clam died?

[desi04]

Had a 3inch crocea clam for 5 weeks, clam was doing great for
4 1/2 weeks. yesterday I noticed that the clam had moved on the live rock. Water parameters are very good as well as calcium
(450 ppm). it was still reacting to shadows, did notice that the shells looked like they were coming apart. this morning it was dead, fed DT's dried plankton. Did not notice any pyramid snails
could some macroalgae growing around clam iritate it?


Dan

[shk28]

Sick clams have the unfortuate tendency to look fine for a long time and then suddenly decline and die in a few days. Where was it in the tank? How about the current? The clams I have kept are generally tollerant of corals and other nearby neighbors. What fish do you have in your tank? Fish can bother or harrass a clam without actually biting the mantle. Croceas are very sensitive and small clams even more so than larger ones.
Another angle is that the clam may have been sick/stressed before you got it. A month in your tank isn't that long. Where did you get the clam? Under what conditions did it live in the store?

[desi04]

I purchased the clam online from reefer madness, it attached itself to a live rock on the bottom of the tank.I have a madarin,
5 green chromis & a yellow tang. 10 hernit crabs & a couple of snails. moderate to strong water flow. I decided to check the tank out at 3:00 AM & found a type of snail without a shell that probably came on a fully cured live rock?

[shk28]

Do you have any pictures of the clam? Unless there is some visible damage to the it, either on the outside or the inside, it doesn't sound like a predator is the culprit. Your fish should not ordinarily bother a clam and snails and other smaller predators usually irritate the clam in the area where they are active. You would probably notice some signs on the clam, such as a mantle retracting in a specific area.
As for the current, how strong a current was hitting the clam directly, and was it constant or do you have a wave timer? A picture, or good description of the clam would help.

[desi04]

Hi!:

don't have a digital camera yet, but mantle did retract on bottom shell of clam & you could see the mantle move in the current. I have a redsea wave timer with 2 maxi-jet 1200's & about 1200
gph from sump to tank.

thanks,

Dan

PS- I trashed the clam.