crocea turning brown

ozadars · #1 12/20/2004, 05:11 PM

Hi there,
I have had my crocea clam for about 2 months and it started to change color in the last month. It was totally blue but now just the center is blue and most of its mantle is brown. I have him under 250W 10000K MH and 40W actinics at the top of my 20gal nano reef. It has grown around 1cm in this time and I think its normal even fast growth for a crocea. My parametres are normal, do you think browning can be because of extra zooxanthellae production? If so is there any thing I can do?

Thanks,

Julio · #2 12/20/2004, 05:28 PM

it is turning brown because there is not enough light, brown is a color that inverts use to absorb more light, so you might need to change yoru lighting, your bulb might be too old, you could try switching to a lower K or Higher K for better coloration.

Barry N. · #3 12/20/2004, 06:43 PM

Quote:

might need to change yoru lighting, your bulb might be too old,

When you change bulbs besure to acclimate your animals to the new lighting as not to shock or stress them .

Julio · #4 12/20/2004, 06:54 PM

good point, forgot about that.

ozadars · #5 12/21/2004, 01:01 AM

My bulbs are new, a few month old. I also have 250W Metal Halide and 40W 03 actinics over a 20gal tank, isnt this lighting enough? It might be due to K rate but I have seen lots of clams with gorgeous coloration under 10000K MH and actinics. I will try another clam and see if it will change color too.

Barry N. · #6 12/21/2004, 10:59 AM

What time frame did it take for him to change color??? The 250 MH are enough to keep his color. With that being said, something else has happened to cause the reduction of symbiotic algae .

ozadars · #7 12/21/2004, 11:36 AM

It started around 20-30 days ago and I think the color changing hasnt finished yet. What can cause the over production of zooxanthellae? It is 3-4" and I dont feed it, can this be the problem?

Barry N. · #8 12/21/2004, 11:46 AM

Quote:

It is 3-4" and I dont feed it, can this be the prob

IME, this would not be the cause. Could be many things, such as lack of nutrients, over heating and low oxygen. Could be a pathogen that has killed the pigmentation in the mantle.

ozadars · #9 12/21/2004, 11:51 AM

I dont have a heating problem but it might be due to low oxygen. However I added a protein skimmer last week so now it should be solved. I want to try it with another clam and see if browning will happen again.

graffyn01 · #10 12/22/2004, 09:08 AM

There are 2 main causes for brown coloration. The first is lack of light (par) and the second is too high of temp, which also leads to a lack of oxygen.

What is the temp around the clam during mid-day? If you have a digital Thermometer with a probe you can easily place the probe by the clam.

ostrow · #11 12/22/2004, 12:07 PM

Piggybacking, as I have an almost identical situation with same type and size clam from Premium Aquatics, also 2 mo ago acquisition. Here is my situation:

Yesterday I noticed the edges were slightly curled up and very dull in color. I have it in a rock crevace in the front corner of the tank. Fully extended the flesh touches either the rock or glass or sometimes even both. Bad?

I tested all water parameters and everything is fine (Ca 430, dKh 9.2, sg 1.026, pH 8.3, temp 77-78, ammo 0, nitrate either 0 or trace). There was I thought a slight funny smell when I got home but an hour or two later I decided I imagined it as I couldn't smell anything abnormal from the tank.

I reached in to try and move it more to the center of the tank, near the other clam in the substrate, directly below lights. But I couldn't budge the clam. It was quite secured to the rock. Is it unsafe to pry it loose or should I do that to try and get it in more direct light (currently it is slightly shaded).

I tried to target feed DTs but it was closed fully as I released the stuff just above it.

Any ideas/suggestions?

graffyn01 · #12 12/23/2004, 08:23 AM

You can move a clam but it is dangerous to the clam and it takes patience ( lots of it)

The Clam will attach itself to the rock by means of a byssal gland ( a soft tissue that extends from the clams stomach). You can cut this gland with a sharp knife where it is attached to the rock (NOT WHERE IT COMES OUT OF THE CLAM !!!)

Be very carefull and try not to damage the gland with ragged cuts. the clam will be ok and reattach in a day or so...

Hope this helps

basilhog · #13 12/23/2004, 09:13 AM

Go to the premium aquatics site they have a forum that links to the fish and chips site, very good info about this.

ostrow · #14 12/23/2004, 11:09 AM

Basilhog: Premium Aquatics does not have a forum.

Graff: Thanks. I don't have the "rocks" to cut yet. I might try rocking it gently back and forth a couple times a day to try to coax it off the rock.

wastwage · #15 03/07/2006, 09:12 PM

Yes Premium Aquatics does have a link check the site again dude.

ostrow · #16 03/07/2006, 09:39 PM

Let's see, how to reply to this? I always get a chuckle when the oblivious reply to posts years after the fact, asking if items are still for sale.

So, yeah, I'm sure they have done nothing to change their site in 15 months. They aren't too innovative over there.

jafoca · #17 03/07/2006, 10:47 PM

dang it... thought I could get some info on a browning crocea and the thread has just been resurected fot this????

ostrow · #18 03/08/2006, 02:12 PM

Seriously. If it helps to know at all, mine just got better. Was told that it can happen within 6mos of first putting it in a tank and that as long as light and parameters are fine it'll adjust. Don't know if that's true, but keep the lights and parameters ok, esp pH, and perhaps all will be well.

wastwage · #19 03/08/2006, 02:16 PM

some people LOL

critterkeeper · #20 03/10/2006, 05:19 PM

1cm growth in 2 months is about 5 times what is considered "good" growth for a crocea. These are by far the slowest growing of all tridacnids.

Turning brown? May be due to lighting at times, or may not be. There is no solid evidence that points at any cause to tell the truth. Only anecdotal evidence.

djrecklessk · #21 03/16/2006, 12:43 AM

It weird, however I've been able to keep my crocea under 4 x 96 pc lights in my 150 gal tank for over 14 months now without ever having to feed him. I know this sounds bad, but at the time I purchased him, i didn't do any research, which was a big no no my part. As some stated I just got lucky, or did I?
Here is a pic of him.

In my experience I've notices my claim to change color slightly and his mantles would shrubble up for a few days, but then he'd be fine again. I'm definately no expert, but I would double check your water and make sure you are getting enough flow.

critterkeeper · #22 03/18/2006, 02:17 AM

"brown is a color that inverts use to absorb more light" - False.

"something else has happened to cause the reduction of symbiotic algae" - False.

"There are 2 main causes for brown coloration. The first is lack of light (par) and the second is too high of temp, which also leads to a lack of oxygen" - False.

The brown color is from the loss of pigments, not zooxanthellae. It's the zoox that are brown! and when the pigs go, the color of the zoox shows through.

As far as oxygen goes, when the lights are on the zoox can make so much excess oxygen that a tridacnid's gills actually run in reverse and give off oxygen rather than take it in. If they didn't it would poison the clam and kill it.

gophia · #23 03/18/2006, 08:31 AM

Quote:

The brown color is from the loss of pigments, not zooxanthellae. It's the zoox that are brown! and when the pigs go, the color of the zoox shows through. [/B]

Is that in all cases? I believe that another possibility is that the over growth of zoox, in this case from an unknown reason, is making the pigment of the clam rather the loss of pigment.

ozadars,
have you checked your water quality?
It possible that there is too much dissolved organic whch is over feeding the zoox in the calm.

Just a thought.

rchan11 · #24 04/01/2006, 09:06 PM

What's the cause of loss pigmentation?

rchan11 · #25 04/02/2006, 09:37 PM

Can pigments come back?