YHSublime November 8, 2013 Share November 8, 2013 Came home tonight to see my clam like the picture below. I pulled it out, the foot is still strong and grasping it's pebble that it came on, but it does not close up, or blow water when removed. Still has color, but incredibly receded. I've not seen this before, thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime November 8, 2013 Author Share November 8, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime November 9, 2013 Author Share November 9, 2013 Also, my sexy shrimp is sitting on top of it now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime November 9, 2013 Author Share November 9, 2013 Well, google results are saying not good. If the mantle is receding, but the shell is open, it's usually on it's way to death. The change was overnight, I literally was taking pictures last night and it was fully open. I'm not going to take it out yet, and wait to hear from some voices of experience <sigh> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyCallMeMr.703 November 9, 2013 Share November 9, 2013 (edited) I wonder if that's whats irritating it..., or if something got inside of it, But you'd think it'd blow itself clean... Following. And sorry to hear. Edited November 9, 2013 by TheyCallMeMr.703 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM November 9, 2013 Share November 9, 2013 I was going to open the thread and remind you of how good the pictures from last night looked and tell you not to worry, but I see youve covered that. Its scary that it can change so fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltLife November 9, 2013 Share November 9, 2013 Was it maybe your temperature swings you were having earlier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sachabballi reef November 9, 2013 Share November 9, 2013 First off don't expose the clam to air...make sure you burp it if you do.... What are your parameters? The shrimp is a bad sign...any pyramid snails bothering it? Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime November 9, 2013 Author Share November 9, 2013 I wonder if that's whats irritating it..., or if something got inside of it, But you'd think it'd blow itself clean... Following. And sorry to hear. You mean the sexy shrimp... no, I think that's a sign of bad things to come. I was going to open the thread and remind you of how good the pictures from last night looked and tell you not to worry, but I see youve covered that. Its scary that it can change so fast. Yeah, it was even fine this morning, it was quick.. Was it maybe your temperature swings you were having earlier? Maybe? First off don't expose the clam to air...make sure you burp it if you do.... What are your parameters? The shrimp is a bad sign...any pyramid snails bothering it? Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk I think it's past burping, it's only saving grace is the fact that the foot is still strong. Params: Temp: 78.2 Salinity: 1.026 PH: 8.0 Nitrite: 0 Nitrate: 20ppm (discovery, guess who has a leak in his skimmer cup...) Calcium: 440 Alk: 161.1-179 Phosphates: Below .25 I did a quick inspection for pyramid snails, as that was my first suspicion, as I added a large amount of snails not to long ago, but I didn't see anything. I've had nitrates that high in my 57, and the clam did fine. The only drastic change in my tank has been temp, by about 4 degrees. My anemones, Aussie E, Golden Torch, all look fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime November 9, 2013 Author Share November 9, 2013 There are snails on it, but just the shell, not the foot. They don't appear to be pyramid snails. There was a piece of aptasia on it, but that's been there for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind November 9, 2013 Share November 9, 2013 I would go ahead and toss it. I have never seen them recover from being that retracted. You can cut out the clam and save the shell as decoration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime November 9, 2013 Author Share November 9, 2013 I would go ahead and toss it. I have never seen them recover from being that retracted. You can cut out the clam and save the shell as decoration. This is what I figured, but I'm over here grimacing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime November 9, 2013 Author Share November 9, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldReefer November 9, 2013 Share November 9, 2013 I have never heard of a clam getting better from anything. Once they decline, it is usually over. Sorry about that. I have lost a few myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind November 9, 2013 Share November 9, 2013 Does the snail you posted look like a limpit or is it a spiral shelled snail? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime November 9, 2013 Author Share November 9, 2013 Does the snail you posted look like a limpit or is it a spiral shelled snail? It looks more like a limpit, I searched for spirals, but nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy November 9, 2013 Share November 9, 2013 I had the same clam do the same thing last week. Sorry but its toast. Beautiful one day receded and horrible looking the next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sachabballi reef November 9, 2013 Share November 9, 2013 Man sorry Isaac...this upgrade has been a tremendous strain on you Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime November 9, 2013 Author Share November 9, 2013 I would go ahead and toss it. I have never seen them recover from being that retracted. You can cut out the clam and save the shell as decoration. Yeah, the deed is done. I have never heard of a clam getting better from anything. Once they decline, it is usually over. Sorry about that. I have lost a few myself. It was so quick, I do a pretty solid inspection of the tank in the AM, and at PM. I can tell you, like I'm sure most hobbyist on this forum can, if there is a frag out of place. I had the same clam do the same thing last week. Sorry but its toast. Beautiful one day receded and horrible looking the next. That's too bad man, they were both nice looking clams, I would probably say it was one of my favorite things in the tank. Man sorry Isaac...this upgrade has been a tremendous strain on you Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk Yeah, lots of expensive lessons.What urks me is not knowing what to take away from it as a lesson learned. Maybe the lesson learned is don't get a clam again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der ABT November 9, 2013 Share November 9, 2013 Aw cmon man ..sorry...that just is heart breaking..hope you figure out what happened Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveS November 9, 2013 Share November 9, 2013 Not a clam expert but from the photo, I wonder if there has been a problem for a while. Looking at the growth "lines" it seems like it's been "shrinking" so to speak. Normally the growth is more upwards whereas your clam was growing inwards. Look up pinched mantle disease. Again, not a big clam guy but the growth doesn't look quite right to me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k November 9, 2013 Share November 9, 2013 First off don't expose the clam to air...make sure you burp it if you do.... This is complete nonsense. Clams are frequently exposed to air at low tide and there's no one there to "burp" them once the water comes back in. It's amazing how these fish tales and aqua-myths keep spreading around here.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sachabballi reef November 9, 2013 Share November 9, 2013 (edited) This is complete nonsense. Clams are frequently exposed to air at low tide and there's no one there to "burp" them once the water comes back in. It's amazing how these fish tales and aqua-myths keep spreading around here.... You know I like you Rob, but I think I would defer to the acclimating instructions from Dr Mac over you any day as he : " actively cultures clams in French Polynesia and offer wild collected and cultured clams from the remote Austral Islands where there are hundreds of millions of wild Maxima clams and also our clam farms actively producing 40,000 Maxima clams annually." and he instructs the following: Special Notes Take care when unpacking your clam that you do not expose it to air. Internal air bubbles can cause problems, "burp" the clam by tipping to dislodge any bubbles. Edited November 9, 2013 by sachabballi reef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind November 9, 2013 Share November 9, 2013 I have seen clams exposed at low tide so I understand what Rob is talking about and I'm sure the clams can correct trapped air in them. However, I also do a little "burp" when I move them and they are exposed to air because it is a simple task and if there is a chance it might prevent a problem later on, even if it's 1% chance it might happen, it's still worth the small effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomtom2245 November 9, 2013 Share November 9, 2013 So I think the reason for "burping" is due to the fact that a clam could get turned upside down or at odd angles during shipping/moving out of the tank that it would not normally get exposed to in the wild. This could cause air to get trapped inside in a way it's not used to expelling, such as during a low tide scenario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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