My first clam - Page 4

iwishtofish · 07/16/2012, 09:02 PM

Thought I'd update on the clam. It's in a 15g nano now, for about a month, about 17 inches directly under a PAR 38 LED bulb. Flow is slow, although faster elsewhere in the tank. No skimmer, just very small daily water changes, and an HOB filter with a bit of carbon that is changed every 5-6 days.

I'm feeling pretty lucky so far.

iwishtofish · 07/22/2012, 06:55 PM

The clownfish really seems to find the clam to it's liking, sometimes getting almost right down on the mantle. Remarkably, the clam doesn't seem to mind...

darmx · 07/28/2012, 08:19 PM

kill the vermetid snail. Their mucus irritates the coral and possibly the clam. I superglue the snail in. I also have use pliers to break open their shell attached to the rock . Don't believe what others say about these vermetid snail ... they are the biggest pest and they proliferate in the tank like crazy. The best vermetid snail are the dead ones.

good read. google ... "Vermetid snails are bad for stony corals, coral crabs keep em in check"

iwishtofish · 08/01/2012, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darmx

kill the vermetid snail. Their mucus irritates the coral and possibly the clam. I superglue the snail in. I also have use pliers to break open their shell attached to the rock . Don't believe what others say about these vermetid snail ... they are the biggest pest and they proliferate in the tank like crazy. The best vermetid snail are the dead ones.

good read. google ... "Vermetid snails are bad for stony corals, coral crabs keep em in check"

Yes, they can be quite annoying. I've been lucky so far that they have not proliferated in my tank - at least to the point of chaos. I think I'm beyond the practical point of eradication, though.

iwishtofish · 09/19/2012, 09:33 PM

Well, I'm happy to be able to report the clam is still kicking. I guess I'm doing enough right to keep it going in this 15g tank, although I'm slightly nervous every day that something will go wrong. I'm just trying to keep things status quo for the tank, in the hope that we can make it to the next one!

The clam loves to turn around at will, so I've just decided to let it do whatever it wants to do! The clown still stays close, but doesn't seem to nestle up top as much as it did.

x3thelast · 09/19/2012, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iwishtofish

Well, I'm happy to be able to report the clam is still kicking. I guess I'm doing enough right to keep it going in this 15g tank, although I'm slightly nervous every day that something will go wrong. I'm just trying to keep things status quo for the tank, in the hope that we can make it to the next one!

The clam loves to turn around at will, so I've just decided to let it do whatever it wants to do! The clown still stays close, but doesn't seem to nestle up top as much as it did.

your clam is doing great! how big is it?

iwishtofish · 09/20/2012, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by x3thelast

your clam is doing great! how big is it?

I'd say about 5 - 5.5" length. Not a baby, I guess!

iwishtofish · 10/14/2012, 08:08 AM

Well, we're at about 6.5 months now, and I think the clam has proven hardy. I haven't noticed anything to be truly alarmed about...it is very reactive to light changes and has finally attached to the bottom glass of my nano. It's still directly under a PAR38 LED fixture, but extends its mantle quite far. I'd love some input on whether this may indicate it is still light-starved, and whether or not I should consider lowering the light even more. There are about 18" between the light and the top of the clam. The bottom pic is short exposure - things look quite bright in person:

iwishtofish · 10/23/2012, 06:36 PM

Funny clam has rotated around (about 250 degrees) to the point where it is now touching the tentacles of the torch coral. I had already moved the torch coral once, but as the torch grows bigger and the clam moves, this situation was hard to avoid. No sign of a dispute or damage to the clam. Should I worry?

iwishtofish · 12/05/2012, 11:21 AM

Time for another update, I guess. Things seem to be going really well for the clam. It still moves around a bit, but that has slowed down. It still is hosting vermetid snails of some strange sort on it's shell. When I feed or blow up detritus, they spin their little webs, but it doesn't seem to bother the clam too much.

Look at this critter I just photographed. There are several on the clam. Yikes!

Here's a picture I posted a good while back. I wonder if it's the same kind of snail...perhaps just growing now?

moliken · 12/05/2012, 06:28 PM

vermetid snails, i think. highly invasive fast reproducers from a few to hundreds. physically break the tube. cannot cut it, gotta use some leverage and break it.

iwishtofish · 12/05/2012, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moliken

vermetid snails, i think. highly invasive fast reproducers from a few to hundreds. physically break the tube. cannot cut it, gotta use some leverage and break it.

So far they've stuck to the clam...the white, jagged armor growth is new; as my nano tank matures, everything is starting to grow.

I have no idea how I'd get the leverage to break them off. Maybe superglue up the snout, but that is high risk with the clam's reluctance to stay withdrawn.

ange062 · 12/07/2012, 02:26 AM

Beautiful clam, great to see it doing well!! All my clams have vermited snails and I've never had an issue, but listen to moliken because he knows best.

iwishtofish · 12/07/2012, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ange062

Beautiful clam, great to see it doing well!! All my clams have vermited snails and I've never had an issue, but listen to moliken because he knows best.

Thanks very much - I'm feeling pretty lucky about having success with this clam. The web from the snails don't bother the clam, but these ragged looking snails are growing right up under the mantle, and may become a real problem.

I agree that moliken has the expert knowledge, and I am always grateful to receive his advice. I just wish I could easily take it, in this case. I don't know how to get a tool down to the clam and twist off the vermetids without injuring the clam. I'm starting to toy with the idea of using stainless steel bone cutters to crunch them off; perhaps that way I won't stress the clams foot too much from twisting...

moliken · 12/07/2012, 09:13 PM

stainless will do the trick. btw, many people said to me to ignore the vermetids. they never did anything in their tanks. well, i did leave the bstrds alone. wroooong!

Seanthefish · 12/08/2012, 02:14 AM

The snails never bothered my clams but they sure are annoying.

iwishtofish · 12/10/2012, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moliken

stainless will do the trick. btw, many people said to me to ignore the vermetids. they never did anything in their tanks. well, i did leave the bstrds alone. wroooong!

Hopefully I'll get to taking care of them soon!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seanthefish

The snails never bothered my clams but they sure are annoying.

They are annoying. They thread off my clam into my corals.

iwishtofish · 12/29/2012, 09:34 PM

The tank has the beginnings of a dino assault, so to try to save corals I have resorted to running heavier carbon, and doing larger daily water changes. One other thing I've done is to shorten the daily lighting cycle to about 6 hours. I'm hoping this will not affect the clam negatively, as it is under pretty good light for that period of time. Although I've seen the corals react negatively to the dinos (perhaps to their toxins), the clam has not yet shown any adverse signs.

yukyuklee · 12/29/2012, 11:52 PM

nice clam!

iwishtofish · 12/30/2012, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yukyuklee

nice clam!

Thanks! Still kickin'...

iwishtofish · 04/12/2013, 09:08 AM

Long-overdue update...the clam is still looking good, although it just now finally settled down. Either it is tired of turning around, or it is just tired. I need to check my water quality and lighting, though, as it seems (a bit suddenly?) to be less reactive to shadows and a bit less sensitive to invaders. Mantle extension is still good, though.

Typically, it would have blown this hermit off its roof...

iwishtofish · 08/07/2013, 08:16 PM

Well, the clam is now in its third tank - I set up a sumpless 40 breeder to replace the 15g nano. The clam position and rock look very similar now to how things looked in the original 75g tank.

I have a Chinese-made LED fixture 10-12" over the water - the LEDs are running at 2w without optics. I currently have both whites and blues at about 50%, not daring to go higher just yet. I figure I'll slowly make an increase though. I don't have a par meter, but this seems lilke a pretty good amount of light.

After going in this tank a few weeks ago, the clam has had a slightly more curled mantle; I don't know if this signifies any kind of stress or not. There was never any gaping after the transfer, which was good.

If I end up not turning the light up much higher, I may consider reinstalling a PAR38 bulb exclusively for the clam.

ERIC85854 · 02/09/2016, 08:19 PM

The clam keeps moving and expelling zoo because you're blasting it with too much light. I don't know why no one told you this. This is what they do when there's too much light and they aren't acclimated properly (same with corals).

12/05/2012, 06:28 PM	#86
moliken Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: smyrna Posts: 3,536	vermetid snails, i think. highly invasive fast reproducers from a few to hundreds. physically break the tube. cannot cut it, gotta use some leverage and break it. __________________ not obsessse--scuse me gotta check on the tank Current Tank Info: 75 and 65gals plumbed together, clams 12 fish. lps corals/ aquaillumination leds on the 75 and lovin them. t5's

12/07/2012, 02:26 AM	#88
ange062 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Houston Posts: 3,223	Beautiful clam, great to see it doing well!! All my clams have vermited snails and I've never had an issue, but listen to moliken because he knows best. __________________ JBJ NC28, Radion, MP10, HOB-1, Mini Arctica, 2LF Phosban 150's - MARSH May 2012 TOTM JBJ 3g Picotope, Panorama Pro, AC70 29g AGA Planted FW

12/07/2012, 09:13 PM	#90
moliken Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: smyrna Posts: 3,536	stainless will do the trick. btw, many people said to me to ignore the vermetids. they never did anything in their tanks. well, i did leave the bstrds alone. wroooong! __________________ not obsessse--scuse me gotta check on the tank Current Tank Info: 75 and 65gals plumbed together, clams 12 fish. lps corals/ aquaillumination leds on the 75 and lovin them. t5's

12/29/2012, 11:52 PM	#94
yukyuklee Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 66	nice clam! __________________ Elos Mini Elos System 70

02/09/2016, 08:19 PM	#98
ERIC85854 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Pleasant Hill, CA Posts: 181	The clam keeps moving and expelling zoo because you're blasting it with too much light. I don't know why no one told you this. This is what they do when there's too much light and they aren't acclimated properly (same with corals). __________________ www.sustainablereefsolutions.com Current Tank Info: 200G (RS XXL 750) Mixed Reef, Kessil AP700 & A360WEx2, T5x4, Vortech MP40, Gyre XF250, Lifereef SVS2-24, Apex Jr, DOS

07/16/2012, 09:02 PM	#76
iwishtofish Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 4,949	Thought I'd update on the clam. It's in a 15g nano now, for about a month, about 17 inches directly under a PAR 38 LED bulb. Flow is slow, although faster elsewhere in the tank. No skimmer, just very small daily water changes, and an HOB filter with a bit of carbon that is changed every 5-6 days. I'm feeling pretty lucky so far.

07/22/2012, 06:55 PM	#77
iwishtofish Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 4,949	The clownfish really seems to find the clam to it's liking, sometimes getting almost right down on the mantle. Remarkably, the clam doesn't seem to mind...

07/28/2012, 08:19 PM	#78
darmx Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 9	kill the vermetid snail. Their mucus irritates the coral and possibly the clam. I superglue the snail in. I also have use pliers to break open their shell attached to the rock . Don't believe what others say about these vermetid snail ... they are the biggest pest and they proliferate in the tank like crazy. The best vermetid snail are the dead ones. good read. google ... "Vermetid snails are bad for stony corals, coral crabs keep em in check"

09/19/2012, 09:33 PM	#80
iwishtofish Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 4,949	Well, I'm happy to be able to report the clam is still kicking. I guess I'm doing enough right to keep it going in this 15g tank, although I'm slightly nervous every day that something will go wrong. I'm just trying to keep things status quo for the tank, in the hope that we can make it to the next one! The clam loves to turn around at will, so I've just decided to let it do whatever it wants to do! The clown still stays close, but doesn't seem to nestle up top as much as it did.

10/14/2012, 08:08 AM	#83
iwishtofish Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 4,949	Well, we're at about 6.5 months now, and I think the clam has proven hardy. I haven't noticed anything to be truly alarmed about...it is very reactive to light changes and has finally attached to the bottom glass of my nano. It's still directly under a PAR38 LED fixture, but extends its mantle quite far. I'd love some input on whether this may indicate it is still light-starved, and whether or not I should consider lowering the light even more. There are about 18" between the light and the top of the clam. The bottom pic is short exposure - things look quite bright in person:

10/23/2012, 06:36 PM	#84
iwishtofish Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 4,949	Funny clam has rotated around (about 250 degrees) to the point where it is now touching the tentacles of the torch coral. I had already moved the torch coral once, but as the torch grows bigger and the clam moves, this situation was hard to avoid. No sign of a dispute or damage to the clam. Should I worry?

12/05/2012, 11:21 AM	#85
iwishtofish Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 4,949	Time for another update, I guess. Things seem to be going really well for the clam. It still moves around a bit, but that has slowed down. It still is hosting vermetid snails of some strange sort on it's shell. When I feed or blow up detritus, they spin their little webs, but it doesn't seem to bother the clam too much. Look at this critter I just photographed. There are several on the clam. Yikes! Here's a picture I posted a good while back. I wonder if it's the same kind of snail...perhaps just growing now?

12/08/2012, 02:14 AM	#91
Seanthefish Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 59	The snails never bothered my clams but they sure are annoying.

12/29/2012, 09:34 PM	#93
iwishtofish Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 4,949	The tank has the beginnings of a dino assault, so to try to save corals I have resorted to running heavier carbon, and doing larger daily water changes. One other thing I've done is to shorten the daily lighting cycle to about 6 hours. I'm hoping this will not affect the clam negatively, as it is under pretty good light for that period of time. Although I've seen the corals react negatively to the dinos (perhaps to their toxins), the clam has not yet shown any adverse signs.

04/12/2013, 09:08 AM	#96
iwishtofish Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 4,949	Long-overdue update...the clam is still looking good, although it just now finally settled down. Either it is tired of turning around, or it is just tired. I need to check my water quality and lighting, though, as it seems (a bit suddenly?) to be less reactive to shadows and a bit less sensitive to invaders. Mantle extension is still good, though. Typically, it would have blown this hermit off its roof...

08/07/2013, 08:16 PM	#97
iwishtofish Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 4,949	Well, the clam is now in its third tank - I set up a sumpless 40 breeder to replace the 15g nano. The clam position and rock look very similar now to how things looked in the original 75g tank. I have a Chinese-made LED fixture 10-12" over the water - the LEDs are running at 2w without optics. I currently have both whites and blues at about 50%, not daring to go higher just yet. I figure I'll slowly make an increase though. I don't have a par meter, but this seems lilke a pretty good amount of light. After going in this tank a few weeks ago, the clam has had a slightly more curled mantle; I don't know if this signifies any kind of stress or not. There was never any gaping after the transfer, which was good. If I end up not turning the light up much higher, I may consider reinstalling a PAR38 bulb exclusively for the clam.