Clams dying

[Maury]

About 2 months ago, I ordered a crocea clam. it would never really extend his mantle, and slowly wasted away over a 2 week period. After this, the 8 inch maxima, my prized clam, that I've had for over two years, all of a sudden became pinched, and then in a matter of a week, was dead.

Also, two crocea clams that looked beautiful at the LFS, and had been in their tanks for a month, would never open fully in my tank, and in a week were dead.

Now, I have also recently added a gigas, that still looks great, and I have two smaller maximas that are opening fine. I do have a larger maxima, that is showing some signs of pinching, but on some days is opened great.

I have read about the mysterious clam pinching disease, and the freshwater dips some have tried, but I am reluctant to try this.

My water parameters are great, except for a minimally detectable phosphate, which shouldn't really hit the clams, and I keep the tank at 78-79 degrees. tank is a 210 with 3-400W 6500K MH bulbs, supplemented by 4 URI superactinics.

I plan on just watching for the next two months, as see if things stabilize, as I do not want to put a new clam in, if some disease is running through my system.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Maury

[Peabody]

Hmmm..that's a tough call. This may be a stupid question, but do you check your salinity with a properly calibrated refractometer?

ALso, could you list your water params for us...it might help.
Thanks! Best of luck!

[Maury]

Oh yes, use a refractometer and the SG is 1.025

The rest of the water parameters are:

pH, varies 7.95 to 8.2 (monitored with Aquacontroller 2)
a/n/n: 0/0/0.05
Mg: 1400
Ca: 450
Alk: 3.0
Temp 78-79

Tank is a 210 gallon, with circulation from ampmaster 3000 running wide open on 6 returns.

Plus, there were NO pyramidal snails, or the smaller, rice-type parasites on the mantle, inside, or byssal opening upon exam at death.

Also, the byssal threads/organs were not damaged.

Also, no fish in the tank were/are picking at the clams.

[Peabody]

Yikes...you really have your bases covered. You might have some sort of pathogen or something....perhaps someone more experienced with clam disease will chime in....

[Charlie Davidson]

Also might be a stupid question but I might learn something! AlK reading in meq/l? if so, it is low. In dKH, I try to keep @11 so in meq/l 4.0.

[Maury]

Yes, that's in meq/l, and seawater is 3.0, so I figured I wasn't really low there. My sps are growing fine with this level, as are the other clams.

[JVHam]

I have recently experienced a similar dye off and found the problem to be Pryamidellid Snails. The larve come hitchhiked on clams. Once they are fully grown they look like little (1/4-1/8 in.) white Margarite Snails. THey are hard to spot because they only come out at night and not for that long. I hear that some wrasses such as the six line will eat them. My solution was to give up on clams for now. Let me know if this helps you.

[Charlie Davidson]

When I went to SPS and clams, I was told to keep my ALK at 10 or higher, I do have one clam that show signs of pinching (which you have prob. read about) but all others seem fine.

[Charlie Davidson]

Muary, when My alk drops normally because I am away, I have also noticed that the mantles of my (now9) clams withdraw, as do the polips on my sps. no expert here- just trying to help. I will sit back now, tag along, read and learn!