Clam help

[lando]

I have had a Crocea clam for well over three months. It has always looked great, wonderful color and wide open. Yesterday I noticed it was closed up tight under full light. I observed the tank through out the night and found my yellow tang nipping at the clam. This is totally new behavior for my tang. This morning it had several reef hermits on it and it was still closed up. I pulled the crabs off and moved the clam to a different location. It did open up a little but it did not take long for the crabs to find it again. The clam is now in QT. I am not sure if the clam got sick and then started to get attacked or if it is sick because it was attacked. Like I said, ths came on all of the sudden, it has been fine for several months. It has over 5 watts/gal CF light, amonia, nirtrite, nitrate all at zero, SG at 1.020, CA at 450. I spot feed DT's to it. Any suggestions? Back to the LFS with the clam? the fish would be way too hard to catch and they are not bothering anything else. I am setting up a new tank in a couple of months so I can remove the bullies at that time and get a new clam. thanks for the help.

 

[snapcrackler]

Maybe the tang is hungry for live algae. My big tang is spoiled and won't eat "sea veggies" or anything else but live or frozen algae anymore. So maybe it is just picking at stuff trying to graze because it thinks there is food on it.

I get macroalgae from the refugium for my tang and also hair algae that strings off of the outlets of my fulters and stuff I just pull it off and throw it in for him. That keeps him settled down. Otherwise it is sort of like an uptight cow running around hungry.

 

[snapcrackler]

OOps I just noticed the part about the crabs. Ack I hope the clam is not sending out "eat me" smells/signals because it is dying?


Weird... I will let someone else with more clam knowledge hopefully step in here

 

[jamal-188]

OOps I just noticed the part about the crabs. Ack I hope the clam is not sending out "eat me" smells/signals because it is dying?

I was thinking the same thing.....I don't see why the crabs would be picking at the clam.

 

[reefrunner69]

Well, the crabs are an easy explanation, maybe the tang as well. When clams are stressed they produce a mucus that basically screams at all the critters in the tank to come eat me. It is a defense mech for the clam, but a pretty bad one IMO. When a clam exhibits that behavior my first instict is to think parasitic snails. Pyrimid snails look like tiny grains of rice, and if one or two came over with the clam, 3 month is about the right time frame for them to have multiplied and really start annoying the clam. Look at the clam, particularly the scutes and directly below the mantle about an hour after the lights go out, you will most likely find these snails.

 

[jamal-188]

When clams are stressed they produce a mucus that basically screams at all the critters in the tank to come eat me. It is a defense mech for the clam, but a pretty bad one IMO.

I'd say so How is this supposed to help them?

 

[reefrunner69]

I would imagine it is similar to a fish shedding it's slime coat, to remove the source of the irritation.

 

[lando]

thanks for all of the info. My clam has opened up in QT and one side of his mantal is pretty chewed up. I will look for those snails. how do rid him of these? I ended up tearing my entire reef apart and netting my Yellow tang and off to the LFS with him. I will try to reintroduce the clam tonight an watch for any problems. I just do not have a good feeling about this.

 

[reefrunner69]

Keep us posted!

 

[bizzybeas]

I would check for the snails before putting the clam back in. Look at night, they are very small. They killed my clam, it was also a crocea.