oh man :(
- Thread starter a4twenty
- Start date
a4twenty
Premium Member
just last week i switched back to rowa-phos because i wasn't happy with the new stuff i tried. as soon as i saw this today i pulled the rowa and put about a litre of carbon in the reactor and i am running another litre in a sock in my bubble tower.
none of the other clams are showing any symptoms yet but they have been exposed to the rowa before with no negative results. i panicked and prepared a FWD but have since calmed down ( still have the dip ready though )
none of the other clams are showing any symptoms yet but they have been exposed to the rowa before with no negative results. i panicked and prepared a FWD but have since calmed down ( still have the dip ready though )
techreef
Premium Member
can you state what specifically you're seeing here in your pics? It looks like part of the brown mantle is missing? I just got a crocea, and am learning about all the clam diseases now, so that I can try and head things off if I see a problem w/ my little blue guy. Thanks!
a4twenty
Premium Member
sorry my bad 
look at the bottom left and on the first lobe on the right ( bottom pic ), see where the mantle is folded over on it's self?
this unfortunately is what PM ( Pinched Mantle ) looks like. PM is a protozoan infestation that can be terminal to clams and can spread from clam to clam, wiping out all you clams in one go
a connection has been made between Fe ( iron ) in the tank water and outbreaks of PM. not that the Fe causes it but, more that it can cause it to flare up if the clam is a carrier. seeing as i just changed back to rowa-phos ( Fe based ) and just a few days later these symptoms showed up, i have removed the rowa and am running a couple of litre's or carbon to try and remove the iron. if this doesn't show some results shortly i may have to try a FWD ( Fresh Water Dip ), which can be stressful for the clam but should give almost instant relief from the protozoan.
my biggest concern is that i don't just have one or two clams ..... but the rest of my babies are showing no signs yet.
he is looking better today, the lower left portion of the mantle has straightened out and the fold on the right is not tight to the mantle anymore. it is still curled up, just not right over on top of it's self. i'm keeping my fingers crossed but also keeping the FWD ready. :worried:
look at the bottom left and on the first lobe on the right ( bottom pic ), see where the mantle is folded over on it's self?
this unfortunately is what PM ( Pinched Mantle ) looks like. PM is a protozoan infestation that can be terminal to clams and can spread from clam to clam, wiping out all you clams in one go
a connection has been made between Fe ( iron ) in the tank water and outbreaks of PM. not that the Fe causes it but, more that it can cause it to flare up if the clam is a carrier. seeing as i just changed back to rowa-phos ( Fe based ) and just a few days later these symptoms showed up, i have removed the rowa and am running a couple of litre's or carbon to try and remove the iron. if this doesn't show some results shortly i may have to try a FWD ( Fresh Water Dip ), which can be stressful for the clam but should give almost instant relief from the protozoan.
my biggest concern is that i don't just have one or two clams ..... but the rest of my babies are showing no signs yet.
he is looking better today, the lower left portion of the mantle has straightened out and the fold on the right is not tight to the mantle anymore. it is still curled up, just not right over on top of it's self. i'm keeping my fingers crossed but also keeping the FWD ready. :worried:
Rovert
Premium Member
Do you think that a UV sterilizer might be of any benefit? I had a brief discussion recently, and thought that if the protozoans were free-swimming that they might be killed off. If it worked, it'd be a lot less stressful on a clam than FWD, but it's all for nothing if the infestation is internal to the clam.
a4twenty
Premium Member
i am keeping that in reserve as i have definite connection between the phos remover ( really the Fe in it ) and the symptoms.
i decide to put the clam in my fuge and stop the feed from the tank. i fed the effluent from my reactor ( with 1 litre of new carbon ) into the fuge. so far i am very happy :spin1:
the pinch in the lower left has almost returned to normal and the pinch on the right looks a lot better. i am not gonna say i'm out of the woods yet but ...... i have to stay positive.
thank you all for your support, especially mbbuna. it's great knowing you out there with great info and links. i'm going to post those link here as you can never have to much info close to hand
http://www.ualg.pt/fcma/edge/Articles/Elandalloussi_2003.pdf#search=
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sci/shelldis/pages/perkincc_e.htm
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never dull is right, we have some saddleback clowns that have been laying eggs for a few months so Barb wanted to try to raise them. last Sunday we were up untill 2:30am collecting larva. when i went to plug the return pump back in, it didnt start. SHE went to bed at 2:30 I was up untill 4:30 fixing the pump:mad2:
jmaneyapanda
Commencing hatred
Yeah, this hobby loves to put the F-U in fun.
a4twenty
Premium Member
that's awesome, good luck
you aren't kidding ! when i got home from work i went to check on my clam and he looked great. then i realized that the pump from my reactor wasn't running, which would be ok except i had turned of the feed from my tank to the fuge. it was over 90F outside yesterday but only 70F in my basement :eek2: when i checked the temp in the fuge ( 72.6F and i keep the tank between 79 - 80F ) i almost lost it. i opened the b-valve a little to start a trickle to slowly bring the temp back up but only time will tell
thanks, i hope this latest set back hasn't ruined my results
