New Cultured Max from PEA

this is me

Active member
original.jpg
 
I don't feed my clams anything other than what they get from the light and the alk, ca, and MG.

I dipped them in RODI water for ~15minutes and scrubbed them a bit. The clams came in pretty clean looking already. I got them last Tuesday so they've been in the tank for almost a week now.
 
I did not dip mine and I am worried they have PM. What do you think? What concerns me most is the black one's mantle doesn cover the new growth on his shell. He doesn't open as much as I think he should. The other one has a small spot on the bottom left that could be pinched, or i may be paranoid. How long would pm take to notice?

61EC3963-13D2-4745-82C8-815324FC648A-19404-0000176F9680CF0F.jpg

50B878D3-399C-41FE-A25B-96EF76FA89DE-19404-0000176F78E3B26B.jpg

A2178184-65F9-4FA5-8CC0-E34593AFB353-19404-0000176F73A3692C.jpg

E1DA8AA4-0D9B-4C4F-8A5E-9F3D6671E819-19404-0000176F89B2F2D0.jpg

AB26EA20-4830-4574-91C8-20BC1A4E8752-19404-0000176F831870A6.jpg
 
How long have them been in the tank?
Honestly, a 15mins can't hurt. Make sure you float your RODI water in the tank to bring the temperature close to the tank. If you're not comfortable with 15mins. Do 10mins.
I don't want you to lose these beautiful clams. Wait til what other people say so you'll be more comfortable.
 
They have been in the tank for 2 weeks. The black ones mantle has never fully expanded to cover his shell. They look about the same now as they always have.
 
I wouldnt dip it and it doesnt look like it has PM to me. I have purchased well over 20 clams from Dr. Mac in the last year and none ever had PM. I have 5 of his new small ones too, all doing well (knock on wood) . Also know small clams dont dip as well as large ones. And you need to do more than just match the temp. If you dont adjust the PH you will prolly kill the clam.
 
I was hoping you would reply zeph. In your experience, have you seen a clam that was healthy that didn't fully extend its mantle to cover its shell? Is there anything I can do to fix it? My nitrates are 0 and I read you like them to be a little higher than that. The pic of that clam on PEA showed the same mantle extension.
 
Your clams look pretty good. They dont look sick, and yes, it can be healthy and not open all the way. When I see pictures of Maximas in the wild, they are usually not open all the way.
My gut opinion of your situation is your clams are on the early stages of malnutrition. Everyone talks about all they need is intense lighting, but this simply is not true at all. If you put a healthy clam alone in a tank with all the lighting in the world, it will die of starvation in 3 - 4 months. Thats a fact. I may get some slack for saying this, but I am convinced that if you maintain your reef at zero nitrates your clam will die within 4 months. Usually around the 2 months point it starts retaining its mantle and becoming less responsive. Also know feeding them does not help( directly, anyway). What your clams need most is a nitrogen source (nitrates), and some DOC ( why we dont run carbon anymore) and light. If any one of those factors are not met your clam will die. THose clams are really healthy to start with, so its not too late for a turn around. Feed your fish a little more and lay off the water changes for a while. Get your nitrates to atleast 1 ppm, and dont worry about it with SPS or anything else. If you are confident in your skimmer, stop running carbon and watch your clams get fat and chubby. LOL.
 
Is it possible for these to be malnourished but another clam to be healthy? I have had a crocea in the tank for over 2 years that is doing great. They are about 18 inches directly under an AI sol so I seriously doubt light is an issue, and I do not run a skimmer on the tank. I have kep my nitrates low by light feeding and weekly water changes
 
Ok, big differance. Now you say they have looked like that from day 1, and since youve had youre crocea for 2 years, your system is fine and the clams arrived stressed. Just keep doing what your doing and leave them alone. They look good, they really do.
 
In your experience, can you "overstock" clams ? As in there are too many and they won't have enough nutrients? The smaller clam that was not mounted to anything burrowed through my shallow sand bed and attached to the glass in 1 day if that means anything to you.
 
In your experience, can you "overstock" clams ? As in there are too many and they won't have enough nutrients? The smaller clam that was not mounted to anything burrowed through my shallow sand bed and attached to the glass in 1 day if that means anything to you.

Technically, yes, but you would need alot of clams. They dont require much, but nutrients have to be constant (enough) How big is your tank ? And yes, attaching is a sign of great health. Since you dont run a skimmer your tank will have plenty enough DOC for them. You dont have to worry about them starving.
 
The reason I asked is Bc my tank is so small, it is a 15in cube which translate to about 14 gallons I believe. I have the crocea who is about 3.5 inches and the 2 maximas that are about 2 inches. The tank only has 3 fish. 2 clowns and a royal gramma. I typically feed every other day but I may step that up. I read that you don't necessarily think feeding is necessary, but I do have some phyto that they seem to like. Would it be bad to spot feed them? If anything it will probably get my nitrates off 0.
 
Seriously, feeding really does not help much if at all. Most "clam pros" do not feed, except for knop. I think you clams will do well because you dont run a skimmer. Feed your fish a little more and get some nitrates going. THats all I would do.
 
Back
Top