Maxima clam problem

[ReefDent]

My setup:
75 Gallon with 30 gallon sump. 650 watts MH, 440 watts VHO actinic.
Photoperiod VHO on at 7, off at 7:30. 150 watt 20K MH on at 9, off at 6. 500 watt 10 K MH on at 10:30, off at 6:00. sump lights on 24hrs a day

Water: salinity 1.025+/-.002. Nitrates- not detectable w/ Salifert, ditto nitrite and ammonia. Calcium ~450, hardness 3.5-4 mgeq (also salifert, confirmed with seatest)-calcium reactor. I do 2 monthly 20% water changes, with rodi water and makeup water is also rodi (plus kalk or arragamite) The regimen hasn't changed for a long time.

pH runs ~8.11 at night to 8.4 in the evening.

Temp around 82

The tank is going on two years old now. I noticed that the oldest clam (a blue t. max) looked funny this morning. Looking in the incurrent siphon, the much of the gills appear to have dissintegrated. The crocea and other maxima look ok. The mantle has never appeared pinched. This clam has been in the tank for about a year now. It recently started moving around on the sand a little and moved about 6" in a couple days, right at the time when a larger astrea snail devided to bulldoze a pocillopora. It fell and hit the clam (I didn't see it fall, just in the morning and a piece of the coral broke off and was on the sand I immediately picked it up and moved it. At first this morning it looked like there was something laying at the bottom of the incurrent siphon, so I picked it up and held it upside down for a little- nothing, I figured I'd try and see if any sand, etc would fall out. The shell shows no signs of the predatory snails...

I placed the little guy back out of harm's way and he opens right up. The incurrent siphon appears to be expanding toward the excurrent.

What should I do? I haven't been able to find any info about this...It is still very responsive to light and other than what I described, looks ok...

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!!

Thanks,
James


Last edited by jsaltzgi on 02-01-2003 at 12:29 PM

 

[Anonymous]

they talk a bit about gaping incurrent siphons here>>>> http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t ... ght=gaping

there isn't a lot there but it may be of help.

 

[ReefDent]

Thanks, Podman. From those descriptions and others I looked into before ever considering getting clams, it's doesn't seem like it's gaping. The mantle still looks healthy.

I might try freshwater dipping all three of the clams like Minh did for his pinched mantle problem...

Not sure yet, I'm getting it ready though...

thanks again,
James

 

[Anonymous]

i am not going to be of help here, but for my own info in the future, what is the problem then? i assumed that the 'incurrent expanding towards the excurrent' would be gaping of the incurrent siphon. the hole is getting bigger, no? or is the flesh just stretching inward?

TIA

 

[ReefDent]

maybe it's me that didn't understand all i've read. if it's the incurrent expanding to the excurrent, then that as well as the gills dissolving is going on. Sorry if I've been misinformed or misinterpreted what I've read. looking over those posts again, it can be gaping with the mantle expanding normally... it might have just been wishful thinking that maybe it's something else...

James

 

[Minh Nguyen]

Did you recently added a clam?
It does not sound like your clams have the same problem as mine. I would just observe and keep from stress the clam. Fresh water dip is very stressful for the cam. A healthy clam should have no problem with it but it can kill weaken clams.
Minh

 

[Anonymous]

maybe it's me that didn't understand all i've read. if it's the incurrent expanding to the excurrent, then that as well as the gills dissolving is going on.

i don't know either but if you aren't familiar with Minh, he knows his clams.

good luck!

 

[ReefDent]

Thanks,
Sorry to hear about your loss, too. It's really sad that these beautiful creatures show no signs of "getting sick", almost until they are at death's door...

James

 

[ReefDent]

Looking at the other maxima now, it may be gaping as well. It has never opened as far as the smaller maxima, but the incurrent siphon appears to be closer to the excurrent... If I lose them, it will be a long time before I try them again...

James

 

[Minh Nguyen]

James,
When the clam is gaping, the iphons are open wide but the mantle are not spread open. Rather, the mantle is more withdraw than normal.
Crocea often have wide open siphon with out problem.
Minh

 

[ReefDent]

Thanks Minh- the crocea has had a wid incurrent siphon since I got him.

It doesn't seem to have gotten wider or longer (towards the excurrent)

The maximas, on the other hand have incurrent siphons that seem to be getting longer (towards the excurrent). The smaller one's gills seem to be dissolving... Any ideas, such as your freshwater dip?

Thanks,
James

 

[ReefDent]

Minh, I did recently add a clam, about 2 weeks ago- the larger maxima. It's possible it could have been harboring something that just took a while to hit my other previously healthy maxima, right? I mentioned that it had moved about 6". It moved to an area with a little bit less light- next to the rock and under the center glass brace on the oceanic.

I have acropora frags growing very well on the bottom, on the sandbed. With the 2 250 watt DE 10 K bulbs and another 150 watt 20 K bulb, I don't think it's not enough light. I went ahead and moved the crocea up onto the rockwork- it is attached to a rock of its own. It is opening normally again.

Looking in the siphon, it looks like the byssal threads are coming up into that chamber... Not good, I'm sure...

James

 

[ReefDent]

Is that crocea you have pictured on your site healthy? If it is, then I think my crocea's still doing well and is healthy. Mine's incurrent siphon is not quite as large as yours, Just to let you know what I'm looking at. The maximas' (both of them) siphons are longer than that, but not as wide, and the mantles are expanded. The newer, larger maxima never expanded as much as the smaller one.

James

 

[Minh Nguyen]

It is possible that the new clams carry something to your tank. I am still not sure if your clam is sick.
What do you see on the gills? What do you really mean by it dissintegrated? How is the mantle of the clam in question look? If the mantle is open fully, I don't think you should worry yet.
Minh

 

[ReefDent]

The gills are almost completely gone (kind of dissolved away...) I'd post a pic if I had access to a digital camera. The mantle is still open, though, and appears fine. I guess I'll just keep watching them. Like I said, the the incurrent siphon is getting longer and is just a bit shy of the excurrent siphon on the smaller maxima. The larger one still has its gills- they appear unaffected, but the mantle has never opened up as much as the smaller one, although it never appeared pinched.

I guess if it does kill them, I only hope that it's something that won't affect my sps...

Thanks again,
James

 

[Minh Nguyen]

I don't think clams can live without their gills (get O2 and eliminate ammonia and liquid waste)
Is there any posibility that you are mistaken in your observation? I would think that if you have an infection that disolved the gill, the mantle would not be fully open. Just my opinion. I hope that there is nothing wrong with your clams.
Minh Nguyen

 

[ReefDent]

That's what I thought about their gills, too. This morning, the "affected" clams still seems ok, but the other maxima isn't opening... I'll just wait and see.

Thanks for all your help!

James