Clam predators

Szwalla

Premium Member
I have been reading about clams. I see that pyramid snails are bad. Not quite sure how they get in the tank? Are there other predators?

-Mike
 
Watchout for bristle worms too...pyramid snails can do a lot of damage if not kept in check....Six line wrasse and a few other wrasses are known to eat them.

Geo
 
I have a Painted Fairy Wrasse - Cirrhilabrus solarensis.
I do have bristle worms...that sucks. I was thinking t. maxima but I dont have a hard substrate to put it on.
- Poor Mike
 
I think some of the fiary wrasses will eat them as well...dont worry to much about bristel worms unless your infested with them....my carpenter wrasses nail little bristle worms all the time.

I have a nice blue croecea clam in my tank and its doing well.

Geo
 
I have both a blue crocea and a squamosa in my tank . I have a 6 line wrasse that ignors both of them.
 
Mine is about 4-41/2...but I have had different ones over the years...I had one grow up to about 9"

Here is the shell after it died.
104354MVC-026F.JPG


wow I guess that sentence could be misconstrued.......lol
 
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Geo:

I didn’t think bristle worms would attack something unless it was already dieing?

Mike:

I have pyramid snails and they seem to bothering my astrea snails more than anything else. I haven’t noticed any pyramid snails on my clams yet. As for pyramid snail predators any wrasse from the genus Halichoeres are the best. I would recommend either Halichoeres iridis or Halichoeres melanurus…
 
I have had a 4"Crocea and a 10" Deresa in my tank now for probably 3 years, I know I have plenty of bristle worms. I got rid of one that was 18" long when I was scrubbing rock this winter. I have also had a few different types of wrasses, including a six line and nothing has ever bothered them. Unfortunatly I have a beautiful big Powder blue tang that rules my tank and adding new fish is very difficult, somehow he learned the trick of chasing fish to the top of the tank and flipping them out with his tale. Once the clams get acclimated and find a spot they like they are actually pretty hardy.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9874785#post9874785 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nwrogers
Geo:

I didn’t think bristle worms would attack something unless it was already dieing?



I'm sure your right on the bristle worm thing, but I know my one clam was not real happy when one decided to crawl across it...closed up tight as could be! But was back to normal a few hours later.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9875018#post9875018 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fatrip
i was wondering about clams...how much light is enough???

With your new lights you should have no problem with a clam IMO...
 
Most bristleworms that you see in your aquarium are only detrivores and will only be found eating a dead/dying clam. On the other hand, there is a common bristleworm look-a-like; Oenone fulgida. This polychaete worm specifically hunts and eats mollusks, so Clams are a perfect snack.
 
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