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Hammy 
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 Topic: Spots on Clam?
Posted: January 30 2011 at 3:42pm |
My little maxima clam has developed some brown spots on it and I was wondering what they are? Is it a disease and how do I treat it?
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: January 30 2011 at 10:40pm |
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Do you mean the lighter spots where it's losing it's zooxanthellae?
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Hammy
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Posted: January 31 2011 at 8:18am |
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I guess. Are you talking about the brown spots you can see in the picture? And what is zooxanthellae?
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smacky
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Posted: January 31 2011 at 9:55am |
Zooxanthellae are the symbiotic algae that reside in corals, anemones, clams, etc. that feed off sunlight and share the excess with the host. In this case your clam.
Besides ensuring that water paramaters are where they should be and are stable and that the clam was properly acclimated to the light, I'm not sure what else to do, though I'm sure others will be able to help.
I haven't read it yet, but I'm sure you can find all the answers you want in Giant Clams in the Sea and the Aquarium by James W. Fatherree. I've been meaning to pick it up for a while as clams are very much my favorite invertibrate in my tank.
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Shane H
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Posted: January 31 2011 at 11:49am |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zooxanthella
This term is an absolute must-know for reef keepers - as the health of zooxanthellae affect nearly every coral (and clam) in your tank.
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: January 31 2011 at 4:14pm |
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This can be caused by:
- low light
- stinging
- biting
- recent water quality issue with aleopathic chemicals or nitrate
Please tell us more.
age of clam in tank
time since spots started
conditions of tankwater(Alk Ca, etc)
lighting
changes of location/ new coral in the tank, etc.
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Hammy
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Posted: February 01 2011 at 10:12pm |
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The clam is about a year old. The spots probably started a week ago. The parameters are ok other than my ca is a little low. And I have metal halides with the bulb being about 6 months old. He also has not been moved at all. So I will try to boost my ca up a little and do a water change and see what happens.
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: February 02 2011 at 9:23am |
What you have there is bleached spots where the zooxantellae have been
expelled. In SPS that bleaching is in response to overheating. Because
the polyps of SPS coral are tightly interconnected and are just a thin
layer over a skeleton, typically the entire coral bleaches. Clams are not SPS but the zooxanthellae are related.
Because these spots are not totally white, it means that only some of the zooxanthellae have been expelled.
I should have also said that for a Clam this is the kind of thing that
can come on slowly, the result of many months of low light or irritation
from something. The 9" Squamosa Clam below had been under PC lighting in a 30" tall
tank for several years. The tank received indirect sunlight from a "wall" of
large east facing windows about 20 feet away. That is probably what kept
it alive. It was very pale and in the center of the mantle were white bleached spots.  sorry, I don't have a good pic of how good it looked a year later after direct morning sunlight had allowed zooxanthellae to mostly repopulate those bleached areas. Have you been using AC regularly in this tank  Is there a place higher up the rock where the Clam could be set closer to the light
Edited by Mark Peterson - February 02 2011 at 9:27am
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Hammy
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Posted: February 02 2011 at 9:40am |
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There were a few days where my cooling fan did not come on and the tank got a little warmer than it should. I will maybe move him up higher, I just hate to irritate it more. I am getting a new bulb today. So maybe I will see if things get better.
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smacky
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Posted: February 02 2011 at 10:19am |
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How many MH bulbs and what wattage? Also what is the water depth to the clam right now?
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: February 02 2011 at 11:12am |
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I believe I have seen the tank. It's a cube about 18" tall, right?
MH bulbs do not typically lose much intensity in 6 months. What bulb is there now and what is the new bulb?
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Hammy
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Posted: February 02 2011 at 11:17am |
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Yea its a cube with a 150 watt 14k Phoenix bulb. New bulb is the same thing.
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ninja_brandon
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Posted: February 02 2011 at 3:57pm |
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I have the exact same clam as well as some spots on mine. The frogspawn next to it has gradually gotten bigger which shades some of the light....and the little bugger decided to turn himself away from the light. Was going to move him however he is standing his ground and Im afraid to hurt it.
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ninja_brandon
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Posted: February 02 2011 at 3:58pm |
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Mine is under 2x250w halides along 4 t5 HO bulbs. The tank is a 120 FAT and the clam is in the sand. Never noticed the spots until just recently.
Edited by ninja_brandon - February 02 2011 at 4:00pm
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: February 02 2011 at 5:17pm |
I believe Tridacna clams both old and young enjoy more phyto than most people, even the experts think.
I use Reef Nutrition Phyto Feast. In my tank this morning I squirted in
enough to make the water noticeably green and now 6 hours later the
water is completely clear again. Ample evidence to me that all the
coral, worms, and bugs in this 2 month old frag tank are loving it. 
This pic is the water before that big clam was introduced. After the water cleared I started growing phyto and dumped into that system, gallons and gallons of it every week. (Phyto Feast is much easier and the cost is reasonable) 
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