Help w/ gold max

[dburr]

I bought a gold max on 1-26, and it seems to be ok. It is not gaping but the mantle has not fully extended on one side either.
It is also moving alot. It was tipping over side to side, so I put small rocks on both sides. Then it was tipping the long ways. :confused: :eek2: Now I have it on the rocks about 8" below the surface under 175 MH and completely surrounded buy rocks. It is still shifting, and not attached to the rock I put under him after 1-1/2 weeks. Is this ok? It doesn't sound normal to me, but, this is my first clam.
This is a reef w/ refuge.
Calcium 500
Alk 80ppm (alittle low but stable, trying to bring it up to 120 ppm)
temp 78
ammonia 0
trites 0
trates below 20 somewhere (hav'nt checked in a while)

DBurr

[cromax]

Your moving clam could be an indicator that he is not comfortable in his current position. 8" away from a MH is intense lighting. Did you acclimate him properly to his current position?

A partially retracted mantle on one side is indicative of discomfort. What exactly is causing him to do this could be anything. Check for parasites, etc. It could also be something in your water. You could be sure by changing some water.

Finally, occasionally there will be a clam that refuses to stay in one place regardless of conditions. In this case you must exercise patience, encourage him to attach to a rock, propping him up with 2 rocks is acceptable as long as you don't inhibit his opening ability.

But usually, if a clam moves a lot, it is because he is uncomfortable.

[cromax]

As an afterthought, I believe 78 degrees is nearing the lower limit for ideal clam keeping. My preferred temp. is around 82 degrees. Do some research and you should be fine.

[dburr]

Thank you for the reply.

I did start the clam on the sand bed in a half shell, it kept falling over. I moved him up about 6" after a few days. It still kept falling over. Now 4" up more he is still falling over. Each move I would put small rocks around. It has been in this spot for 3 days and it is turning in the spot. Today it had moved the rock it was on and fell in the hole.:mad: I could see the foot hanging out. When I fixed the clam the foot retracted. I guess it is still healthy, right?

Do you think I should move it down farther? I hate to keep moving it.

The mantle last night was more visable than before. I did see a small apt. on one of the shutes, I thought I scrubed that off when I noticed it a few days after the clam came home. I guess if I move him again, I will try to get bugger off to.

On your afterthought, I did some research before I bought a clam and read 75-78 was good for clams. I found that on the internet, not sure of which site, but it did have alot of info on clams. Where did you find your info? Can you recomend a book?

Thanks again.

[cromax]

Clams can be sensitive to environmental changes. Your instinct to resist moving him is correct. However, I would move him down in the tank, because the lighting is quite possibly bothering him. I would move him wherever is most convenient for you - preferably a nice flat rock with lots of room. Sandwich him between 2 rocks, being careful not to hinder his shell opening and closing.

Once again, patience is needed, because as stated before, there is an occasional specimen that for one reason or another has taken a liking to lying on his side, but like everything else, he can adapt if given time.

As far as temperature is concerned, I have seen a lot of incorrect information out there. Temperature is certainly a hot topic amongst reef enthusiasts, so without going into too much detail, I will quote you a passage from the clam bible. "Giant Clams" by Daniel Knop:

"The tridacnidae react sensitively to sudden changes in temperature and the optimal range is within 25 to 32 degrees Celsius."(Knop, 159)

This converts to approx. 77 to 89.6 degrees Farenheit. Now, Knop has also noted in a recent article that 30 degrees Celsius can cause discomfort in clams. What I like to do is monitor DHW's for coral reefs around the world at this website:

http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/dhw_news.html


From these updated figures you can formulate your own opinions on temperature. :bigeyes:

Your clam likely came from the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, or Palau, so make your decision based on the general geographic location.