Asian beetles poisonous?!

I doubt it's the beetles they get in my tank every spring and fall and it's never hurt a thing. Look in the lower right corner of this pic and you can see one.

 

I have found a few floating around in my tank and have not seen any issues.

 

They taste fine to me. Never got sick from them...

 

ahahaha, yeah iam sure i have eaten more then one of them while on a ride.

 

yeah kylie that does suck, i dont suppose it could be some kind of parasite? have you added any corals without dipping them? Also how is your phosphate issue coming along?

 

Extended exposure to phosphates will definitely do it. Phosphate is an active inhibitor, and although can be incorporated into the skeletal component's of our animals in small amounts (forming calcite) excessive amounts can make the shells and branches brittle, and eventually lead to cessation of any growth.
Are you working on getting your phosphates down? and what levels of phosphates are you measuring.
I'm afraid it sounds like your clam is toast, once the mantle detaches from the valves that's pretty much it. I can sympathize, I've lost a couple of clams before I decided I was just running too lean of a system to maintain tridacnids. I would cut your ties sooner or later before it starts decomposing and affecting NO3, DOM, and BOD levels.

 

As for the other phosphate stuff you were using, it was probably alluminum oxide (a white medium). I have lectured people about the use of aluminum oxide until I have been blue in the face, but nobody seems capable of comprehending or willing to take my advice (advice that is clearly printed on the directions of all of these products). Schwartz had a habit of using that stuff on the display tank at
Petland, and I would come in a week later and the same medium would be
in the reactor, unchanged, unattended and I could nearly pull my hair
out.
 Aluminum oxide is a great phosphate remover, but............... it can only be used for about 48 hours, it very quickly soaks up it's maximum capacity and begins to release phosphate thereafter in a sort of leaching cascade that in just a few hours will reduce the amount of phosphate bound in the medium to nearly nothing. It has to be implemented with great care, otherwise it is useless.

 

I'm glad you asked this Kylie! I've seen several floating around in my tank too, I've got an open top. Good to hear they are probably safe. Since I've been finding them I haven't been having any new problems with my tank but that didn't keep me from worrying they might throw things off if I didn't find them right away.

congrats on the car, you'll love the freedom!!

good luck with your tank!

 

I'm glad you asked this Kylie! I've seen several floating around in my tank too, I've got an open top. Good to hear they are probably safe. Since I've been finding them I haven't been having any new problems with my tank but that didn't keep me from worrying they might throw things off if I didn't find them right away.

congrats on the car, you'll love the freedom!!

good luck with your tank!

 

sorry to hear about mr. clam:-( it's hard to lose livestock isn't it/DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/sad.gif

sounds like things are coming around otherwise though with your corals and all...... that's great news!!

 

Yeah that's a super bummer. I had a T. dereasa for 3 years and he was getting to be a good 9" and just suddenly there he was mantle detached and I really had no sign of warning. I cried with that one, I loved that clam, he was so huge and miraculous. My kindest regards to you......and maybe think about a water change soon....that clam mantle is narsty when it decomposes. I guarentee if you get your skimmer to work it will go nuts for the next 5 days!

 

I won't try them again. I've killed 4 in my tank, and I've eaten two others.