Clam expert needed!!!

[CarmieJo]

My sixline never bothered any corals but it did eat all of my bristle worms, baby snails and micro brittle stars. It was also a pugnacious little thing. Despite that he was still one of my favorite fish.

[lance]

Sixline is reef safe?...Just read an article in an Aquarium Mag...so funny everything that keeps on happening in my tank is in the next months issue...it's like someone is planting this crap in my tank...i'm being watched...!!!ahhhh! IT ALWAYS FEELS LIKE SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME.....lol...does anyone remember tha song? Those guys must have been doing a ton of lines...lol..anywho the mag has a number of wrasses that are reef safe...do you think of them will do the job?...GREEN WRASSE,CANARY WRASSE, TAIL-SPOT WRASSE,...all of thses are possible choices???

Sixline Wrasse's are completely reef safe and are great additions to any tank

lance

[CompulsiveAqua]

I'm just gonna let him go....

[saxman]

first of all, your clams don't have pinched mantle.

if you suspect pyramid snails:

i kept a female leopard wrasse with my clams, but it wasn't specifically for Pyramidellae. however, the china wrasse (Anampses neoguinaicus) is what most of the clam keepers i know say is the best snail hunter.

the problem with relying on this method is that wrasses are most decidedly diurnal, while pyramid snails are nocturnal, so their paths rarely cross unless the wrasses can find them resting.

i recommend removing your clams and giving them a good inspection, paying particular attention to the byssal area, and under the edge of the mantle, which is where pyramids typically like to hide. remove any snails you find, and be sure to check for gelatinous egg sacs as well. a toothbrush will help. once you confirm that you have snails, this is something you'll need to do often, as manual removal is the best way.

they will also infest your substrate, so check your tank after lights out.

i've never heard of anyone using driveway de-icer in their tanx...did you start that before or after you got the clams, and are you certain you know what's in the stuff?

also, clams HATE change, and are particularly sensitive to pH swings. have you ruled parametric changes out? and finally, clams don't do well at warmer temps, so if your tank is much over 80*F, that may be the problem. light shock is another issue, especially for T. derasa which is a deeper water clam.

HTH

[CompulsiveAqua]

Finally Saxman I've been waiting for you. What should I address first. My temp highs and lows are 75 to 78. The deicer was tested by someone at CSU where I go to school vs the turbo CA...it is identical. I am battling with nitrate problems...they seem to jump around in the 5-15 area, and it is kinda pissing me off. The C Clam has been has been on the deicer from the start. And I have spotted zero snails. Today his intake has widened to almost a circle while the C clam has remained the same. What could that be. Please walk me through ths one Greg, you are the man when it comes to clams.
Here is the deicer site: reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php
I use baking soda for Kh, I use deicer for Ca and I use epsom salt for Mg...I know youre gonna laugh, but check out the site. Or even google it. Randy Holmes-Farley.

[saxman]

yikes...while croceas are known to be a bit "gapy", derasas should not be, so i'd say the clam is in distress.

what's your pH, and what are the AM/PM swings?

your temp swings are fine, as is the max temp.

going from 150W to 250W, the clam could conceivably be light-shocked. do you have actinics, and if so, does it seem better before the MH come on?

what are the tankmates? are there any fish or inverts bugging the clam? a dwarf angel, perhaps?

IIRC, you moved the crocea out of the flow, so i assume this is true with the derasa.

i wouldn't worry about your 'trates, they seem fine.

are you using any additives besides the Ca, and is your Ca somewhere between 400-500 ppm?

[CompulsiveAqua]

I will have to watch and see bout the swings...refugium goes on at night so i would expect no big swing...I am around 8.3-8.4. I do have actinic..my lights are so 2x96 watt 10k, 2x96 actinic (they come on an hour and a half b4 the 10K and MH) and 2x250 MH 20K. I'll see when he is his best. Tankmates are Man Goby, Naso tang, Hippo Tang, T. Clown....and yes they are out of flow area, except a gentle lift once an hour for 15min...have a jet set to create turbid water. I am a test freak!!! Ca has never dropped below 400...I try to keep it at 480... I also dose 25 drops of iodine, and 25 drops of iron every other day. Alond with Stron/Moly (25-30ml) once every 4. I dose anywhere from 90-120ml of the Alk,Ca as needed...usually every other day. How did you like the thread bout the do-it-yo-self Alk and Ca and Mg...

[CarmieJo]

James, have you tested for the iodine, iron, strontium and molybdenum?

[CompulsiveAqua]

Iodine yes...iron, no...stront/moly...no..i'm a bad person.

[CarmieJo]

Not a bad person, but they can potentially build up to toxic levels if the aren't being used up in your tank.

[V]

yea yer are, im glad your not breathing the same air as me.. arrr, just messing with ya! Kick'em when their down they say..lol

wow, i wish i could be of more help bud, but your far better listening to our clam keepers front & centre.

[saxman]

FWIW, clams are sensitive to elevated levels of the trace elements you're dosing, especially iodine.

[CompulsiveAqua]

I guess i'm taking on too many corals...the only reason I dose the iron (at 1/4 the recommended) is for my goniopora. The iodine is at a 1/4 the recommended and i keep that onei n check. Strontium is always a good thing and I thought that you can not overdose that or Mg (thought I read that somewhere). Any who, the skimmer I am using is rated for a 450-500g tank (ASM G4XX), I could only assume that it would pull more out than it is suppose to... Been feeding the whole tank DT's, and there is no gapping today and he has actually reacted a little bit. Thanks all for your help everybody. I will keep you all posted. Except V...bite me!!!!lol

[saxman]

glad to hear the clam's doing better.

BTW, your Mg level s/b about 3x your Ca level. an improper Mg level will throw your alk and Ca out of whack, so it CAN be "off".

Sr like I can be poisonous at elevated levels.

whoever told you they can't be OD'd is wrong...

bottom line tho, your clam is improving, and that's the real issue.