Thread: Clamtastrophe
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  #31  
Old 01/06/2008, 11:23 PM
jnarowe jnarowe is offline
2011.5
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Poulsbo, WA
Posts: 9,742
I am in the NW and am having the exact same problem. Water params are excellent but ALL 7 of my clams are retracted and have been for some time. They have been in the tank nearly 2 years.

I do have a couple of cleaner shrimp but have been losing them. I put in a CBB prior to the clam problem, but haven't noticed him picking on the clams. Just before the problem started I added two cleaner wrasses and I haven't noticed them bothering the clams, but I do observe them getting real friendly with some corals.

Other issues that merit discussion are the huge die-off of snails and subsequent dino outbreak. I solved the dino issue over the course of about 2 months, and after they were gone, the clams started looking weak.

One other major thing to note: I have found the remains, or the molt, of a decent sized red crab with black pincers. I don't know if they molt, and the pieces looked more like remains than a molt, but it's definitely worth mentioning.

I also have a longnose hawk, but he seems to behave himself, 10 tangs, maroon pair, sebae clown, one chromis, one foxface. I have not observed anything bothering the clams.

I am getting very tense about this situation as some of these clams are really quite nice specimens. I do have a 40g QT, but it is a real hassle trying to get a clam out of the tank. I did inspect one for snails but no banana.

So, recommendations the same?
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