I had this clam for over a month and it was doing very well. Then one day I find the clam on the bottom of the tank and his "foot" stuck up on the rock. He then preeceded to wither and die. The only thing I did differently was place a small hard coral acropora nearby but there had been several near him for all this time with no trouble. Does anyone have any ideas what might have killed him? As for fish, I have coral beauty, false perc, pearly jawfish.
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Dhersa clam up and died...
- Thread starter Mabu
- Start date
I think tridacnid clams are the hardest thing to keep successfully I have ever tried. Our systems don't work well for them. In nature they find a suitable place of their liking when very small and then adapt to that one specific spot. Huge water volume brings them a continuous supply of plankton, the sun brightens and dims and changes angles so that their zooxanthella are fairly equally nourished. Zoo that they have adjusted to fit that specific location.
We get them and, surprise, they don't like the spot where we place them. On top of that, they often look fine for weeks when in fact they are wasting away. As a last ditch effort they bail out hoping to find a new spot to their satidfaction. Many die as a result. These clams are a prime candidate for aquaculturing under synthetic lighting. Not the "farm raised" clams that we often get which have been raised with natural light in nsw. We need clams that are grown in systems like ours where we know the conditions under which they developed. Then we will have more consistent success in my opinion.
We get them and, surprise, they don't like the spot where we place them. On top of that, they often look fine for weeks when in fact they are wasting away. As a last ditch effort they bail out hoping to find a new spot to their satidfaction. Many die as a result. These clams are a prime candidate for aquaculturing under synthetic lighting. Not the "farm raised" clams that we often get which have been raised with natural light in nsw. We need clams that are grown in systems like ours where we know the conditions under which they developed. Then we will have more consistent success in my opinion.
My 55g tank has 480 watts of lighting and the clam was no more than 7" from a 175watt MH - there was plenty of light in the tank. He seemed very healthy and was in an area where there was real good water flow. I noticed in the two-three weeks after I placed him, he rotated 90 degrees on the spot where I had him, on top of a rock and seemed to do well. Then I placed a frag of acopora next to him and 2 days later, his foot was stuck on the rock and he was on the sand bed. He died two days later. I'm still not sure what's going on.
All my tank parms are ideal. No measureable ammonia, nitrates, etc. PH 8.2, Alk 3.2, Calcium 420
All my tank parms are ideal. No measureable ammonia, nitrates, etc. PH 8.2, Alk 3.2, Calcium 420
It sounds like his byssal gland pulled out. It's possible that his byssal gland was damaged during shipment/collection. On a clam, if the byssal is damaged, then the clam will most likely die.
If you'd only had this clam for a month, it's very possible that his byssal was damaged through collection or shipping. A damaged byssal wouldn't necessarily kill the clam instantaneously. So perhaps that was the reason for its demise.
When you buy clams, look for healthy specimens that retract when you move your hand between the clam and the light source, and if you can find one that's already attached to a small piece of LR, that's the best since you know the byssal gland is intact. (Thoughts from Knop's book, Giant Clams.)
If you'd only had this clam for a month, it's very possible that his byssal was damaged through collection or shipping. A damaged byssal wouldn't necessarily kill the clam instantaneously. So perhaps that was the reason for its demise.
When you buy clams, look for healthy specimens that retract when you move your hand between the clam and the light source, and if you can find one that's already attached to a small piece of LR, that's the best since you know the byssal gland is intact. (Thoughts from Knop's book, Giant Clams.)
Derasa clams are ment to be placed on your sandbed. In nature they settle in lagoon type settings or on outer reef edges. Derasa clams lose there byssus gland early in life naturally. It is possible it was not happy where you placed it. The larger the clam the more lighting is reqiured. This is because the zooxanthealle gets deeper in the tissue as the clam grows, making the light have to travel farther to reach them.
FYI I got a great derasa clam from Dr. Mac a few months back, he no longer has them but is a great place for clams. He gets them farm raised when they are very young then grows them out in his aqaurium before selling them. HTH
FYI I got a great derasa clam from Dr. Mac a few months back, he no longer has them but is a great place for clams. He gets them farm raised when they are very young then grows them out in his aqaurium before selling them. HTH
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ben:
<STRONG>Derasa clams lose there byssus gland early in life naturally.</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I've read Knop cover-to-cover and I don't recall anyting about Derasas losing their byssus glands naturally. If you could point me to an authoritative source for this proposition, I'd greatly appreciate it.
<STRONG>Derasa clams lose there byssus gland early in life naturally.</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I've read Knop cover-to-cover and I don't recall anyting about Derasas losing their byssus glands naturally. If you could point me to an authoritative source for this proposition, I'd greatly appreciate it.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ben:
<STRONG>Derasa clams lose there byssus gland early in life naturally. </STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
This is true from studies I have read, except our version of "early in life" and the wild version are very different. They don't normally detach until they reach about 12" in length. At that point the water current drags them from the reef rubble into deeper water to sit on the sand for the rest of their lives.
<STRONG>Derasa clams lose there byssus gland early in life naturally. </STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
This is true from studies I have read, except our version of "early in life" and the wild version are very different. They don't normally detach until they reach about 12" in length. At that point the water current drags them from the reef rubble into deeper water to sit on the sand for the rest of their lives.
The reef Aquarium Vol 1
pg. 371
"this species loses it's byssus gland fairly early..." good enough source right!
Mine is on the sand and is about 5" very healthy and has no byssus gland. It had one when I got it that was attached to a sea shell. I dont know when it lost it but it doesnt have one now. HTH
pg. 371
"this species loses it's byssus gland fairly early..." good enough source right!
Mine is on the sand and is about 5" very healthy and has no byssus gland. It had one when I got it that was attached to a sea shell. I dont know when it lost it but it doesnt have one now. HTH
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