My Clam is Gone!

[raisingtwo2006]

:shout: My Beautiful Clam that I got from Tim a couple weeks ago is gone!!

The shell is there, but he is not!
Yesterday he was all out and beautiful, wonderful color and extention. Now there is nothing at all in the shell He had been growing and no one in the tank ever bothered him besides the occasional snail or crab cleaning the shell.

Nothing else is closed up, shrivelled or dead.. This little dude was my favoritest thing in my tank- hands down!

I just want to cry!!

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[jcusmarine]

I am so sorry....I love Clams. That Sucks.

Just FYI - I have got several Clams from Tim, and they are all doing great. In fact, everything I get from Tim's does amazing....zero loss.

I wonder what killed the clam so quick? Especially without you seeing it coming. I know there are some peeps on ARC that have a lot of knowledge on Clams that can help you figure it out.....I know you will want to get another!

Sorry for the loss. Your first Clam?

 

[raisingtwo2006]

Yep, my first- he'll always hold a special place in my heart

Anyway, It was so healthy, no signs of anything wrong at all- looks like someone snuck in, served him for dinner, and dropped the shell back in the tank. Oh, and I'm in no way saying it was the store's fault- Tim has awesome goods- but everyone that has been there knows that, so that's just a reference saying it came from a reputable place and didn't have problems. Sorry if that sounded otherwise in the first post.

 

[jcusmarine]

Is the shell exactly where the Clam was located? Is there anything left of the Clam other than the shell? Weird:confused2:

 

[raisingtwo2006]

yep, the shell is still sitting right where the clam sat. Open, still one piece.

 

[derek_s]

Well, once a clam dies the flesh is eaten really quickly, so it probably went down like that. No telling what killed it, but possibilities are chemical problems (some say boron is bad for clams, and seachem products sometimes have lots of boron). What salt and/or buffer products are you using? Other products?

Also various snails and worms can crawl in and eat them inside out. Many of them are nocturnal and hard to see, so maybe look for them at night with a flashlight.

Bad signs in clams usually include slow/no response to changes in light and motion (not so much for large clams), or gaping 'mouths' that are unusually large. Any of these symptoms?

 

[raisingtwo2006]

I use Instant Ocean salt, but haven't added any in a long time. Only other thing I add is Calcium-

And that's it- I don't dose other stuff, cuz I've never had a problem with anything being low.

I didn't see any unusually large 'mouths' or a delay in closing. He was actually pretty quick.

The only thing I noticed was yesterday morning when the lights came on, a bunch of copepods came swimming out from beneath him.

 

[derek_s]

I would just look closely at your parameters. Clams usually require pretty good water quality, so you may want to have someone else double check your results. Also I have heard IO salt is high in iodine, so you may want to check for that. Honestly, if you want to keep clams and corals, you may greatly benefit by upgrading to a better salt like Reef Crystals or Seachem Reef. Both are fairly good and fairly affordable.

I would definatly look at these things and be sure they are in good standing:
Salinity
Ph
Alk
Magnesium
temp fluctuations (I think less than 2 deg. fluctuation is great, less is better)
borate alkalinity/boron
Water change schedule? I think this is key, so I would recommend at least every 2 weeks if possible.

 

[george]

RaisingTwo2006;240055 wrote: The only thing I noticed was yesterday morning when the lights came on, a bunch of copepods came swimming out from beneath him.

Might be a damaged byssal gland. Was the clam aquacultured or wild caught?

It might also just be a bacterial infection. It's so hard to tell unless you can find bored holes on the shell or actually observe something attacking it. Do you have any crabs in the display other than hermits?

 

[glxtrix]

I doubt it was the salt. I've kept many clams in my day and have used IO from day 1. Sadly it's hard to understand what happens with clams when they die....unless there is a tell tale sign. If he was reacting fine (which you say he was) then it's possible there was some type of swing, maybe in pH or alk. But that too is just speculation. I'd check all parms and see where they are at. Sadly if a clam is even in the least bit stressed, some opportunistic eaters will take advantage of that and clean shop. Sorry to hear about your loss, clams are my favorite too and I know how it feels to lose one.

 

[raisingtwo2006]

The only crabs I know of are the hermits. I don't have all the fancy tests to check my water, just the basic ones. I'll take a water sample to the store down the road- they said they'd check my mag, cal... ect ect.

And I'm not sure if it was wild caught or not..

 

[george]

Low mag and calcium will not kill a clam. It just slows growth.

 

[raisingtwo2006]

My alk, and ph are testing fine. My tests aren't brand new (I actually don't use them much) so I'm gonna grab a new test kit while I'm out.. maybe they aren't registering because they aren't working.. I don't know

 

[glxtrix]

It may have been too late when you saw it, but did you happen to see small Pyramidellid snails (or Pyramid Snails) near the bottom of the sell, or closely examine the shell and look to see if you can see any small holes in the shell. The snails look like this:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=489644&highlight=Pyramid+snail">http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=489644&highlight=Pyramid+snail</a>

I do know some wrasses help eliminate these things. Every time I have a clam i my system I make it apparent to always check under the clam (well if it's not attached yet) at the foot to make sure I don't see any of these buggers...they will in fact kill a clam....or at least irritate it enough to make it lose the battle.

 

[raisingtwo2006]

I dont' know for positive. I have seen tiny snails on the dude, but they were darker colored- If I would have seen those, I probably didn't think anything of it.

I just went over and looked again, and I don't see anything near him at all..

 

[FutureInterest]

Sorry to hear that Kim. :sad:

Some people have reported large bristleworms eating clams. I'm skeptical of that and think they're probably just cleaning up a carcass... but I'm just throwing that out there.

In addition it looks to be a rather small clam. For whatever reason they seem to have higher mortality rates...

 

[raisingtwo2006]

Yep, he was smaller.. growing but smaller.. He was maybe 2 inches. I have seen some pretty good sized bristleworms, my clown ends up with their bristles in his face all the time - I guess it's possible..

 

[glxtrix]

FutureInterest;240104 wrote: Some people have reported large bristleworms eating clams. I'm skeptical of that and think they're probably just cleaning up a carcass.

In my experience with clams, I've never witnessed any BW's eating a healthy clam. In fact, I had one that lived in the ruffles of one....I think they were friends.

 

[derek_s]

George;240085 wrote: Low mag and calcium will not kill a clam. It just slows growth.

I dunno about that. Obviously there are many theories, but one that I found convincing is that the act of growing (especially in corals) is one method of waste export, as the skeletons are constructed of these (magnesium, calcium, strontium, etc). Given that, it is theorized that if these arent in ideal ratios, the animal cannot properly grow, and cannot expel other waste products that build up in the tissue.

I dont propose this as 100% truth, but I believe it has some merit. I believe the article was on reefs.org.

Either way, whether or not these are capable of killing the animal, Kim, I think oyu might want to verify these tests just incase. Besides, I'm sure you want to provide optimal conditions for your livestock, within reason. Just a suggestion, but perhaps not a solution.

 

[glxtrix]

I could venture to agree with CA and Mg not being up to par with a clam that's been in a system for a long time...however one that's only in a system for a few weeks....I don't think that has any bearing on the growth/health....but again, just speculation on my part.