clam help needed

[sebastian]

i bought a clam about week ago.... it looked OK for few days... opens, closes etc. but today i looks like it's shrinking inside of the shell. what could be the reason??? i'm new with clams and have no idea if it's ok or not

[AQTCJAK]

Could be several things lighting, water conditions, temp, lack of food, something stung it ie anenome, torch coral etc..

[lcstorc]

Way too much missing info to make a guess. For starters what kind of clam? What is your lighting and where in the tank was the clam? What are your water paramaters and tank mates?
It would be almost impossible to make a guess without at least thse answers.
It does however seem like the clam is dead. If you no longer see a reaction to light, remove it and try to syphon out as much of the body as possible.

[sebastian]

sorry for info-less tread... water param. seems ok as always... all other corals are very good..... clam is still alive...it opens and closes when i touch it.... light is 500 MH and 260 actinic.... mid water movement middium, before the clam was on sand.... but today i puted on piece of flat rock.... kind of stupid but i have to admit that i dont know the name of the clam... it's about 4 inch and it'd a dark purple with some bright blue accents

[AQTCJAK]

what does the foot look like is it in tact shreaded etc.?

[sebastian]

i have cleaner shrimp about 4-5 inch long maybe he is the ??????

[sebastian]

the foot was white long about 1-1 1/2 inch solid

[AQTCJAK]

shrimp noramally dont bother clams

[Techno-Vicki]

how about a fish bothering him? Do you have it sitting upright in the tank to get the maximum exposure to the light? Do you notice any snails? Could be pyramid snails that eat clams. Here is a little info. on them.
Pests Invading the Reef Aquarium Hobby: Part 2 - Flatworms, Snails & Limpets
What about bristle worms? Do you see any on the foot?

[lcstorc]

Originally Posted by sebastian

sorry for info-less tread... water param. seems ok as always... all other corals are very good..... clam is still alive...it opens and closes when i touch it.... light is 500 MH and 260 actinic.... mid water movement middium, before the clam was on sand.... but today i puted on piece of flat rock.... kind of stupid but i have to admit that i dont know the name of the clam... it's about 4 inch and it'd a dark purple with some bright blue accents

I hate to say it but there is still very little info. I am assuming you have 2 250w Mh lights but how deep is the tank. What are your parameter? The lfs will say good to most anything.
The type of clam is very important. Post some pics and be sure to get evert possiible. The mantle color is ths least importnt thing in an id . The reason I ask is becaise some prefer the sand an others the rock. Knowing the type of olam cam help you care for iit.
More questions though. How long was it at the lfs and what lights did they use? '
BTW you should not need to touch it to close. Simply putting your hand between the clam and the light should make it cclose at eat partiall,
Hopefully one of ou clam expoerts will be along soon, Meanwhilke you can get the specs and pics since they are likey ask the same tyoes of qustions.

[chris&barb]

clams are very sensitive to water chemistry changes, Alk in particular.

can you please list the test results from every test kit you have.

can you also tell us what products you use to add/maintain calcium and alkalinity, and exactly what method you use to administer them.

please list any and all additives or filtration media you use.

if you cant post a photo of the clam this thread will at least help you ID the clam Clams Direct :: View topic - Tridacnid clam ID made easy

[sebastian]

thx guys for Your help but clam is DEAD ! it was too late

[sasquatch]

Sebastian, very sorry for your loss, clams are not an easy care choice, they do have some pretty specific needs for each type, also acclimation is critical, general purchase health hard to determine, my first clam was ripped of its rock at the lfs and died the next day, that was a bad day for me, worse for the clam. Steve

[flricordia]

I know nothing about clams, but there is a clam disease and/or worm, that can wipe out an entire clam colony within a few weeks. I have seen it when a friend bought a small clam from Petland and once in her tank it started dying and about 2 weeks later all her clams were dead. Could have been that maybe? If your water param. and lighting were correct?