Urgent help

[marineaquarist]

Its hot over the past few days and the temperature has been 28 to 28 degrees. Im using a fan to cool the aquarium.

An Acropora hasn't been doing to well since it went hot, and a tunicate hasnt been feeding, but the clam seemed healthy, until overnight, I noticed that the clam was gaping today, and wouldnt shut. I can see right through the siphon(?) to the back of the animal as though the tissue is rotting or being eaten. This has happened overnight.

I have moved the "top row" further down the aquarium and have not switched the light on today. How long will they go on without light, if I feed the aquarium? Is this the wrong thing to do?

 

[Reefcherie]

marineaquarist,

That doesn't sound good. When you say "wouldn't shut" do you mean that the clam isn't reactive when you wave your hand over it? If it is no longer reactive, my experience has been that there isn't much hope. If you mean that the gaping hasn't closed, but the clam still reacts, you may have a chance with it still.

I'm no expert in this - haven't tried it myself - but I would think that no lights for a day or two wouldn't be that bad - oceans do have storms and cloudy days. If it were me though, since your clams receive most of their nutrition through photosynthesis, I'd change their light cycle to be during a cooler part of your day. I've been doing that with my clam tank since we've been having a heat wave. Just a thought.

You might think about getting an inexpensive temperature controller for your tank that will kick your lights (and heater) off if the temperature exceeds a set value - back on when it drops below a difference. I've learned the hard way on the importance of this bit of equipment!

Cheri

 

[Frisco]

Can you get any pictures of it for us?

 

[marineaquarist]

I meant that the clam would at first hardly respond, and could not close at all. The little clam died, but had been doinng perfectly.