Dying clams and an algae bloom

[Dolomiteclay]

I have ran out of options here, and I wanted to try here first before I try something extreme. My 75 gallon tank has been up and running for a year. Its stocked with the following

1 yellow tang
1 green chromis
2 false clowns
1 possum wrasse
1 six line wrasse
1 lawnmower blenny

xenia colonies (that are pests)
acroporia sp.
1 open brain
1 closed brain
a few variety of polyps
an sps that was given to me that I have yet to id

my equipment

1 turbelle 1200
1 tunze 6025
eheim 800 gph pump
euroreef skimmer
jbj ato dose kalkwasser
reefkeeper 2
kent marine hi s ro filter

pH 8.0 night to 8.35 max at day
no nitrite or nh4
nitrate generally around 2.5-5ppm
kh is 180
phosphate is less than .05 to undetecable
calcium is 420
20% water changes once a week to ten days

lighting I have one 250 watt 10000k and one 250 watt 20000k with twin actinics and an external ballast.

around 100 lbs of live rock and various turbo, nerith, and other snails along with some hermit crabs as the cleanup crew.

Until now, for the last ten months I had been doing well. A few months ago all of my clams died at once or close to it. I removed them, checked all of my levels, and still couldn't make anything of it. The algae started at that point. Green hair for the most part but some bubble too. It wasn't bad at first, but it got worse. I've shut the windows in the room, turned out the lights for three days, gotten phosphate sponges, did large water changes, checked my ro water, and have even added a nitrate sponge just in case that was the culprit. Just recently I have changed my bulbs which were less than a year old...changed my filters on my RO unit, and I'm ordering two more power heads to increase my current which I know is a little on the light side. (I was trying to re-create a lagoonal setting with clams, acropora, etc and little flow when I started).

I guess the biggest thing is that I'm just a little discouraged at how well I started out and how quickly things crashed when I didnt' change anything in my routine. The continual downward spiral in the overall appearance of my tank and the loss of about 500 dollars in clams have been frustrating at best.

I have read about mg levels and I figure that will be next attempt. Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance....

 

[Anonymous]

A few questions.

1) Have you verified your tests to make sure you're not getting off results from your test kits?

2) Whats the status of your makeup water? (Is it RO or RO/DI? - Whats the condition of the water you're getting from it?) If its not reading a TDS of -0- then you're adding something to the tank from there..

3) Wheres the nitrates coming from? - Why isn't that -0- as well?? - Did you have a recent die-off??

 

[Anonymous]

What are you feeding and how?

 

[Dolomiteclay]

Thanks for the replies.

I have yet to verify my test kits yet and that is something I need to do. I haven't tested the makeup water for TDS, but I have checked my water after I mix it before I added it to the tank. All parameters were good...nitrate and po4 were zero as they should. I'm not sure why my nitrates don't read zero. I haven't had any recent die off other than a snail. I'm not sure how long he was dead before I got to him since it can be hard to tell at first with a snail.

As far as feeding I feed them once a day. Generally oraglo granules and a flake or two of formula 2 flakes. I feed mysis shrimp occassionally.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm, so other than the clams, nothing out of the ordinary. Could a parasite have taken the clams off and the algae bloom unrelated? (general question, I have zero experience with them)

One last thought, do you run with a DSB?

 

[Dolomiteclay]

Law...I think it was a parasite. I added what I thought was my last clam and shortly after they all died. Yet another reason for a good quarantine tank.

 

[Anonymous]

Law...I think it was a parasite. I added what I thought was my last clam and shortly after they all died. Yet another reason for a good quarantine tank.

been there myself. Clams are known to uptake certain nutrients and I wonder if them dying might mean there is more for the cack type algae to utilize.