Squamosa clam

[trido]

So, I switched from a 15 to 30 gallon tank the saturday afternoon.
The whole process took under two hours. Unfortunately I was unable to keep the temps up in my storage containers with all my critters. Temps went down about four degrees. The cloudiness was so bad i carefully set all the corals in the tank and didnt place anything until sunday.
I tested all parameters sunday and they were normal. Yesterday morning I woke up and my Red Sea Xenia was mysteriously withering away. I again tested all my parameters expecting ammonia but all was normal. Last night I pulled the Xenia and then notice the clam losing color and having a gaping mouth. This morning the clam is still the same but somewhat responsive to light. All of my SPS and LPS are acting normal. Any Ideas?
Has anyone ever heard of a clam coming back from near death? Should I pull it now before it pollutes the tank anymore?

Amm: 0
NO2: 0
NO3: 0
PO4: 0
Sal: 35
Grav: 1.026
Temp: 77.4
Cal: 430
Alk: Normal
PH: 8.2

Inhabitants:
Maroon clown
Orange spot goby

4- turbo snails
Emerald crab
4- hermit crabs
Cleaner shrimp (generic kind)

Frog spawn
Brain
2- montipora
2- acropora
2- toadstool
rhodactis
2 gorgonian (photsynthetic)
yellow polyp colony
3- zoa colonies
2- feather dusters

25# LR
30#LS
And about 5 Aptasia

 

[trido]

Also, the new tank is 24" tall as opposed to 20". I just swithched from a 96w quad PC to a 250w MH 14K. Not likely the problem. Maybe lack of light for a Day?
My turnover is about 22x and I use a CPR with an airstone mod.

 

[Anonymous]

one day without light is never an issue.

 

[trido]

N/M I pulled it out of fear. IME of fish. they don't come back.

 

[Len]

I've had a few clams rebound, but you're right: in most cases, they slowly whither away.

 

[jdeets]

RSP Xenia really can't tolerate no circulation or low O2 for any significant length of time. I lost all my Xenia once due to a power failure--it just wilted and then melted away. Some tissue remained behind and it eventually came back, but it took a very long time.

That same power failure also killed a T. Max that I had. It survived initially, but eventually succumbed a few days later.

It sounds to me like O2 starvation is the culprit here, based on the similarities of our experiences. Once a clam gets damaged by low O2, as Len mentioned, they don't seem to have much capacity to recover.

When I had the power failure, all my LPS and SPS made it as well. I lost all of my larger fish, but my smaller specimens survived. I also lost a number of inverts and such.

You can siphon out the dying xenia to get it out of there as well.

Good luck, sorry to hear about the clam.

 

[Anonymous]

My Maxima made it through the Big blackout of 2002. Temps flared and I only had two backup, battery airpumps. I had no contact with the tank for over 24 hours(being a cop I had to work for two days straight). So, I was unable to help it with added flow from a paddle or turkey baster blasts.

I think I would have waited a little longer on the removal.

 

[Anonymous]

Don't bother it too much, since every motion the clam make will make it harder to recover. Hate it when people tap on my tank glass just to get the clam to response :x.

Anyway, if the "meat" of the clam shrinked into the shell, and does not response to light and does not have power to close the shell, it is pretty much a goner. Some dead clam may still response to stimulus, like a headless chicken, I heard.

 

[trido]

Thanks all for the responses. I agree with the O2 theory. All of the creatures in question are acting the same except the brain coral. My bad. Lesson learned. I would have waited longer on removing the clam except in a matter of hours it was looking worse. Its mouth went from gaping to looking torn. Its color was gone completely and its water exit tube was missing altogether. I really like the clams but will probably wait until i move into my new house in Seattle to get another. The Thread on moving is helpful Ill post a thought there next.

Thanks. All of your responses help to aleviate some mystery and stress from the situation