Crocea clam issues

My crocea clam will not open. Had him for about 8 months. Water params are all in check.

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 3
Salinity - 35ppm (1.026)
Phos - Below .03
Calcium - 400
Alk - 9.8
Ph 8.3

Hes been in the same spot for all 8 months, top 1/3 or the rocks under 150 watt MH. I don't know what else it could be? Any ideas? Panic is starting to set in.:-/

 

i would try to drop the salinity a little bit, and maybe raise up your calcium, and alkalinity, that may help

 

Your params are fine to me... so long as they've been stable at those numbers...

How long hasn't it opened?

 

clams are funny little buggers..sometimes my crocea wont open full and some days it will be completely open..

is it straight up close completely tight on the shell edges?? have you noticed anything maybe irritating it

 

Params have been stable for at least 4 weeks. Recently raised the salinity over the course of a week from 1.024-.026.

It is not completely closed, the bottom half of his mantle is just poking out, the top is almost completely sucked in, but not closed tight. I can snag a pic if that would help? He does close up completely when shadowed. I did notice a cleaner shrimp picking at him in the night, but no damage is visible, and nothing is around him this morning.

 

well i dont wanna hurt your feelings or whatever this may sound like..IME when people have clams that dont look to good, their cleaner shrimp will start picking at it when its on its way out..if you had it on the sand then their would be snails around it..those inverts know when they have a meal on its way..and that cleaner if the clam goes will usually eat it all in one night, depending on the size of it..and he will go to town on it..

without a pic its hard to tell, could be pinched mantle disease, croceas are more acceptable to get it than others..with clams even having to change that salinity could have caused a problem..also at night check for the snails that irritate them..

all this is just what i have seen in the hobby, i honestly hope the best for your clam, and you could maybe try dipping it in either some rodi water, or a coralrx dip, not sure what else you could with a clam beside keeping the water params as perfect as possible..and make sure it has food..your water may be too clean now for the clam, you may need to supplement your water with oyster eggs, reef nutrition makes a good product..

sometimes clams just go..its hard to classify the problems since so many little things can stress them..i hope this helps and everything goes well...

if it was my crocea, i would make sure it is in good flow, right underneath that halide and also add liquid food..even though larger clams dont need to be fed, it only helps for long term health

 

When a clam behaves this way I first consider

Parameters, check those look good.
Pyramid snails
Pinched Mantel Disease
Nipping by fish such as angels, the stress will cause them to stay closed

In that order.

If the cleaners shrimp is picking at it then it is probably dying and you may see a slight rise in ammonia.

Good luck I hope it turns around and opens soon for you, if the body and mantel are pulled away from the shell, it is dead and I would remove it.

 

Well none of that is good news. I don't believe it could be any fish I have, Yellow tang, 3 Carberryi Anthias, 1 Sixline Wrasse, Pair of True Percs.

Nothing I can do it seems, heres a photo just for good measure.



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Thanks for all the help!

 

Also heres a pic from a few days ago, he seemed fine.



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yea idk..and that the things with clams sometimes, something just happens and kills them..

what is the temp on the tank..and is there a chance it has changed any..

but usually as long as everything else in my tank is doing fine then i dont worry about stuff that doesnt look so good..for example my torch sometime sucks in all the way to his white skeleton and almost showing notihing and an hour later or whatever will have it tentacles out 5".. honestly theres no telling what wrongs with it and there may be nothing, maybe it just wants to be closed, i cant remember how long you said it has been closed but if its been more than a few days then idk..and it could be opening when your not around..but idk im just trying to help you out and rambling..