clam losing color and pattern
 

My clam was very nice when I got her about a month and half ago. It had brown spots and nicely defined light blue spots with darker outter edge. Now it's losing the pattern and no remain of the nice brown color.

Does it have too much light? it is about 10" to 12" below my 250 watt Pheonix MH.

I really liked it when I first got it, now it's just ok, nothing more.

What can I do to make it recover its original color?

here is at the begining:

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/y.../104_2286s.jpg


And here it is now:

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/y.../104_2359s.jpg

Looks healthy and happy, just different. I guess it's like SPS that can change depending on the tank.

I agree, looks happy and healthy!

I think the brown parts on the top are from it being unhappy actually, but that's just me.

Could be a change from food intake? If the clam fed on more on phyto before and less on light it might effect the coloration. Just a thought.
I also agree it looks very healthy

I agree with the above posts,I think its healthier now hence the color change. Imho much nicer now.

It is very healthy, no problem, juts it is losing it's nice pattern and becoming more uniform in color. I just don't like the way things are going color wise.

I especially requested a clam like it was at the begining and the store waited until they found one that looked like what I wanted. So I just waited months for this.

Just disapointed and would like it back as it was, just as healthy as it is now.

Here are the parameters of my water...a little low in magnesium, potassium and strontium, could it be responsible? My alkalinity is at 8kh and remain pretty much at that. phosphates at 1.0, nitrates at 1ppm.

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/y...se_oct2012.jpg

How did you get all those readings?
Beautiful looking clam though, looks very healthy, not sure the brown was supposed to be there in the first place.

Wow!
Looks like at least someone has a water testing robot:lol:
But kidding aside, dont you think that your tank invironment would be different (no metter how perfect you water may be) from its original water?

Clam is in good shape, personal taste is hard to change
jmtcw

I know someone who is working in a big professional laboratory which does analysis of all sorts for the government and occasionaly he comes to my place and take some sample of my water for testing.

and I know the clam is pretty (for some) but I really want it back the way it was...can anyone help?

I have other clams and and the maxima also has sort of dulled in color. It seem that the color most affected is the brown, so the zooxanthellea, but why???

Send him over to my place please

Brown is the color that absorbs light first. So definitely lighting would be my first thought. I don’t know how strong your desire is to try and change things, sometimes changes make it worse.
However if this is a good time to change your light bulbs I would try that first. And you are already on top of your water quality so lighting would be my choice.
I dont know though what K you have now and what K color to get in order to make it change to the original, because it would be impossible to duplicate the original conditions that clam was in.

I feed it live phyto every second day as it was very small when I got it. Now it's a bit bigger but still a small clam.

Should I stop feeding it phyto so that it develop more zoo on its own?

I put a crate under the light on the spot to dim the light a little. Seem that my maxima has more powerfull colors and more brown at the bottom of it where the light does not fall directly and it has also lost its brown color on top where it gets direct lighting. hhmmm.. I thought clams were loving strong light? Both clams are side by side.

I just took a pic of my maxima and that makes me realize the maxima is having the same issue, here is a pic of the maximum when I got it:

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/y.../104_2171s.jpg


and now:

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/y.../104_2362s.jpg

So it is also gong pale in color and washed out. :(

I know you're disappointed . . . but those are really lovely, healthy looking clams. I'm pea green with envy. I'm afraid to purchase any, as I'm very worried about pinched mantle.

I agree, they are very beautiful clams, either way. I see what you mean about the brown, it def changes the overall appearance. I have 1 clam, it's blue green and has grown quite a bit but it's not as nice as yours. Good luck, I can't offer any advice.

Like the others..i like them even more after the morph.I would kill to get that kind of water testing done.

I had a maxima yrs ago that started loosing color and ended up was pyramid snails infecting the clam. Was a real pain

No pyramid snails that I can see and I checked at night.

I know they are a pain to get rid of.

I have put a crate over the clams and at least the maxima seem to be getting darker in color with more brown apparent. It is a very small difference so maybe I am just imagining thing. I will see. I will check again tonight for snails with the magnifying glass and led light. Also the clams are not receiding at all, they extend fully and seam very healthy.

When I had clams awhile back I had quite a collection, the first pic you posted the people are calling brown and teal, I'd like to refer to as gold and teal... Anyhow those ones were my favourite clams, I had them blasting under 250w hqi mh 14k and they held their colours and patterns well. The ones that were at mid tank seemed more fuzzy in the patterns and dull in colour.

You stated that yours did not like more light and it was smaller, mine was about 2.5-3" mantle so they weren't the smallest however weren't considered large either. My suggestion would be if possible to try and raise them abit over time so they are acclimated to the light. I am willing to bet that more light will infact bring back the gold patterns..... Good luck!

clam
 

what phyto are you using.clams would probably want isocrysis for the omega fatty acids or maybe tetraselmius

No it's quite the opposite. The parts of the clam that receive less light is a lot more colorful. The part that is receiving direct light is getting dull.

I actually covered the clams with a bit of crate and they are getting better, at least the maxima seem to be regaining a bit of saturation in the colors.

Mine are probably too close to the light or maybe I keep my light on too long. I was using 12 hours per day and I cut to 11 hours per day a few days ago.

I am using live phyto. I was using DT but cannot find that anylonger, so now using Reef nutrition live phyto.

http://reefnutrition.com/phyto_feast_live.html

clams
 

i used that phyto once when my cultures weren't ready.the stuff stank,my rotifer cultures went down,and it left a scum at the top of my reactors.unless it is shaken twice daily the cells smother themselves-hence its now not live.you should see if someone out there is growing their own phyto-probably way cheaper as well

I don't know anyone around growing live phyto. The bottle I have does not stink though, and I checked under the microscope and it was alive. Maybe you got a bad batch?

I remember that I once got a DT live phyto that was smelling really bad and I did not use it for long before putting it in the garbage.

clam
 

most likely old stock

I tried the Reef Nutrition Phyto-feast ...
Went stale very fast

I kept it in 2 different containers;
1 in room light, and 1 in the fridge
Both went bad within a couple months, even though I gave it a good shake every week or so

I use those bottle in less than 2 months. I am on my second bottle and it's still good.

Anyway, it's the only thing I can get around here.