HOW and WHY did my clam move this much???

NOLACLS · 10/11/2002, 02:46 PM

Ok I have had a 2.5" squmosa clam (only one in the tank) for over a month. I have it placed in the middle of the tank closer to the top than the bottom under 4 4' VHO (2 white 2 blue) and 2 4" STD blue lights. The spot has light current and he seemed real happy in that spot..all open and full. Yesterday and today I found him in a odd spot...that is all the way down on the sand and all the way over to the left of the tank. The tank is a 5' 110 so this lil clam moved all the way down to the sand (about 1-1.5') and then all the way over (about 2.5-3') and moved around a lg fungia plate...and this was in a short time span?!?! So how and why did he do this twice??? The spot he is in seems like a perfect little spot...lots of room...flat and almost a little cup like so it holds him in place.

Any insight to this??

Thanks
Mark

holeinone1972 · 10/11/2002, 03:19 PM

I think your fish tank is haunted!!!!!!!! Get out of your house now.

Seriously, did you check all your water parameters? It could be several things. The current it was getting, the amount of light. A coral or fish picking on it.

Best of luck, Rob

NOLACLS · 10/11/2002, 03:26 PM

Hahah yeah it must be spooks or something

No really I know they move some but I didnt think that much. The water is good and there is not too much current there. Like I said it has been in the exact same spot for a long time and opened up real nice. The only fish I would think was messing with it was a small yellow coris wrass...he has gotten a little bigger since the clam was first introduced but he is still about as small as the clams shell...about 2.5"

firechild · 10/12/2002, 03:13 AM

Clams have the ability to move very quickly (as far as benthic inverts go

) when they want to. By opening and closing their shell and using their "foot" they can doslodge themselves and venture across rocks and sand.
Squamosa clams live naturally on the sand and will often dislodge themselves from rocky substrate in aquariums. The clam is moving to a place it likes, if it keeps leaving where you put it, it should tell you that it isn't happy with your chosen placement.

Danables · 10/12/2002, 03:58 AM

that is the most crazy thing ive heard i never knew they could move that fast. lol you could have clam races see witch one wins

NOLACLS · 10/13/2002, 09:09 AM

Yeah no kidding Dan

Ok so it has done it again so I am going to try to find another spot for it. I was thinking about leaving him in the sand but I am afraid that there will not be enough light for the little guy. What do yall think. It is a 5' 110gal tank so it is 24" tall (from the very bottom of the molding to the very top of the molding). There is about 2" of sand and the lights are about 1-2" from the water. Lights are 4 4' URI VHO's 2 blue and 2 whites and then there are 2 STD 4' blues. That is 520 watts of light...would that be ok for the little guy to be in the sand?? I am supprised that it took him this long to decide that he doesnt like that spot...he has been there for over a month and collerd up nicely and hasnt moved untill now.

firechild · 10/13/2002, 07:41 PM

That is definitely not enough light to be keeping a clam on the sand bed. With anything short of MH lighting, I would be keeping that clam in the upper 6" of the tank. Personally I don't believe VHOs provide enough light for any clam considering where they are found naturally.

Anemia · 10/14/2002, 01:27 AM

I would tend to aggree that 24" from VHO's is quite a distance for most clams, but the squamosa's tend to need the least light out of all the clams. If I were in your shoes I would just let the little guy find his own home on the bottom.

NOLACLS · 10/14/2002, 07:44 AM

Yeah I agree to that its not enough for him on the sand bed (well that's what I think at least) and that is why I was keeping him up in the upper spots of the tank. That's also why I only got the Squmosa (lower light requirements). I was thinking about letting him find a spot for himself since he seems to be pretty mobile but he stays on the sand bed on his side and I don't want to loose him by just leaving him like that. Last night I did see him on top of a close by rock up about 5" but he was still on his side and this morning he is back to the sand. So should I just leave him be and let him find his own spot or should I keep trying the first spot he was in in the upper area of the tank??

Thanks for all the help people

Hey Firechild...I just noticed where you are located...WOW thats where I am planning on going on my honeymoon!!! Maybe you can give me some ides on where to go diving down in the GBR because that is one of the things to do on the "list"

rochonj · 10/16/2002, 10:04 AM

I have a Deresa under 4x3' VHO tubes on the sandbed.
around 20" from the lights. No probs, bin there quites some time and growing like mad.

NOLACLS · 10/16/2002, 12:46 PM

UPDATE:

I have seen my blue hippo tang pick up the lil guy and drag him all over the tank...I have no idea why but I might have to take one out

Laura D · 10/16/2002, 07:18 PM

I'm sorry to hear that. It's such a bummer to see your critters misbehaving like that.

My hippo tang is a bad boy too. He leaves my clam alone, but I can't have certain large polyp corals because he thinks they are his dinner.

holeinone1972 · 10/17/2002, 08:36 AM

Quote:

A coral or fish picking on it.

Wow I would have never expected that particular fish to be the culprit. Every fish has it's own personality or (fishonality) and there are always a few bad apples in the species.

If the clam has been stressed out before the fish started to pick at it, the clam may have released chemicals related to the stress and just making it that much more appealing to the fish.

You may try to cover the clam with a strawberry basket or fashion a cage out of eggcrate and cover it. Put it back in it's original location that you said it was happy for months in, and cover it with the cage. This may give the clam time to recover in a stress free environment and heal properly. After that the fish may lose interest and everything will be good as gold. But there is no guarantee that will happen.

Was the tang a new acquisition?

Best of luck, Rob

NOLACLS · 10/17/2002, 09:06 AM

Well the clam was in there before the tang for a good while and the tang has been in there for a few weeks before all this started happening. The clam though was very healthy so I don't know that it released anything. I will have to try something but I agree....this is the first time I have ever had anything like this happen. I will let ya'll know what happens.

10/11/2002, 02:46 PM	#1
NOLACLS Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New Orleans Posts: 1,224	HOW and WHY did my clam move this much??? Ok I have had a 2.5" squmosa clam (only one in the tank) for over a month. I have it placed in the middle of the tank closer to the top than the bottom under 4 4' VHO (2 white 2 blue) and 2 4" STD blue lights. The spot has light current and he seemed real happy in that spot..all open and full. Yesterday and today I found him in a odd spot...that is all the way down on the sand and all the way over to the left of the tank. The tank is a 5' 110 so this lil clam moved all the way down to the sand (about 1-1.5') and then all the way over (about 2.5-3') and moved around a lg fungia plate...and this was in a short time span?!?! So how and why did he do this twice??? The spot he is in seems like a perfect little spot...lots of room...flat and almost a little cup like so it holds him in place. Any insight to this?? Thanks Mark

10/11/2002, 03:19 PM	#2
holeinone1972 Team RC Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 2,334	I think your fish tank is haunted!!!!!!!! Get out of your house now. Seriously, did you check all your water parameters? It could be several things. The current it was getting, the amount of light. A coral or fish picking on it. Best of luck, Rob __________________ It's only money !!!! Current Tank Info: Trying to decide on 1st tank since mass selloff.

10/12/2002, 03:58 AM	#5
Danables Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Tempe, AZ Posts: 338	that is the most crazy thing ive heard i never knew they could move that fast. lol you could have clam races see witch one wins __________________ ><///> Steve Zissou: Don't point that gun at him, he's an unpaid intern. ><///> Current Tank Info: 100gal tank mixed Reef

10/16/2002, 10:04 AM	#10
rochonj Registered Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: ottawa Posts: 187	sqaum vs deresa I have a Deresa under 4x3' VHO tubes on the sandbed. around 20" from the lights. No probs, bin there quites some time and growing like mad.

10/16/2002, 07:18 PM	#12
Laura D Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Iowa City, Iowa Posts: 1,312	I'm sorry to hear that. It's such a bummer to see your critters misbehaving like that. My hippo tang is a bad boy too. He leaves my clam alone, but I can't have certain large polyp corals because he thinks they are his dinner. __________________ -Laura

10/11/2002, 03:26 PM	#3
NOLACLS Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New Orleans Posts: 1,224	Hahah yeah it must be spooks or something No really I know they move some but I didnt think that much. The water is good and there is not too much current there. Like I said it has been in the exact same spot for a long time and opened up real nice. The only fish I would think was messing with it was a small yellow coris wrass...he has gotten a little bigger since the clam was first introduced but he is still about as small as the clams shell...about 2.5"

10/12/2002, 03:13 AM	#4
firechild Premium Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 1,282	Clams have the ability to move very quickly (as far as benthic inverts go ) when they want to. By opening and closing their shell and using their "foot" they can doslodge themselves and venture across rocks and sand. Squamosa clams live naturally on the sand and will often dislodge themselves from rocky substrate in aquariums. The clam is moving to a place it likes, if it keeps leaving where you put it, it should tell you that it isn't happy with your chosen placement.

10/13/2002, 09:09 AM	#6
NOLACLS Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New Orleans Posts: 1,224	Yeah no kidding Dan Ok so it has done it again so I am going to try to find another spot for it. I was thinking about leaving him in the sand but I am afraid that there will not be enough light for the little guy. What do yall think. It is a 5' 110gal tank so it is 24" tall (from the very bottom of the molding to the very top of the molding). There is about 2" of sand and the lights are about 1-2" from the water. Lights are 4 4' URI VHO's 2 blue and 2 whites and then there are 2 STD 4' blues. That is 520 watts of light...would that be ok for the little guy to be in the sand?? I am supprised that it took him this long to decide that he doesnt like that spot...he has been there for over a month and collerd up nicely and hasnt moved untill now.

10/13/2002, 07:41 PM	#7
firechild Premium Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 1,282	That is definitely not enough light to be keeping a clam on the sand bed. With anything short of MH lighting, I would be keeping that clam in the upper 6" of the tank. Personally I don't believe VHOs provide enough light for any clam considering where they are found naturally.

10/14/2002, 01:27 AM	#8
Anemia Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Idaho Posts: 305	I would tend to aggree that 24" from VHO's is quite a distance for most clams, but the squamosa's tend to need the least light out of all the clams. If I were in your shoes I would just let the little guy find his own home on the bottom.

10/14/2002, 07:44 AM	#9
NOLACLS Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New Orleans Posts: 1,224	Yeah I agree to that its not enough for him on the sand bed (well that's what I think at least) and that is why I was keeping him up in the upper spots of the tank. That's also why I only got the Squmosa (lower light requirements). I was thinking about letting him find a spot for himself since he seems to be pretty mobile but he stays on the sand bed on his side and I don't want to loose him by just leaving him like that. Last night I did see him on top of a close by rock up about 5" but he was still on his side and this morning he is back to the sand. So should I just leave him be and let him find his own spot or should I keep trying the first spot he was in in the upper area of the tank?? Thanks for all the help people Hey Firechild...I just noticed where you are located...WOW thats where I am planning on going on my honeymoon!!! Maybe you can give me some ides on where to go diving down in the GBR because that is one of the things to do on the "list"

10/16/2002, 12:46 PM	#11
NOLACLS Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New Orleans Posts: 1,224	UPDATE: I have seen my blue hippo tang pick up the lil guy and drag him all over the tank...I have no idea why but I might have to take one out

10/17/2002, 09:06 AM	#14
NOLACLS Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New Orleans Posts: 1,224	Well the clam was in there before the tang for a good while and the tang has been in there for a few weeks before all this started happening. The clam though was very healthy so I don't know that it released anything. I will have to try something but I agree....this is the first time I have ever had anything like this happen. I will let ya'll know what happens.