Hippo Clam Dead

cerino · 05/26/2011, 10:58 AM

Hi all,
I own a 36" long 8" tall topless display (similar to mr aqua 12 long) with 2 T5HOs white/blue about 4" above the tank. I have a crocea clam for a while that absolutely loves my tank and figured since most of my fish had jumped i would turn it into strictly a clam tank.

I currently have 4 small maximas besides my Crocea that all seem to be doing well in my substrate (pics to come soon). But this morning i noticed my hippo dead. He was always very open and can see them eating well. I have two conclusions why he might have gone.

I will re-test my mag/alk/calcium/nitrate levels tonight and post
generally my nitrates are at 0-20.
1.025
calcium btwn 480-500
all the other clams are thriving so i see no reason the hippo would just die out.

my two conclusions are as follows
the hippo stuck himself in a corner of the tank pretty close to a rock with attached brain coral (picture included) who may have stung the clam? or ... i have an agressive emerald crab who i took out of the tank this morning who always seemed to hang around the hippo.

please take a look at the brain and help me ID and let me know if a possible sting would kill a hippo clam?

2011-05-26 11.29.26.jpg

cerino · 05/26/2011, 12:12 PM

tenticles are out bc light had just turned on in the pic.

fishieness · 05/26/2011, 12:51 PM

How long have you had the other clams for? 2 bulbs of t5 isn't a whole lot of light, even in a 8" tall tank. Do you know what readings you were getting around where the hippo was?
How long have you had the hippo? How big was the hippo? Hippopus may not be as light demanding as other clams, but they do require feedings when they are very young because the zooxanthellae in their mantle cannot support their nutritional needs alone. This is a myth with other clams in the hobby, but does hold true with small hippos.
I would not expect and haven't experienced wells or trachs being able to kill clams. If he was getting stung at night, he would have likely just closed up unless a large amount of mesoderm from the brain got inside the clam before he was able to close, which I think is less likely than any other cause of death.

cerino · 05/26/2011, 12:57 PM

ive had the crocea for over a year. growing well. The maximas i have only had for 2-3 weeks but are all doing fine. i target feed all coral and clams. the hippo was a little larger than 2" - bigger than my others. i will do the readings again in that area of the tank with less flow. hippo i only had for 2 weeks.

cerino · 05/26/2011, 01:01 PM

you dont think it could have been the emerald? i dont feel safe putting him back in.

moliken · 05/26/2011, 04:02 PM

don't trust emerald crabs at all.i found one munching. other possibilities what's the sg measured with? refracto or not? i think yr ca is too high, if that's a consistent number. what's your alk and magnesium?? agree on the lack of light from the t5's even if it didn't contribute to the hippo, you cannot have other clams thrive and produce growth rings from that light. how old are the bulbs? ever check for pyr snail bstrds?
fishieness, can you provide a link, please, for the hippo feeding claim. i completely agree on the others, but ive never read anything different for hippos.

cerino · 05/26/2011, 05:27 PM

my crocea has gotten huge since i first got it. the bulbs are a few months old (both) the CA i just measured is btwn 420-440.

what are pyr snail bstrds?

will test mag now - the calcium is api the mag is from red sea - i ran out of alk tester - i have to pick one up tomorrow =/

cerino · 05/26/2011, 05:39 PM

do you think 4 t5hos would make a difference?

moliken · 05/26/2011, 06:28 PM

yes it'd help. pyramedilia [sp] snails attack and kill tridacnids. after lights out, wait an hour and look with a flashlight everywhere on the clams' shells, esp'lly near the mantle. hope you don't see white grains of sand size snails. there's a specific way to get rid of them if they are there. if you do see any remove the snail bstrds, take as good a picture as you can of them and post it for positive id.

cerino · 05/26/2011, 06:32 PM

will attempt to take pic - there is definately copapods or other little critters on them - nothing that looks anything like a snail.

cerino · 05/26/2011, 10:40 PM

i checked out the tank with the flashlight about an hour + after lights out - saw a few small critters on one clam (same as before i believe to be copas) - on another clam i noticed turned over - thinking its the tiger pistol who keeps digging in and around some of the clams - i picked it up to move it and noticed 2 larger guys crawling out from underneath.

moliken · 05/27/2011, 04:59 AM

i dunno without pics it's really impossible totell. how big's yr pistol? what are these 2 larger guys you mention?

scapes · 05/27/2011, 07:02 PM

that brain is extremely bleached.

cerino · 05/28/2011, 09:13 AM

i picked it up from a guy who had no idea what he was doing hoping id get some color back into it - which you can see i am.

moliken · 05/30/2011, 04:58 AM

so FISHIENESS, any real info on hippos needing supplementary feeding? i sent you a pm also.

05/26/2011, 10:58 AM	#1
cerino Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: NY / NJ Posts: 198	Hippo Clam Dead Hi all, I own a 36" long 8" tall topless display (similar to mr aqua 12 long) with 2 T5HOs white/blue about 4" above the tank. I have a crocea clam for a while that absolutely loves my tank and figured since most of my fish had jumped i would turn it into strictly a clam tank. I currently have 4 small maximas besides my Crocea that all seem to be doing well in my substrate (pics to come soon). But this morning i noticed my hippo dead. He was always very open and can see them eating well. I have two conclusions why he might have gone. I will re-test my mag/alk/calcium/nitrate levels tonight and post generally my nitrates are at 0-20. 1.025 calcium btwn 480-500 all the other clams are thriving so i see no reason the hippo would just die out. my two conclusions are as follows the hippo stuck himself in a corner of the tank pretty close to a rock with attached brain coral (picture included) who may have stung the clam? or ... i have an agressive emerald crab who i took out of the tank this morning who always seemed to hang around the hippo. please take a look at the brain and help me ID and let me know if a possible sting would kill a hippo clam? 2011-05-26 11.29.26.jpg Last edited by cerino; 05/26/2011 at 11:07 AM.

05/26/2011, 12:51 PM	#3
fishieness Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: ct Posts: 3,606	How long have you had the other clams for? 2 bulbs of t5 isn't a whole lot of light, even in a 8" tall tank. Do you know what readings you were getting around where the hippo was? How long have you had the hippo? How big was the hippo? Hippopus may not be as light demanding as other clams, but they do require feedings when they are very young because the zooxanthellae in their mantle cannot support their nutritional needs alone. This is a myth with other clams in the hobby, but does hold true with small hippos. I would not expect and haven't experienced wells or trachs being able to kill clams. If he was getting stung at night, he would have likely just closed up unless a large amount of mesoderm from the brain got inside the clam before he was able to close, which I think is less likely than any other cause of death. __________________ That is not orange, or purple, or green, or gold..... It's brown... Current Tank Info: 8 gallon rimless cube, 33 watt diy crees, deltec MC500, RKL, ato, 5.5g sump, 4g fuge.

05/26/2011, 04:02 PM	#6
moliken Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: smyrna Posts: 3,536	don't trust emerald crabs at all.i found one munching. other possibilities what's the sg measured with? refracto or not? i think yr ca is too high, if that's a consistent number. what's your alk and magnesium?? agree on the lack of light from the t5's even if it didn't contribute to the hippo, you cannot have other clams thrive and produce growth rings from that light. how old are the bulbs? ever check for pyr snail bstrds? fishieness, can you provide a link, please, for the hippo feeding claim. i completely agree on the others, but ive never read anything different for hippos. __________________ not obsessse--scuse me gotta check on the tank Current Tank Info: 75 and 65gals plumbed together, clams 12 fish. lps corals/ aquaillumination leds on the 75 and lovin them. t5's

05/26/2011, 06:28 PM	#9
moliken Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: smyrna Posts: 3,536	yes it'd help. pyramedilia [sp] snails attack and kill tridacnids. after lights out, wait an hour and look with a flashlight everywhere on the clams' shells, esp'lly near the mantle. hope you don't see white grains of sand size snails. there's a specific way to get rid of them if they are there. if you do see any remove the snail bstrds, take as good a picture as you can of them and post it for positive id. __________________ not obsessse--scuse me gotta check on the tank Current Tank Info: 75 and 65gals plumbed together, clams 12 fish. lps corals/ aquaillumination leds on the 75 and lovin them. t5's

05/27/2011, 04:59 AM	#12
moliken Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: smyrna Posts: 3,536	i dunno without pics it's really impossible totell. how big's yr pistol? what are these 2 larger guys you mention? __________________ not obsessse--scuse me gotta check on the tank Current Tank Info: 75 and 65gals plumbed together, clams 12 fish. lps corals/ aquaillumination leds on the 75 and lovin them. t5's

05/26/2011, 12:12 PM	#2
cerino Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: NY / NJ Posts: 198	tenticles are out bc light had just turned on in the pic.

05/26/2011, 12:57 PM	#4
cerino Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: NY / NJ Posts: 198	ive had the crocea for over a year. growing well. The maximas i have only had for 2-3 weeks but are all doing fine. i target feed all coral and clams. the hippo was a little larger than 2" - bigger than my others. i will do the readings again in that area of the tank with less flow. hippo i only had for 2 weeks.

05/26/2011, 01:01 PM	#5
cerino Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: NY / NJ Posts: 198	you dont think it could have been the emerald? i dont feel safe putting him back in.

05/26/2011, 05:27 PM	#7
cerino Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: NY / NJ Posts: 198	my crocea has gotten huge since i first got it. the bulbs are a few months old (both) the CA i just measured is btwn 420-440. what are pyr snail bstrds? will test mag now - the calcium is api the mag is from red sea - i ran out of alk tester - i have to pick one up tomorrow =/

05/26/2011, 05:39 PM	#8
cerino Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: NY / NJ Posts: 198	do you think 4 t5hos would make a difference?

05/26/2011, 06:32 PM	#10
cerino Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: NY / NJ Posts: 198	will attempt to take pic - there is definately copapods or other little critters on them - nothing that looks anything like a snail.

05/26/2011, 10:40 PM	#11
cerino Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: NY / NJ Posts: 198	i checked out the tank with the flashlight about an hour + after lights out - saw a few small critters on one clam (same as before i believe to be copas) - on another clam i noticed turned over - thinking its the tiger pistol who keeps digging in and around some of the clams - i picked it up to move it and noticed 2 larger guys crawling out from underneath.

05/27/2011, 07:02 PM	#13
scapes Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Millbrook, AL Posts: 2,520	that brain is extremely bleached.

05/28/2011, 09:13 AM	#14
cerino Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: NY / NJ Posts: 198	i picked it up from a guy who had no idea what he was doing hoping id get some color back into it - which you can see i am.

05/30/2011, 04:58 AM	#15
moliken Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: smyrna Posts: 3,536	so FISHIENESS, any real info on hippos needing supplementary feeding? i sent you a pm also. __________________ not obsessse--scuse me gotta check on the tank Current Tank Info: 75 and 65gals plumbed together, clams 12 fish. lps corals/ aquaillumination leds on the 75 and lovin them. t5's

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
new yellow belly hippo hiding or dead???	Tylers Reef	Reef Fishes	16	04/02/2011 05:23 AM
is my clam dead?	TheMcs	Tridacnid Clams and other Mollusks	9	08/11/2005 09:15 PM
is my clam dead? help!	rctradertwo	Tridacnid Clams and other Mollusks	12	02/19/2005 03:36 PM
is my clam dead?	GinaSofia	Tridacnid Clams and other Mollusks	9	01/24/2005 11:38 AM