Boosted Rxp
Member
what causes a clam to rock back and forth? hes not in the flow but is rocking himself for the last 4 hours.
clam rocking?
- Thread starter Boosted Rxp
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saltyunderground
In Memoriam
There may be brisstle worms under it. If that's the case, put the clam on a flat rock. The worms will eventually kill it. Or, it may not like where it is and wants to move.
stlouisguy
Registered Member
KSHE?
Boosted Rxp
Member
You guys are ate up,I love it !!!!!!!!
zrs6v4
In Memoriam
I have a derasa and have had it for about 2 weeks, I keep him in the crevice of a big rock about 1/3 of the way down. I have noticed that it isn't always open especially later in the night,
7-8ish. I have kept my clacium level at 400 and been dosing iodine and phytoplankton.
is this normal or are they always supposed to stay open?
7-8ish. I have kept my clacium level at 400 and been dosing iodine and phytoplankton.
is this normal or are they always supposed to stay open?
zrs6v4
In Memoriam
yea I don't understand how to prevent bristle worms from attacking the clam b/c it seems like every tank has them.. I have been told that it is better to keep the clam on the rock if you dont have a wrasse or something to keep parasites off the clam??? at the same time thats where the bristle worms are... It seems like there is no winning that battle...
saltyunderground
In Memoriam
I don't claim to know everything about clams. But I have had several. So here is what I learned.
Wait at least 6 months to add a clam to a new tank. They are very sensitive to water conditions and need very stable and mature water. They also need very bright light. They prefer metal halides with 10K bulbs. (Having said that I know some people have clams without MH lights. 10K, MH light is optimal.)
You can tell if a clam is stressed by (use these guidelines when you consider buying a clam too):
If its inlet syphon is in the shape of a oval or very open rather than a slit
It has lost some or all of its intended or original color
The mantle is not fully extended
If it is moving a lot it's not happy with something. This includes if it will not stay sitting upright rather than leaning over on it side.
Bristleworms will attack a sick clam or one that has lost its foot (It is possible for a very healthy clam to regrow its foot). A sick clam will begin to pull away from the shell on the under side sometimes. The bristleworms will enter the clam from this opening. It's usually pretty easy to see if the flesh is pulling away because you can look inside the inlet syphone and see the rock or sand that the clam is resting upon under the hole in the flesh and shell. When this happens the clam is very close to death. There is nothing you can do to stop it.
Blue leg crabs can also be very irritaing to clams. They tend to crawl all over them and irriate the mantle.
There is also a parasite called a pyramid snail that can come with clams. They irriate the clam flesh to the point that they move. They are very tiny little snails whos shells are in the shape of a long funnel. They have tiny claw-like arms that pick at the clam flesh.
They come out on the flesh of the clam along the shell and usually on the underside at night. So you have to pick up the clam carefully to find them. They are very tiny. You can pick them off the clam with tweezers. Or you can get a green or yellow coris wrasse to eat them off. I am not a big supporter of buying fish to do this if you can do it yourself every night or morning until they are gone.
Three last thoughts, I think its best not to expose a clam to open air. There are mixed opinions on this. But I don't think it's worth risking getting an air bubble inside the clam that can kill it. Always take the clam from the bag into the tank by submerging the bag in the tank. Don't move the clam from one tank to another without submerging it in water in a bag under water. Don't let someone who works in a store bag it for you by exposing it to air.
Acclimate a clam to any new tank very slowly, preferably for 3 hours. They are very sensitive and need a very long acclimation.
Only buy clams that are 3" or larger. The very small clams require specialized target feeding techniques that most hobbbiest can not or do not provide. If you have a small clam now, read up on how to properly feed it.
I know several local stores (I saw a couple copies in St. Charles yesterday) have the "Giant Clam" book. Although this book is very dated, it does talk about how to feed small clams. I heard there is a new clam book coming. That's good because what we have to read from right now is not very good.
Hope this helps. Clams are not easy to keep. But they are beautiful in the right tank.
Wait at least 6 months to add a clam to a new tank. They are very sensitive to water conditions and need very stable and mature water. They also need very bright light. They prefer metal halides with 10K bulbs. (Having said that I know some people have clams without MH lights. 10K, MH light is optimal.)
You can tell if a clam is stressed by (use these guidelines when you consider buying a clam too):
If its inlet syphon is in the shape of a oval or very open rather than a slit
It has lost some or all of its intended or original color
The mantle is not fully extended
If it is moving a lot it's not happy with something. This includes if it will not stay sitting upright rather than leaning over on it side.
Bristleworms will attack a sick clam or one that has lost its foot (It is possible for a very healthy clam to regrow its foot). A sick clam will begin to pull away from the shell on the under side sometimes. The bristleworms will enter the clam from this opening. It's usually pretty easy to see if the flesh is pulling away because you can look inside the inlet syphone and see the rock or sand that the clam is resting upon under the hole in the flesh and shell. When this happens the clam is very close to death. There is nothing you can do to stop it.
Blue leg crabs can also be very irritaing to clams. They tend to crawl all over them and irriate the mantle.
There is also a parasite called a pyramid snail that can come with clams. They irriate the clam flesh to the point that they move. They are very tiny little snails whos shells are in the shape of a long funnel. They have tiny claw-like arms that pick at the clam flesh.
They come out on the flesh of the clam along the shell and usually on the underside at night. So you have to pick up the clam carefully to find them. They are very tiny. You can pick them off the clam with tweezers. Or you can get a green or yellow coris wrasse to eat them off. I am not a big supporter of buying fish to do this if you can do it yourself every night or morning until they are gone.
Three last thoughts, I think its best not to expose a clam to open air. There are mixed opinions on this. But I don't think it's worth risking getting an air bubble inside the clam that can kill it. Always take the clam from the bag into the tank by submerging the bag in the tank. Don't move the clam from one tank to another without submerging it in water in a bag under water. Don't let someone who works in a store bag it for you by exposing it to air.
Acclimate a clam to any new tank very slowly, preferably for 3 hours. They are very sensitive and need a very long acclimation.
Only buy clams that are 3" or larger. The very small clams require specialized target feeding techniques that most hobbbiest can not or do not provide. If you have a small clam now, read up on how to properly feed it.
I know several local stores (I saw a couple copies in St. Charles yesterday) have the "Giant Clam" book. Although this book is very dated, it does talk about how to feed small clams. I heard there is a new clam book coming. That's good because what we have to read from right now is not very good.
Hope this helps. Clams are not easy to keep. But they are beautiful in the right tank.
smcnally
New member
Bristle worms will not kill a clam. Someone here actually posted some pretty interesting information regarding this. The way their mouths are physically makes it impossible to eat and kill a clam. You will however see them eating a rotting clam. The pyramid snail are definitely bad news for a clam. If your clam is rocking, it is most likely trying to anchor its foot. If it is in the sand, it may be having a hard time grabbing on to something.
Boosted Rxp
Member
thank you all for the input,i got the clam for my kids so hes got to stay alive
