Please Help, I'm lost!

[catmcgrath]

To start with I have a 29 gallon tank. I have had the tank running for about 4 years now, but about 8 months ago I bought a coral beauty angelfish that turned out to have ich. Taking some bad advice from my LFS he sold me a “medicine” for the ich, which killed off just about everything in my tank. I checked out your site and did some reading and set up a quarantine tank, but it was too late and all my fish died. My corals are slowly starting to re-grow, but I have had a horrible time dealing with red algae bubbles. After finding a new LFS (1st is out of business now!), he told me to try a product called Chemi-Pure in my filter.
I have started with that, but long story short, my Dad, as a surprise, came over to my house yesterday with a cleaner shrimp and a clam. I know nothing about clams and have tried looking up on your site for information, but I do not know what to even start looking for since I don’t even know what kind of clam it is. . I don’t even know if I’m supposed to feed it or let it feed from the water. I do know that my tank still is not doing the greatest, but is slowly getting better. Here are some pictures of my clam as well as my readings for today. Just as a side note I did a 4 gallon water change 4 days ago.
If anyone has any information or links that will help me, that would be so wonderful.
Here is what I have for my tank: 29 gallon, using instant ocean salt, Whisper 60 hanging filter, Zoo Med power head, Sea Clone protein Skimmer. In the tank I have one clown fish, 6 crabs, and now cleaner shrimp and clam.

Please Help! Thanks.

Here are my readings:
Ph - 8.3
Ammonia - 0.15
Nitrate - 7
Nitrite - 0
Phosphate - 0
SG - 1.021
Calcium - 300 ( I know that is is very low. I have started using B-Ionic once a day, as of yesterday)

Thanks again for your help!

 

[Sk8r]

You need to do some more rock [1-2 lbs per gallon] and a 4" sandbed, and bring the tank back through cycle, [remove all fish and inverts], let bacteria grow for 4 weeks, until you spike the ammonia and see its readings decline. Consider getting rid of the filter, increase the flow. I don't know if your light is strong enough for the clam, but you're not through setting up your tank, imho. You'll continue to have trouble until you've gotten enough rock and sand to handle the food you're putting in for the fish. Clams, btw, eat phytoplankton. See if you can get your local fish store to hold your livestock for you: tell them you've had a tank disaster and need to recycle.

 

[a4twenty]

the clam is a derasa.

problems with your params: ( what brand of test kits are you using? )

- any ammonia is toxic, you may need to change your chemi-pure media to absorb more. this is only a band aid, like sk8r said you'll need to add some more live rock ( make sure you cure it first ).

- your SG is low to keep invertebrates. clams like it a bit higher like 1.025 - 1.026. you can raise this slowly by using saltwater for your top up water. what are you using for water? RO/DI or tap water??

- your calcium is low but you already know that and are fixing it. shoot for around 440 ish.

- another test kit you should get is to test alkalinity.


clams do best under strong lights, what type of lighting do you have?

keep asking questions, RC is a great place to double check what your LFS is telling you.

 

[Peabody]

Agreed with the above. RIght now get that clam out of the tank. Maybe 6 months from now if the tank is stable and functioning well, and your lighting is appropriate, you could get another derasa (or that one back).

 

[catmcgrath]

a4twenty asked about what brand of test kits I'm using so here goes. For phosphate - Sea Test, Calcium - Seachem Reef Status, pH, Ammonia, Nitrite & Nitrate - Aquarium Pharmaceuticals.
Just as a note to you, I just added the Chemi-Pure about 4 days ago.
For Water I used to use the Ion exchange resin chamber from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, but since using the new LFS (about 2 months) I have started to buy RO/DI water from him. I did a 50% water change when I started using the new water (based on his advice) to help clear out a lot of the algae problem. I have done about 3 small water changes since.
For lighting I have a power compact. I replaced the light on 3/18/06. I was told to replace once a year. Should I be using something different? Becuase of the tank size, there is not much room to add anything in terms of lighting. I would have to completely replace.
About adding more live rock...is there a way to do this without emptying my tank, so as to have the tank recycle? I feel like I have gone through so much just trying to get my tank to where it is now after the whole bad advice and dealing with a tank infested with ich. I would hate to see the tank empty again for months on end. Obviously if that is the ONLY way then that is what I will try and do, but please if there is another way please let me know. Thanks again.

 

[Peabody]

For lighting I have a power compact. I replaced the light on 3/18/06. I was told to replace once a year. Should I be using something different?

PCs are fine usually for soft corals, mushrooms, some LPS, etc. That lighting will likely be insuficiant for any clam though. If you have multiple high-wattage PC bulbs you might get away with a derasa, but I wouldn't do it personally.

 

[catmcgrath]

So, Peabody, what should I get then?

 

[Sk8r]

If you have high-quality live rock, particularly if it has coralline encrustation, it would be possible to add it and let it carry the tank through a very mild, brief cycle. The cycle would come from a little dieoff, and recolonization of the rock's outer layer---which is why corallined rock is so good. It's live, and won't algify. It just takes over filtration as it is. It can be had if you can find someone breaking a tank down: you have to put up with the hitchhikers that come in with it---I started that way, and had some 30 different species of hitchhikers, only one of which [caulerpa weed] has really been unpleasant. The worms, the tiny asterina stars, the sponges, these are all good. After about a week, if you can get this high-quality rock, and your tests [test often, and keep a log if you've had this much trouble!} show clear of ammonia and nitrate, you can put in micro-hermits, a conch or two, some turbo snails, some feather dusters, all sorts of life that doesn't have fins. The fish come after this crew has cleaned up your tank. I had a piece of bubble coral survive the cycle in my tank, which was done with very-live rock, starting in ice-cold raw salt water in January, which is how tough stuff can be if the water quality stays high [chemically speaking] and the rock is able to take over fast. What rock and sand do is provide a bed for bacteria that break down waste and turn it into nitrogen gas, which floats up in bubbles and leaves your tank---no lids, either, note, so the gas gets out. The reason filters are a pain is that they get dirty and cleaned so that your bacteria count is bouncing all over the map, and sometimes you spike ammonia and sometimes you're ok. Corals in particular like consistent good water. Wet-dry is even worse, because the halfwet bioballs build up a load of nitrate, which produces ammonia and kills off things in your tank. Hope that helps. There's a great couple of threads in the New to the Hobby forum, up at the top of the list, on how to set up, and basics about your sandbed and so on. After all you've been through [I went through the early days of reefkeeping where none of this was known] you deserve good info and a smoooth ride.

 

[Peabody]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8980067#post8980067 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by catmcgrath
So, Peabody, what should I get then?

Clams are commonly kept with Metal Halide bulbs. When I had a 29g with clams I had a 250w MH bulb plus 2 55w PC actinic bulbs. A single derasa wouldn't require that much, though. Multiple T5s with individual parabolic reflectors are now being used as well. But, I wouldn't worry about this now...I'd take the clam back, and first focus on other issues as mentioned by other folks here.