Why is my clam....?

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HoCkEyGmC

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bronzing. its mantle was once a lush purple but now it is turning a slight brownish color. still looks nice but not top notch. do i need to be target feeding again? do i need to add supplements. i use reef crystals. i can target feed if necessary. cant really get a pic because the pic looks extremely blue for some reason.
Thanks!
 
What kind of clam? Where is it located in the tank? How long have you had it? What is your CA?

Oh, and you don't need to target feed it. There has been several recent studies done that dis-prove the fact that smaller clams (2" or less) need to be target fed.
 
What kind of clam? Where is it located in the tank? How long have you had it? What is your CA?

Oh, and you don't need to target feed it. There has been several recent studies done that dis-prove the fact that smaller clams (2" or less) need to be target fed.

2 of my crocea clams. on the substrate under 150w mh lighting. had one for a month and a half and one for a month. not too sure what my CA levles are, my test kit doesn't have CA in it sadly. no target feeding?!?! ok, don't know much about that but ill trust you. :uhoh: ;)
 
also, i know my goby isnt helping anything with the occasional sand dusting. ill be doing some matinence tomorrow so ill be sure to move them away from the goby's area. anything else i can do?
 
also, i know my goby isnt helping anything with the occasional sand dusting. ill be doing some matinence tomorrow so ill be sure to move them away from the goby's area. anything else i can do?

I'm hoping that the clams are on a piece of liverock otherwise DO NOT move them.....you will tear the byssal threads and possibly kill the clam(s)

Crocea clams are 'boring' (boring not like uninteresting but they actually bore into rock) clams and should be placed on rockwork. They will secrete a substance that enables them to securely attach to the liverock in your tank.

HTH
 
ill read it in a sec, and they are on the substrate so about, ohhhh 18 inches or so from the lights.the lfs had one at the bottom and one at the top.
 
that may be the reason for the color change. Also, you'll want to keep your CA levels at 380-450 for the beasties.

No gaping or pm right?
 
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that may be the reason for the color change. Also, you'll want to keep your CA levels at 380-450 for the beasties.

No gaping or pm right?

gaping or pm????? explain please...
and i just sped read that article and what i got form it was that its not necessary to do whatsoever, but it wont hurt.
 
...
1st 2 pics are the 1st clam 2nd 2 pics are the 2nd clam.
 

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That clam looks healthy! I can see what you're talking about in regards to the color changing. I believe it's due to the placement of the clam in your tank. It still has some nice coloring.
 
yea, im doing matinencs now so im moving them to the top where they can get much better light.
Thanks for the help!
 
Great! Just a reminder to be VERY careful when moving so you don't damage the byssal threads.

That reminds me.....I gotta do a pwc when I get home....
 
yupp i kno bout the whole dont hurt the foot or any of that area thing. and now im target feeding my dieing brain coral and lovely new acan. =]
 
Move them up gradually. They both look like crocea clams, which need alot of light, but don't take them from the bottom right to the top. They need to slowly be acclimated to more light.

From the article I linked to........"When choosing clams, also try to remember that crocea and maxima clams are more light needy than the other three types and will require placement higher in the tank. Clams also require more light in relation to the amount of color in their mantles. Using this as a guideline, an educated reefer will remember that the beautiful ultra or electric grade clams will place much higher light demands on your budget. Browning out of the mantle is an ominous sign that commonly is related to the age of the light bulbs being used in the tank or the type of light itself. In addition to this, look for rocky over hangs or coral growth that is shading the clam from the penetration of light into the water above the clam."
 
yea, there isnt really that high of an area in the tank but im doin it slowly, one was just next to a frogspawn and i think they were touching for a little whils and its lookin a little dull rite now. im hoping that it will be better tomorrow. =[. im also going to be replacing my bulb around christmas time. any suggestions for a brand of bulb? rite now i have the jbj one: 150w 10000k double ended.
thanks!
 
any suggestions for a brand of bulb? rite now i have the jbj one: 150w 10000k double ended.
thanks!
The Aqauline Buschke 10K has good PPFD (79) and a nice color temp (CCT=12871K).
You can check out Sanjay's Lighting site for bulb performance. Pick "Lamp & Ballast" from the tabbed menu, then pick 150 watt, leave all the other fields empty and hit Search. It will display the results of all 150w bulbs Sanjay tested.
 
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