Brad!
Darren, I don't agree with the heat story. My tank did nothing this year that it didn't do last. I only had one day where my temp was anywhere above normal and it was between my squamosa and first maxima dying.
I believe samples have been sent to a biologist and the results are due shortly. One person treating with antibiotics circumvented a clam's death (so far). I have read about mass numbers of clams dying at wholesalers.
Using Adam as an example, his basement is cool all the time and I'm sure his tank didn't fluctuate a degree.
There are hundreds of these reports on RC and I don't think a poll has been done regarding chillers.
I know that during my move 4 months ago, the heat went from 76 to 86 degrees in my tank in a matter of 10 hours. My clams were fine. So I don't believe my tank going from 81 to 85 in the same time period is going to kill them now.
I don't see anyone blaming any retailer or other supplier for this "epidemic"....if J&L sold me a clam, I know they believe it to be in perfect health. I have complete faith in their practices. Clams, like fish and corals, can have hidden problems we won't see until we get them in our tanks. The only ones to blame are ourselves for propagating the removal of ornamental organisms from the ocean.
I have been following the clam "problem" closely, as I'm sure you have, and I haven't seen any one blame a store for causing this.
This stuff happens and we're unhappy when it does. But that is an unfortunate part of the hobby we participate in....things DO die. We try our best to prevent it, but they can and do die.
If it's proven to be heat, I retract almost all of the above, but until something concrete is attributed with these deaths, I'm calling it a mystery.
~The End~
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