Clam's hinge failing

[techdef]

Hey folks, derasa iv'e had for about 8 years is doing poorly. Flopped him over (lives in substrate) to find that his hinge is pretty much gone. No damage to flesh or mantle, but the rigid part that holds the shells together is almost gone. As a result, the mantle is now "out of phase" for lack of a better way of saying it - he cant fully close as the ridges are facing each other, rather than ridge to valley. Opening a little less every day.

Any thoughts, or cures? Have done FW dip, have never seen any pyr snails, and keep a 6-line in the tank for clam maintenance. Nobody's visibly picking.

Almost tempted to superglue a plastic strap across the bottom for a new prosthetic hinge...

-j

 

[jalisco]

Would nylon webbing allow a more natural movement?

 

[AquaTDV]

I recently experienced something similar with a 30" Gigas. The clam's shell didn't line up so the clam couldn't close. This put a tremendous amount of stress on the hinge. Because the 120lbs clam was continuously having to support itself. I ended up using a plastic 14"x9" container to keep the clam properly positioned. So far I've notice a dramatic improvement in mantle extension, and it's only been a week since I added the container.

 

[AquaTDV]

 

[scuzy]

Mine had sesame issue and it died after 4 weeks


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