What's up with my clam?

[NexDog]

My monster Squamosa is acting weird. Last 3 days its mantle has been fully retracted. It still opens up as normal shell wise during the main photoperiod but the mantle stays retracted. Here it is under VHOs:

I've had it 5 years and it's always been bulletproof. Vodka overdosing, 3 day sandstorm when I requascaped, no MH light for days, nothing phases it. Now it seems to be stressed for no reason. I have an Emperor and BlueLine Angel, but they have never touched it.

The only things that have changed in the last week is I added new grape caulerpa to the sump/fuge which has been algae-less for a year. And I've been dosing Calcium with Bionic 2-Part to get the levels up in anticipation of getting a CA reactor. But has only been going up 10ppm per day and is still lower than normal.

What do clams look like when they die? It was large when I got it 5 years ago, hoping it's not at the end of its natural life. It's always been so healthy.

 

[NYCBOB]

i dont thinkits dying if during he day, the clam acts normal. the only thing i can think of is something bothering it at night.

 

[NexDog]

In the day it's like that with mantle retracted but shell opens up as normal, just no mantle.

 

[NYCBOB]

then it sounds like its dying. did u try inspecting it by looking at bottom of it?

 

[NexDog]

I guess I could pick it up and take a look. What am I looking for?

 

[Acronic]

look for piramid snails

 

[NexDog]

Took a look, can't find anything. Just a lot of small bristleworms which are under any rock in the tank. The sand it was sat in was black so I gave it a good raking and placed it on fresh sand.

 

[scubasteve06]

Have you tested your water parameters in the past couple days? What is the Ph like? Alk? Calcium levels? Maybe doing a water change might help by adding new trace elements back into the system. What about nitrate? It would be good to have these parameters to look at and then try to rule things out by process of elimination.

 

[NexDog]

PH normal at 8.0, Alk was boosted to 10dKH last week, CA has been boosted by about 40-50ppm in the last week or so. Nitrate always the same, around 5-10. Planned on doing a water changethis weekend but stuff with children is getting in the way. Monday I can do my standard 50g change.

 

[Fishamatank]

I had a crocea do this - it was a fish nipping at the mantle. My clam was smaller so I was able to take a 3 liter soda bottle and cut the bottom off and put some small holes in the side and cover the clam. Served 2 purposes - it protected the clam and eventually it trapped the offender.
I recommend making some type of cover (egg crate box???) and see if protected clam opens up. Mine opened up within 8 hours of being enclosed. You've got a couple of likely clam nippers in there.

 

[mscarpena]

Emperor and BlueLine Angel, but they have never touched it. This I do not believe they eat clams in the wild. Also if they are not the cause could to just too many changes. You say you bump your calcium, alk, and are behind on water changes. Also when was the last time you changed your bulbs. It could be just the picture, but it looks pretty dim for clam placement. Also it is not the end of the clams natural life cycle. They out live us.

 

[wrott]

Fishamatank has a very good suggestion to rule out nipping, which is the only thing I can think of beside of a hitchhiking parasite from the macro, but i think that would take 1-2 months to start irritating the clam, and then it would only be pinched.
5 years old is old enough to pull through any rough spots w/ husbandry, are your corals looking OK?

 

[cakemanPA]

Big angels and clams ===> snack in a shell

 

[NexDog]

Might be the BlueLine, they have co-existed for many, many years though. This morning it was looking better after the removal and replacement but I see the BL hanging around it and it retracted again. I'll make a cover for it and see it improves.

Everything else in the tank looks okay. Lights are just over a year old and I usually change once every two years as I don't have super needy SPS.

 

[mscarpena]

For some reason I have heard of stories where fish will live with corals or clams for years then one day start picking. So if thats what your seeing I agree make the egg grate cage.