stupid squamosa...

[ntswift]

I got this squamosa clam the other day and it won't stop flipping on its side. I'll get him back up right and about an hour or so later its laying on its side again. Any suggestions to keep this thing from flipping on me? I know they can starve if they are on their side for too long and I don't want that to happen. He's down in the sand with low to moderate flow. Do they like to be on the rocks or in the sand? Thanks for the help!

 

[MT79]

Do they like to be on the rocks or in the sand?

Squamosas, in nature, are sand dwelling clams. Burying a flat rock or a clam half-shell in the sand below the clam may encourage it to stay put. If not it may just need some time to get acclimated. If all else fails try moving it closer to the lights.

 

[ntswift]

If all else fails try moving it closer to the lights.

If I move it closer to the lights it wont be on the sand any more. Will it be okay up on the rocks?

I will try to bury a flat rock under it and see if that will do the trick.

 

[MT79]

it wont be on the sand any more. Will it be okay up on the rocks?

Being in the sand is best for squamosa clams. Placing it higher in the tank would be a last resort, although I don't see any reason for that at this point considering your set up. They are moderate light clams, and flexible in their needs. They tend to adapt well to aquarium life. It may take some TLC and patience to get it feeling at home on the sand bed of your tank

 

[roka64]

Is it possible the sandbed is not deep enough? I don't know anything about clams, so I was just throwing that out there....

 

[ntswift]

My sand bed is about 3-4" deep. I dont think that is it, but it could be that I'm not sinking it in far enough? It doesnt appear to have a "foot" on it so I dont know how it will hold on to the rocks. I was thinking maybe the flow wasnt enough or too much maybe? I moved it to the other side of the tank last night where the flow was a little bit stronger, not much stronger, but it looked even worse. The flaps were all tucked in and it was kinda tilted to one side. So now its back over to the other side in the corner where the flow is close to none. My derasa that I put in the spot where my squamosa was at is doing great! I haven't seen it open up that big since I put it in the tank. Anyway, I'll give him a day or two to settle down where its at and if it doesnt work then I see if he likes the rockies!