Squamosa clam not opening fully

[reef addict uk]

Hi, I've had a squamosa clam for just over a year, in that time it's grown from about 3" to over 5" and has always been full open. Over the past couple of days it's not opened fully and it's starting to worry me.

I've examined it for pyramid snails and can't see any, only thing I saw underneath was a couple of small bristleworms. The tank is 95% sps, calcium is dosed via a ca reactor and I also drip kalk for all top off water. The clam is on the sandbed under 2 x 250w 14k halides.

Parameters

ca 425
kh 10.6
ph 8.2 -7.9 at night
mag 1360
nitrate nil
phosphate nil
temp 26c

Tank is 5x2x2

Fish list:

Tangs....Sailfin, lieutenant, yellow
leopard wrasse
cleaner wrasse
ytb damsel
2 percs
1 male diamond head anthias
9 chromis
royal gramma

Never seen any fish bothering with it.

Inverts

cleaner shrimp
5 peppermints
mithrax crab
35 nassarius
2 large brittlestars

Things I've done recently:

changed ca media from aquamedic hydrocarbonate to A.R.M.
Started dripping kalk

I also have a 5 year old crocea which seems fine as do all the sps.

Do clams close up occasionally for a few days?

Any ideas?

As it is now

And in the full tank shot you can see where it's positioned and how it usually is open.

thanks,

Mark

 

[skinz78]

I would bet there is a fish nipping at it. My suspects would be the tangs or the wrasse's. Wrasse's tend to nip at mantles to get the clam to retract it and reveal hidden food "critters". And tangs eat the algae off the shell.

Also the cleaner shrimp and mithrax crabs are suspects. Try covering the clam with something clear, plastic, and filled with 1/4" holes for circulation. This should shield it from attack.

 

[a4twenty]

any fluctuations with the change of media and dripping of kalk?? pH, Ca, Alk levels???

 

[reef addict uk]

Thanks for the replies.

Since changing the media, ph has improved as I'm not running the co2 as hard, also alk and ca have risen but I would have thought this would have had a good effect on things not anything detrimental.

I sat and watched the tank for a while earlier on and I think I've spotted the culprit, the cleaner wrasse swam by the squammie and had a nip at the mantle, causing it to withdraw even more. So, now I have the problem of getting the wrasse out, one of the quickest fish in the tank! Trapeeze going in tomorrow, so I'll be patiently sat by the tank holding onto a piece of string for a while I guess!

cheers,

Mark

 

[skinz78]

LOL I am doing that right now for my snowflake eel, he's a fast one.

 

[a4twenty]

good luck, both of you

 

[johnnybravo234]

Yeah to everyone reading this many wrasses are unfortunately unsafe with clams... I just lost a crocea and squamosa because of my flasher. Good luck

 

[reef addict uk]

We live and learn eh! At least it keeps us busy.

Sorry about your clams.

cheers,

Mark

 

[reef addict uk]

Got him!

 

[a4twenty]

nicely done, no we can see if the clam starts opening again.

 

[reef addict uk]

It has done, this was a few hours after I removed the wrasse!

A much happier clam.

thanks,

Mark

 

[johnnybravo234]

Nice squammy btw

 

[a4twenty]

i have to agree, you couldn't see the real beauty from the first shots. your whole tank looks great, how do you like the size ( 150G )? i am contemplating doing the same size or possibly even a little wider.

 

[reef addict uk]

Thanks.

It's a manageable size TBH, not too expensive to run or too much work to maintain, but like most people, I would like a bigger tank!

Wider would be better for aquascaping if you have the room.

Someone came round today and bought the wrasse, the clam's looking great again now. Funny how the wrasse just started to nip at the clam, it's been in the tank for about 3 months.

cheers,

Mark

 

[a4twenty]

that is actually the way it usually goes, perfect inhabitants just snap as they mature and start nipping.

the tank is going to replace one of my 120G's ( 5x1.5x2 ) as a wall between my kitchen and living room and i'm trying to decide whether to go 5x2x2 or possibly 5x3x2 because i want a bigger tank too