snail on my crocea clam

[pelochas]

on saturday i bought my wife her crocea clam that she has bugging me about. i really did not want to do it cause i dont want to loose it.

well a day into it, here she is

monday after work, she has dug into the sand deep. i went to my friendly LFS "All About Fish" and ask my friend Kevin about it and he said it wants to move to another spot or maybe higher on the liverock.

so i came back home and moved him up, the only spot good for him, i also ask my friend about the galaxia stingers, he said they wont harm the clam. after placing the clam up there i saw some long stingers from the galaxia comb over the clam and the clam didnt react to it.

then about 20 minutes it jumps off to the bottom. the place i had is very secure for her so i moved the clam again, im really stressed that im stressing the clam moving twice in one day..

so later that night watching MNF, i see a snail come from the top of the tank down the front glass and straight to the clam. i freaked. the snail went up and around and crawling all around the shell the rim edge back and forth like if he were cleaning the shell on both sides. the tank lights were off but i had an led flashlight to get enough light to get the picture without flash.

then the snail went on his way. whew.....

what do you recommend, i read many pages, im thinking of building a pvc plate or clam cradle for the clam. im about to move a few live rock to get a bigger flatter area for the crocea cause eventually its going to grow out.

if you have any tips, i appreciated.

 

[JetCat USA]

crocea need to be placed on rock so they can attach, they aren't sand dwellers.

 

[mbbuna]

try placing a small flat rock about a 1/2" under the sand and place the clam over it. in anywhere from a few days to a week or 2 the clam should be attached to the rock, then you can slowly move the clam up into the rock work where you want it. i would avoid placing the clam next to any corals that have sweeper tentacles

 

[a4twenty]

all of my clams have dealt with wandering snails / shrimp / stars / etc.... with no ill effects, corals / nems can be another story.


the thing that is putting a flag up for me is that your crocea is open when the tank light are out, is this consistent with what you have seen??

if so can you post your water params please?

 

[pelochas]

its been only 3 nights. last nite when i was taking pics, the tv was on and so were the liviing room lights. the tank would not be in darkness and you can very well into the tank. i will see what the clam looks like later this night when it been in near darkness after a couple of hours.

is the clam suppose to close completly up at night or what should a 'sleeping clam" look like??

when i got home today, the clam didnt move anywhere but bury down into the sand again.

i will post some water tests hopefully tonite. my tests are old and i usually have my lfs to test the water for me. yesterday i took a water sample to test, my friend usually dont give me the numbers but he said everything look except the alk and i needed to raise it.

 

[JetCat USA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10843389#post10843389 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pelochas

is the clam suppose to close completly up at night or what should a 'sleeping clam" look like??

it should retract but not shut tight, the mantle should still be extended/exposed slightly.

Lights On:

and top down with lights off:

 

[pelochas]

9/25/2007

water temp 81
salinity 37% 1.027ppt

Aquarium Pharmacuticals Tests
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
pH 8.2
Nitrate 0
Copper 0

Red Sea Tests
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0
Alk light blue = normal
pH 8.2

Hagen Tests
Alk 7 drops to turn yellow/lime 7 x 10 = 70 ppm, suggests to be over 100. there is a bottle of Red Sea buffer to raise the Alk. It dosage is 20 drops per 15 gallons. my 75 gal will need 100 drops but i will wait for some advice before adding anything

Salifert Tests
Ammonia <0.25

not the best picture of crocea clam in darkness after 20 minutes

 

[JetCat USA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10844313#post10844313 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pelochas

Alk 7 drops to turn yellow/lime 7 x 10 = 70 ppm,

70ppm = 3.92 dKH, that is extremely low. with your pH currently at 8.2 it'd be safe to buffer it with Baking Soda (Arm & Hammer), 6 tsp would get you Safely to acceptable levels figuring on a total system volume of roughly 65 gallon. i can't say about the use of the RedSea product.

maybe i overlooked it but i didn't see Ca in there anywhere and with Alk that low I'd guess Ca is low as well. do you have a Ca and Mg test kit???

 

[mbbuna]

recheck you tests. judging by what i could see in your first photos you have a testing error. there is no way your alk is that low and your torch is out like that. retest and confirm the results and the unites of measure. also its good practice to have your own test kits so you don't have to rely on others that may make mistakes or be using crappy or out of date products

 

[jmaneyapanda]

snails often get the blame for "killing clams". This is usually nonsense. Most clean up crew is doing just that- cleaning up. Many people just refuse to belive their clam was dying before it. Clam can and will scour the available surfaces for a poptential food source. Totally normal.

I agree about the test, too. It is hard to belive your alk could be that low with things looking as they did in the first pic. The galaxia has actually grown onto the neighboring rock. That likely wouldnt occur with a low alk.

 

[pelochas]

thanks for you advice and comments

i really do like taking water tests but i really hate how you have to measure or compare the tests with colors and backgrounds.

im sure my set of test kits are old and probably expired cause its been with me since i got the tank 3 years ago. i only kept the test kits that have no expiration but still i wonder about the test's reliablity

Its is why i take my water to my friend at the LFS who test dozens of times to may clients almost everyday of the week so he will have much more experience than me. Plus if i can do this myself i can verify or compare both results.

what brand test kit do you recommend for the Ca and Mg.

 

[JetCat USA]

Salifert