dano February 2, 2009 Share February 2, 2009 I had a clam for about 6 months and he/she was doing great, opening wonderfully and seemed very hardy. Then one day (of course, the day I walked in the door and my dog got his tail caught in the blinds, pulled them down, knocked over the TV, had my wife tackling him as the blind cord got tighter around his tail, causing him to release the foulest stench, with one kid screaming and the other asking me why the clam is all white) the clam was gone... shell completely cleaned out. Nothing left. The next day I did see a glutinous mass on the bottom of the tank.. none of the blue coloring of the clam... just white and a little tan. I figured it was whatt was left of the clam. So my questions are... do clams suddenly die suddelnly like that if it was water quality or lighting? I have seen some little white/grey starfish in my display tank which must have hitched in on a coral from the Children's Hospital auction. I always thought these were harmless though one seemed to be about a half inch big and I didn't know they got that big... Could he have eaten the clam? That fast? Any other ideas? Thanks. Dano Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak February 2, 2009 Share February 2, 2009 don't see asterinas killing a clam, don't have a solution for you though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman February 2, 2009 Share February 2, 2009 I had a clam for about 6 months and he/she was doing great, opening wonderfully and seemed very hardy. Then one day (of course, the day I walked in the door and my dog got his tail caught in the blinds, pulled them down, knocked over the TV, had my wife tackling him as the blind cord got tighter around his tail, causing him to release the foulest stench, with one kid screaming and the other asking me why the clam is all white) the clam was gone... shell completely cleaned out. Nothing left. The next day I did see a glutinous mass on the bottom of the tank.. none of the blue coloring of the clam... just white and a little tan. I figured it was whatt was left of the clam. So my questions are... do clams suddenly die suddelnly like that if it was water quality or lighting? I have seen some little white/grey starfish in my display tank which must have hitched in on a coral from the Children's Hospital auction. I always thought these were harmless though one seemed to be about a half inch big and I didn't know they got that big... Could he have eaten the clam? That fast? Any other ideas? Thanks. Dano Asterina was probably just cleaning up the mess. I had the same thing happen with my clam. It was fine for almost a year - and then dead almost overnight. And I still don't know why. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quazi February 3, 2009 Share February 3, 2009 It has happened to me too. Did you recently introduce anything to the tank? Does anyone know if pyramid snails hitchhike on other critters or coral? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind February 3, 2009 Share February 3, 2009 There are usually very slight warning signs when the clams is ill. Some will display a gapping mouth instead of the narrow slit. Their responsiveness to light will be slower if they respond at all. When you wave your hand over them the mantle should retract in response. That is a good way to test a clam's health before you purchase it. Another sign of a sick clam will be when the mantle does not extend like normal, either over extended to catch more light or not extend at all due to stress. Like Bob said, the starfish was more then likely there just to clean up. I hope you removed the "glutinous mass" from your tank. How are your water parameters now? Is the skimmer working correctly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dano February 3, 2009 Author Share February 3, 2009 Thanks for the responses... yes, removed the stinkey goo.. haven't checked parameters and still working on getting the protein skimmer pump to work right. Good tips on keeping on with the health of the clam. I didn't notice any of those signs but I also haven't had much time to be checking on the tank lately so they might have been present. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dzekunoi February 3, 2009 Share February 3, 2009 How big was the clam? Small guys (less then 2") sometimes die of mulnutrition as they can not get enough of those just from light and need phitoplnkton in the water to survive. I had a death similar to this. 1.5" clam collapsed 5 bigger clams stayed healthy and happy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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