Squamosa question and pics

[johnnybravo234]

I just recently upped the par of my t5 lighting and my squamosa is not opening as much as it used to. (it is placed in the lowest light area of the tank which is pretty high) Do clams not stay open as long or as much if there is too much light? My squamosa was also being assaulted by my clownfish a couple weeks ago but im almost sure that its overwith because i moved the clowns xenia to the other side of the tank. I included a pic of my 5" crocea and 2.5" maxima. Both of them are doing great. Also is it normal for a clam to not attach? the squamosa and crocea are both not attached. The crocea doesnt try to move around like its unhappy.. it just hasnt attached to the glass. There is quite a bit of flow in my tank for the sps. Let me know what you think.

 

[mbbuna]

it normal for clams to have a reaction when you increase intensity. i would just give it sme time. you can shade it some also if you like

 

[a4twenty]

squamosa clams may or may not attach, they can rely on their weight to hold them in place. you could try moving the squamie down, the upgraded lights may be a bit of shock to him.

the crocea will attach when he wants to, i would move him up closer to the light, they require the most light to be happy.

 

[johnnybravo234]

To tell you the truth it is starting to look like a case of pm in IMO. It would make sense too because of the recent stress he was subjected to. He is already in the lowest light area of the tank. Take a look at these pics I just took. What do you think? This is my favorite clam.. i will do anything i can to keep him healthy.
water:

sg 1.026
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
phosphate <.03
mag 1400
cal 375
alk 8

 

[a4twenty]

doesn't look like PM to me, can you get a better pic of the section of the mantle you fell is pinched??

your Ca and Alk is low, how do you maintain it??? is it stable????

what other corals do you have?? do you run carbon? a GFO?

other than light have you changed anything else??

what are your other fish??

 

[mbbuna]

doesn't look like PM to me either

 

[johnnybravo234]

I thought it might look like early stage pm. I have never had pm in my tank before but I have treated it at the lfs I work at. I have a 3" yellow tang, 2.5' flasher wrasse, and the 2.5" evil monocular false perc, and a couple astrea snails. The parameters are stable and I like to keep my water around the same levels as NSW as it seems to cause problems when I dose too much b-ionic. Currently im dosing 10ml alk and 15ml cal daily. Thankyou for your replies

 

[TheCommersoni]

There are alot of other different bacteria related problems other than pm. It could be anything. What you should do is make sure your conditions are as perfect as they should be.

 

[johnnybravo234]

The squamosa is now "coughing" up phlegm and zoox. It still opens up wide during the day but the mantle is retracted even more. My gf has the camera so i cant get a picture of him. All params are perfect and the other two clams are still doing well..

 

[mbbuna]

have you shaded the clam?

 

[johnnybravo234]

Yes, I moved him to the lowest light spot and changed the bulbs back.

 

[ezcompany]

i see some aptasia on the rock, some might be within reach causing it to retract.

 

[johnnybravo234]

No there is no aptasia that could touch it. Today it is looking better except for the fact that it looks like the tissue is starting to peel away from the shell... is there any chance that whatever this clam came down with can infect my other clams?

 

[ludiNano]

If you have moved it farther down, than what it was under old bulbs than you should put the new back on and stop moving it around for awhile.

How often do you feed the tank?
And with what?

My squamosa always has a trail of what i take it as ''poop" after i feed.

 

[johnnybravo234]

I feed oyster eggs in the morning before i leave (while the lights are out). Then I will feed two more times in the evening usually vitamin enriched brine and emerald entree and cyclopeez. I also throw some dried phyto in a couple times a week as well. There is also plenty of poop available from the yellow tang. I see the crocea produce the poop as well but it was the mucous looking stuff that I was more concerned about since I never really noticed it in the past. The crocea is looking better now that i reduced the light and the squamosa is looking decent although still retracted. There was definitely too much light for the clams. The tank is fairly shallow and lit with a 5x39w t5 fixture. I found out the flasher wrasse was biting at the squamosas gills through his inhalant siphon every now and then. I feel bad for that poor clam... my fish have been terrible to him. I hate fish... always find a way to be stupid. I think I will end up with a tank full of chromis.. so far they are the only fish that has never done anything wrong for me. Plus the only reason i have them is to produce crap for the sps. I now have the squammy securely covered by a bottle so im just going to keep my fingers crossed. Berghia are in the works in my sump so the aptasia will be eliminated soon once they build a stable population. Thanks for the replies.