in NSW.
-Ron
 
smy168 - why do you (and others) keep your clams on the sand?

I have always started them in the sand on a rock, then moved them up the rock once they are attached.

I know a types are in the sand in the wild, but I have never seen a crocera, squomosa and maxima on the sand in nature. I always see them on the reef as close to the sun as they can get. Just like this guy I found in the Somosomo Straight in Fiji.
 
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