Why can't I keep clams?

[akunochi]

Ok so I am looking for some advice. I have been through 2 deresa clams in the last 6 months. A little about the tank. 75 peninsula w/ 2 MP40w ES and 1 Mp10w es. Lighting is supplied by 2 AI Sols and water test come back about as close to perfect as you get. There is no copper nor has there ever been any. Cal alk mag are all balanced and PH is pretty stead with only a .2 swing from night to day 8.1-7.9 and back.

The clams all appear in good health with full mantle extention....they last about 2-3 weeks and then I wake up to a completly empty shell. No trace of the clam at all...nothing just a wide open shell with nothing in it.

I would suspect my melanarus wrasse, but i haven't ever seen him go after any of my inverts. I keep him extremley well fed.

Looking for ideas on things to test or evaluate so I can fix this string of bad luck.

Thanks

Seth

[ktg113]

Let's start by see what the water condition is every ones perfect is different

And also post a list of fish




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[davez104]

Yep, post a fish list as well as any inverts kept in the tank.

I've found clams to be fairly hardy unless being harassed by another animal. I have 1 Gigas, 3 Maximas and a Crocea, all been with me over a year now, some longer. The only time I have had problems was when I introduced a juvi Koran angel to the tank, he harassed the clams pretty bad.

Dave.

[moliken]

explain the lighting cycle and what's the highest %? and height above the tank. i have 3 ai's on my 75. but my derasas would be just fine w/2.
here's my questions:
seems to me that it's also possible that you have a tremendous amount of flow with that trio of vortechs. did the mantles move?
where did you have the clams?
last how old is the tank.
doubt it's the wrasse; wouldn't kill them overnight.

[rwb500]

perhaps you have some sort of mega killer worm or other unknown pest. just throwin that out there.

[Dana42078]

perhaps you have some sort of mega killer worm or other unknown pest. just throwin that out there.

Thats what i was thinking....that or a fish eating it....you shouldnt have any issues like that unless something was eating it. You would see it slowly deteriate if it was bad params IMO.

[dunk373]

Thats what i was thinking....that or a fish eating it....you shouldnt have any issues like that unless something was eating it. You would see it slowly deteriate if it was bad params IMO.

im by far no expert but this seems spot on something is eating it possible mantis in there??

[moliken]

no replies?

[dunk373]

maybe he looked in there at night and whatever was eating his clams ate him! some kind of tank sea creature

[Easily Distracted]

Maybe he just didn't get around to it yet... ;)

[Just2Many]

+1 on Creature or shrimp out for a snack

[akunochi]

Sorry guys I have been building my new tank and was pretty tired after lugging around 1/2" glass panels. I will do a water parameter check again this evening after things settle. I just did a water change using a new salt I am testing for the company so kinda want to let the tank calm for a few hours.

As far as a fish list:

Melanarus
Long Nose Hawkfish
green mandarin
Picasso clown pair
2 aurora gobies
bangaii cardinal
No inverts

The location of the clam was in a calm spot at the end of the rock work where the flow needs to make its turn at the end of the peninsula.

Lighting cycle ramps up to 50w 45b, 45rb at peak for about 5 hours.
AI Sols are at 14" above water line. Clam was at the bottom. I have SPS at the bottom of the tank as well which thrive.

[NanoReefie]

Clams are quite interesting creatures. They can be happy and healthy for long periods of time and then all of a sudden take a nose-dive. They are in fact a lot like SPS getting RTN, healthy one day, dead the next. I just had a similar thing happen with a Derasa, it was fully open and seemed healthy. Later that night it started gaping for no reason, I left it alone in hopes that it'll bounce back. The next morning, it turned to mush inside it's shell. I had another Derasa right next to it that was completely fine.

One suggestion that I received on another forum was to bury a piece of
LR and cover with sand, and then place the Derasa on top of it. This way bristle worms may not find the opening underneath the clam.

Have you also checked for Pyramallid snails? The look like little white snails, similar to grains of white rice. They are a clam pest, and may have killed your clams.

[moliken]

derasas typically don't attach and bristle worms are not a prob with healthy clams, sorry nano,.

[SecretiveFish]

We had a Deresa in with our Melanarus wrasse but ended up having to move the clam as the wrasse kept knocking the clam over! Because the clam was getting extremely stressed, we had to move it to another tank. The wrasse never directly messed with the clam, just indirectly with his inquisitiveness.

Where have you been getting you clams from? In the amount of time it took your clams to die, it could still be a result from shipping stress. We did have an orangetail filefish that managed to kill a Crocea clam in one night, more of an FYI than anything since you do not have one of those on your stocking list.

Also if you really and truly test your water and have 0 nitrates, then that could be causing a problem. Clams need those! As others have suggested, you may also have a yet unidentified hitchhiker.

[akunochi]

Yeah my nitrates remain at 0. At least according to Elos test kits. The clam did get knocked over from time to time by the fish. I got the 1st clam from a LFS here with a great reputation and the second from ReefKoi at the Seamax event. I am keeping my eye out for any predators during the night via periodic scans.

I'll try again once I get my new 240 gal cube setup. Maybe it will be a bit more acceptable.

[ludiNano]

Were you keeping the derasa up on the rocks?

I wouldnt think being knocked over from a upright position while on the sand would be very stressfull for it.