Clams 'gaping'...

[jmaneyapanda]

I thuink you are misunderstanding what gaping is. Those clams are not gaping. But...something is picking at them. I see a nip on one mantle, and the retraction is kinda a telltale sign of nipping. What fish do you have?

 

[Rovert]

Good eye! I noticed that, too, but dind't want to jump to any conclusions.

Potter's Angel
Royal Gramma
False Percula

If it's any of these, I'd say it's the Potter's, but I figured he had enough to eat off the rocks. I"ll pick up some nori and see how it goes.

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[a4twenty]

i have to agree and it still doesn't look like PM so a FWD would just make it worse. have you got an Alk test kit yet??? ( Alk is very important to clams and fluctuations can be devastating )

please post all your parameters......

other than that the number one suspect would be the angel, stay well back and watch his behaviour.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

I am gonna say youll have to lose the clam or lose the angel. Once a fish starts, it is tough to get them to stop.

Once you remove the pest, I bet they will open up again.

 

[Rovert]

Any chance this might be the culprit? Saw it on the glass. About 1/4" in length.

 

[a4twenty]

have you seen more? or that one near you clams?

it looks like a flatworm and there are some nasty clam eaters in that group, here's a link to a google search for some identification.

i would yank him to be safe but flatworms usually eat the clams, not just disturb them .

 

[clowninaround74]

thats weird....unfortunately i have a littl eissue with flatworms right now but they have done nothing to my clams. i have no negative affects at all and i mean i have alot of FWs.

 

[a4twenty]

i'm sorry , i didn't mean all flatworms are clam predators just certain species. that is why i asked if he had seen them on or near his clams

 

[clowninaround74]

oh ok sounds good. I was a little worried for a second!!!! haha

 

[Rovert]

Ok, guys. The two largest clams in my tank are slowly getting worse. Not dramatically, but enough to be a concern.

I've watched the tank, and the fish show absolutely ZERO interest in the clams, so I'm going to rule that out for now.

I want to go ahead and try a dip because if it is PM, then that's a way to find out, and if it's not, then the clams might be stressed a bit, but they'll recover.

Bottom line, I think the upsides of a dip outweigh the downsides.

Can you guys advise how to properly adjust the pH of RO/DI water? I seem to recall baking powder was used, but if you can give me an idea of how many table/teaspoons per gallon, I'd be grateful.

Thanks!

 

[mbbuna]

from the photos you posted i see no signs of PM. the main thing i look for is an upwards and inwards curling of the mantle, i see none.

i dont think a FWD is the way to go. anyway you dont need to adjust the ph, first its very difficult to accurately test the water, and its not baking powder its baking soda. if your set on dipping them just match temp and dip for 15-20min

 

[Rovert]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9875227#post9875227 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mbbuna
from the photos you posted i see no signs of PM. the main thing i look for is an upwards and inwards curling of the mantle, i see none.

i dont think a FWD is the way to go. anyway you dont need to adjust the ph, first its very difficult to accurately test the water, and its not baking powder its baking soda. if your set on dipping them just match temp and dip for 15-20min

Have you seen your clams exhibit this behavior? If you believe it's not PM, then what's your diagnosis?

 

[mbbuna]

have you tested your Alk yet?

 

[Rovert]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9875469#post9875469 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mbbuna
have you tested your Alk yet?

No, but I don't understand why two of the four clams would be exhibiting these symptoms and the other two (smaller and younger) clams not show any similar signs. If it were Alk, it would affect all the clams equally, yes?

 

[mbbuna]

the other clams my not be as sensitive. if it is alk it could be a very easy fix, if its not at least alk is ruled out. get a test kit, you need one anyway

 

[cristhiam]

Did you looked at your tank close or from far away to see if you angel is picking at them? I had a smart tang that will not pick at my LPS while I was in the room, I put my camcorder to record for about 2 hours and I couldn't believe it, was picking at the brain.

 

[Rovert]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9875960#post9875960 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mbbuna
the other clams my not be as sensitive. if it is alk it could be a very easy fix, if its not at least alk is ruled out. get a test kit, you need one anyway

Again, here's what I don't understand. Why all of a sudden? Why, in an established tank, with a 6 year old clam, would this happen practically overnight... or should I say, in the span of only just two days - give or take a few hours?

I'll do my best to track down an Alk test. I have a comprehensive LaMotte kit, but it got damaged due to a flood in the basement from a couple weeks ago.

Though it doesn't make sense to me, I won't rule it out. I just need to get ahold of a kit.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

I think it is without a doubt the fish. I saw near dientical problems when my lawnmower blenny went postal. Then one day I found the clams minus the exhalent siphon. To someone elses tank the LM blenny went. The clams are now healing (and regrowing the exhalent siphon!)

 

[Rovert]

OK, guys. I've done the dip.

Clams don't look like this from nipping. My alk tests out to roughly 165 ppm KH (~9.5 dKH) so I've ruled that out, and at this point I had nothing to lose. Even the tank smells 'fishy' in that clammy sort of way.

As I'm dipping, I observed worms exiting. About three bristle worms, but there were two other smooth worms that I'll get a photo of when I'm done. Although I don't fault the bristle worms for this (they're just doing their jobs), I believe there are two other possible explanations.

1) I moved my tank about three weeks ago, due to a flood in my basement from the rainstorms here in the NE, and that likely stressed the clam to the point where a case of PM set in. Perhaps the suspected pathogen was already there, lying in wait until the clam was weakened just enough to attack.

2) The as yet unidentified worms are clam predators and were either introduced by the new clams in my system, or were there all along, and again, the stress of the move took its toll. Throw in a couple additional bristle worms, and voila! Clam crisis.

Stay tuned for more results. I don't expect the clam will survive, but there's nothing to lose by trying at this point.

 

[Rovert]

On second thought...

On second thought...

The only final advice I need from you guys at this point is to let me know if you think there's even a remote chance this guy will make it, or if I should yank him now before he bombs my tank.

I just observed a hole in the center mantle. That can't be good. Photo below. I'm thinkin' it's time to just yank him, but I'll wait to hear back from some of the experts to hear if a clam has ever recovered from this kind of damage.