This is painful to watch! Can I save my clams?
- Thread starter ReefDream
- Start date
ReefDream, Awesome picture. Many thanks for the info, pills, encouragement, and all around thoughtfulness. My guy looks great as well and we are 3 days out of the antibiotic. He looks like nothign ever happened. I plan on getting these little pills to keep around in stock as I hear they can be useful for infections that affect sps corals as well.
DJ88©
Premium Member
lost my purple max today. Started spewing white clouds two days ago. you can read more about it here. 
my clam thread
my clam thread
Added this to the clam treatment instructions:
<b>Use vinyl tubing and an air pump to keep bubbles rising and moving the water around (use a powerhead if the tank is large enough but not in a few gallons as the temperature can go too high). Use a small heater to keep the water at normal tank temperatures.</b>
<b>Use vinyl tubing and an air pump to keep bubbles rising and moving the water around (use a powerhead if the tank is large enough but not in a few gallons as the temperature can go too high). Use a small heater to keep the water at normal tank temperatures.</b>
reefmkr
New member
Now I'm clamless
Now I'm clamless
Now I'm Clam less, almost.
My case is little different from everyone. I add 2" squmoss about month ago (I bought it from good LFS and I believe they got the clam from CA some where ), after week later clam die. Last weekend year old 3" and 2" maxima die, last night I notice other 3" maxima didn't look good, this morning I notice bristle worm all over it, and other 2" gold maxima is gasping now. I wish I found this thread little sooner....
BTW, I had those 3" maximas for over a 1yr ( it was 1 1/2" when I bought them) and 2" maximas about 6 month ago.
there was no sign of clams being sick or gasping utill days before they die.
Now I'm clamless
Now I'm Clam less, almost.
My case is little different from everyone. I add 2" squmoss about month ago (I bought it from good LFS and I believe they got the clam from CA some where ), after week later clam die. Last weekend year old 3" and 2" maxima die, last night I notice other 3" maxima didn't look good, this morning I notice bristle worm all over it, and other 2" gold maxima is gasping now. I wish I found this thread little sooner....
BTW, I had those 3" maximas for over a 1yr ( it was 1 1/2" when I bought them) and 2" maximas about 6 month ago.
there was no sign of clams being sick or gasping utill days before they die.
Update: Unfortunately I awoke yesterday to my clam badly gaping, losing color and looking just like all the others before they succombed to this infection of sorts. Today the crocea clam is dead. This was a very sudden onset as with the others and I was quite shocked. It had been looking great in the tank and seemed as if it was going to make it fine since being treated with the antibiotic. Very sad . I hope ReefDream's little guy stays healthy so we have some happy ending here. All toll 11 clams lost
. I hope ReefDream's little guy stays healthy so we have some happy ending here. All toll 11 clams lost
docwells
Member
I mistakenly made a new post. I wanted to know what people were doing to try and treat there infected tanks. I saw in the previous post how to treat the clam in a seperate container. What happens when the clam is put back in the same infected tank. Is there an idea on how to treat these tanks? Do we have to unload the tanks and disinfect them? Just looking for ideas?
Thanks
Wellington
Thanks
Wellington
ReefDream ... where did you read this in our books? I don't recall it. I received a call from Eddie at Tropical Paradise a few weeks ago and he asked me about what to do with the clams. I suggested using doxycycline at a dosage of 10 mg/gal. This dosage came from a friend of mine at a public aquarium in NY, who has used this successfully to treat RTN problems in reef tanks, including ones of several thousand gallons. I am surprised to hear your comment to NOT to use it in a reef tank as it will destroy the biological filter, since this has not been his experience. In any event, treating the clam in a hospital tank is the way to go, no use treating the entire volume of a tank when you don't need to. One unknown is though, will the pathogenic bacteria still be present in the system when you return the clam? That remains to be seen. If only Pohnapei clams from one supplier are affected and not clams from this location but from another supplier, then it might argue that the supplier has the infection in his system. If, on the other hand, ALL clams coming in, regardless of where they are received, exhibit this problem, then chances are the clams have it already.
I am not sure I agree with the need to feed phytoplankton since it is questionable how much the clams actually feed on it. Water quality may be compromised as a result, though with daily 100% water changes that shouldn't be a problem.
Finally, the excess mucus you saw released may just have been a reaction to the antibiotic.
Aloha and have a great day!
J. Charles Delbeek
Leonard
10 & Over Club
Hey Charles,
We have a parellel thread going in reefs.org (http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=17001) that may provide further insight into what's alarmingly becoming a pervasive problem stateside.
FYI: I lost all my clams (11 total) within 2 weeks time.
We have a parellel thread going in reefs.org (http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=17001) that may provide further insight into what's alarmingly becoming a pervasive problem stateside.
FYI: I lost all my clams (11 total) within 2 weeks time.
Dr. Delbeck, hello! I did not read the recommendation for doxycycline use from your books, but rather I got it from Eddie. He said you had mentioned that it might work well for this problem. He did not give me a dosage to try; rather, the dosage I used (25 mg per gallon) came from something I read online about treating fish. Given the weight of a gallon of water, it also close to the recommended dosage given to birds per kilogram body weight.
Today I noticed that I still see mucus, unfortunately. I thought it was all gone, but it is not. It is greatly reduced, but there is still mucus coming from the intake or expel vents (sorry for the non-tech terms). I am not sure the clam is 100% yet because I never remember seeing mucus before coming from the vent areas.
PS - I was guessing that phytoplankton would be helpful in a time of darkness, where light could not provide for energy. I also thought energy would be very important during a time of regeneration from infection.
Today I noticed that I still see mucus, unfortunately. I thought it was all gone, but it is not. It is greatly reduced, but there is still mucus coming from the intake or expel vents (sorry for the non-tech terms). I am not sure the clam is 100% yet because I never remember seeing mucus before coming from the vent areas.
PS - I was guessing that phytoplankton would be helpful in a time of darkness, where light could not provide for energy. I also thought energy would be very important during a time of regeneration from infection.
JCDelbeek, so your friend's public aquarium experience suggests that doxycycline, a broad-spectrum antibiotic, doesn't have a negative impact on a closed-system reef tank's biological filtration? I would not expect that, and I would be terrified of introducing such a chemical to my reef tank. Have you tried using doxycycline in any of your tanks?
I have never had the need to use it. I would not recommend its use in a tank lightly either ... only if all else fails and one is faced with that or loosing every coral in the tank.
Please, I'm not a "Dr." lol
Okay, I was confused because you said Sprung and Delbeek talked about it which sounded like you had read it in a book.
Well I am not sure that a bird dosage equates equally to a clam dosage but hopefully it worked.
Mmm ... be sure to give it good circulation ... that may help it expel the mucus easier and increase oxygen rich water to it .. I am concerned that the gills may be empaired.
Thanks Leonard, I'll check it out. Sorry to hear about your losses ... this is very troubling news indeed!
Just as an aside ... in looking at the recommended book readings I noticed none of my books, or any of Julian's are listed ... I mean if they really suck I'd like to hear why! I did see that amazon listed the books in their ad at the bottom of the page. MMM ... is there a conspiracy here?? lol
Aloha!
J. Charles Delbeek
Charles:
Appreciate your insight to this clam condition. However, I am also experiencing problems with my SPS colonies after losing 11 of my clams over the last 4 weeks. The last loss was just yesterday. The clams did display a white stringy mucus from the exhalent syphon. These clams had not been in any type of antibiotic treatment. Once the white stringy mucus was noticed, the clams went downhill and died.
In regards to the SPS's, since the time the clams showed signs of sickness, SPS colonies slowly started showing a reduction in polyp extension. Out of at least 50 colonies, there is no polyp extension. This started with montiporas and then moved to the acros. All colonies and frags in my growout sump, with less lighting, all have polyp extension. Is there a possibility that these colonies are being affected by a bacteria (preliminary toxicology report for clams points to flavo bacteria) that is sensitive to intense lighting?
Note: I have done several water changes over the time the clams have been removed from the tank to assure good water quality. Water quality has remained good, however, lettuce slugs, which have been kept healthy for several months, have shrunk and are turning orange. It is very obvious that there is a problem with the tank.
Charles, one last question regarding antibiotic use. I have been very hesitant in its use in the tank. After reading your post I'm re-thinking my use of them. Do you think they would be beneficial at this time with the shape my SPS's are in. I have one derasa left in the tank that I'm sure is infected but shows no signs of illness...yet. However, I know the infection is in my tank.
Slojmn & SueT:
I'm sorry to hear about your losses
Scott
Appreciate your insight to this clam condition. However, I am also experiencing problems with my SPS colonies after losing 11 of my clams over the last 4 weeks. The last loss was just yesterday. The clams did display a white stringy mucus from the exhalent syphon. These clams had not been in any type of antibiotic treatment. Once the white stringy mucus was noticed, the clams went downhill and died.
In regards to the SPS's, since the time the clams showed signs of sickness, SPS colonies slowly started showing a reduction in polyp extension. Out of at least 50 colonies, there is no polyp extension. This started with montiporas and then moved to the acros. All colonies and frags in my growout sump, with less lighting, all have polyp extension. Is there a possibility that these colonies are being affected by a bacteria (preliminary toxicology report for clams points to flavo bacteria) that is sensitive to intense lighting?
Note: I have done several water changes over the time the clams have been removed from the tank to assure good water quality. Water quality has remained good, however, lettuce slugs, which have been kept healthy for several months, have shrunk and are turning orange. It is very obvious that there is a problem with the tank.
Charles, one last question regarding antibiotic use. I have been very hesitant in its use in the tank. After reading your post I'm re-thinking my use of them. Do you think they would be beneficial at this time with the shape my SPS's are in. I have one derasa left in the tank that I'm sure is infected but shows no signs of illness...yet. However, I know the infection is in my tank.
Slojmn & SueT:
I'm sorry to hear about your losses
Scott
