Is my clam "gaping?"

[RAYNOR]

I've only had this guy in my tank for a few days & was hoping this condition would better... However, the more I've read makes me think my clam is unhealthy and is showing signs of "gaping." There is also a small bleached area on the mantle.

Is there anything I can do for him?

 

[SnowManSnow]

Crocea clam.

Hard to tell if he is gaping from this angle. You actually want to look at the OTHER syphon opening. Although from here he does look a little stressed. The mantle DOES look like its extended well. I see the bleached area you are talking about, but if you have an adequate environment it will likely heal.

The frist question I would ask is what is your lighting setup. Clams are pretty photoselective.

It also looks like he is on substrate? Crocs normally like to be up on rocks (but once he attaches try NOT to move him).

b

 

[RAYNOR]

Thanks for the info... the tank is 30 gal lit with a twin 96 W PC fixture (192W altogether). The LFS convinced me that he would be happy even though I don't have halides - I have a lot of light per gal, but maybe that was a mistake?

Either way, putting him on a rock will move him closer to the light so maybe that will help. Thanks again.

P.S. the pic I have that shows the larger siphon is out of focus, but it seems really enlarged - however as you mentioned, mantle is extended well and he is quickly responsive to shadow, etc.

 

[Meloco14]

It is hard to tell if your clam is gaping from that picture. Most likely, it is hyper-extending its mantle because it is not getting enough light. This is just speculation though, hard to tell from the pic. Crocea's require the most light of the tridacnids. Personally I would never keep crocea's under PC's but I have seen a few people do it successfully. You should try not to think of lighting in terms of watts per gallon. 192W of PC light is not nearly as intense as 192W of MH light, even though it would be the same watts per gallon. If I were you I would move the crocea up as high as I could and then keep an eye on him over the next week or so. If he still doesn't look happy, I would try to trade him in for a squamosa or derasa. Even a maxima would do better than the crocea under those lights. Squamosa's and derasa's require the least light but they get large, so make sure you have the room for them as they grow. HTH

 

[RAYNOR]

Thanks for the info... that is exactly what my gut was telling me (as far as really needing MH's for this animal) - the LFS was housing it under PCs and never having seen one in person before, I was enthralled with its beauty, so I thought I'd try. Hopefully I can still provide a compromise where it will be happy.

here is a pic that shows more of the large syphon. Sorry it is so blurry.