Crocea gaping??

[christyf5]

Hi,

I'm not sure if its gaping or just acclimating to new tank conditions. The mantle is still fully extended, exhalant siphon is doing its thing. The clam is still reactive to changes in light (ie. my hand passing over it) it does sort of close the tissue around the siphon when fish pass by but then opens it again. I have had clams before but I don't remember them showing off their innards at any point like this one. Maybe this one just doesn't have any inhibitions

I just bought the clam on Saturday, had to transport it overnight and got it into the tank late Sunday night. I was just wondering if its still acclimating to my tank or if this is a sign of something more serious.

Any advice would be appreciated

Thanks

Christy

 

[kfisc]

Croceas can appear to gape; my hunch is yours is fine.

 

[The steven liu]

I think it's fine too. my gigas' siphon was opening like your crocea's the 1st 2 days I got it. then I moved it to a spot with lower current and then it was fine. So if your clam still gapes after a while maybe you can try move it.

 

[christyf5]

Thanks guys, I had read somewhere that croceas "gape" a bit more than other tridacnas but I just thought I'd check

Christy

 

[Typhon]

Usually gapping is a sign of stress ,but will normally go away in a few days.

Just keep an eye on your new clam.

BTW.. Beautiful clam!!

 

[christyf5]

I haven't been able to find any information on clam structure and morphology but yesterday when I got home, I could no longer see the "gills" (white organs shown in the above pic) and the mantle was sagging but still extended. I assume that its on its way out.

I am probably a bit too late but I found this thread and figured I'd try it. We'll see how it goes over the next couple of days.

I'm still wondering about those two organs. Does anyone have a link to a decent clam morphology site??

Christy

 

[Typhon]

Do you have an updated pic of your clam?

I don't know of any good sites, but I do know of a great book on clams. "Giant Clams" by Daniel Knops. I personally own the book and I consider it a must have for anyone that own's a clam or interested in getting one.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6649963#post6649963 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by christyf5
I haven't been able to find any information on clam structure and morphology but yesterday when I got home, I could no longer see the "gills" (white organs shown in the above pic) and the mantle was sagging but still extended. I assume that its on its way out.

I am probably a bit too late but I found this thread and figured I'd try it. We'll see how it goes over the next couple of days.

I'm still wondering about those two organs. Does anyone have a link to a decent clam morphology site??

Christy

 

[christyf5]

No I don't have a pic of it, when I got home yesterday I totally freaked out and immediately tied it up. Never thought to take a photo. I suppose today will get the better of me and I could untie it for a photo? Or should I just leave it. That is if its still hanging in there today :hmm2:

 

[kfisc]

Sorry to hear that it's taken a turn for the worse- by "sagging" do you mean the mantle is retracted? That is, it does not extend beyond the top of the shell? Hope to see a picture- good luck!

 

[christyf5]

Last night when I saw it, the mantle was still extended out past the shell about 5mm. That part of the clam looked normal, however the tissue around the incurrent siphon looked saggy and sort of like it had been stretched and didn't retract to its original shape (discolored somewhat) and the inside of the clam didn't look right to me. Hopefully its still hanging in there when I get home from work in an hour.

 

[cuong]

I hope the clam will recover. What did you use to tie it up ?

 

[christyf5]

I just used a chunk of string to tie it up. I didn't take any photos last night because I was too chicken to untie the string. It actually looks not too bad tied up. The shell has about a 1/4 inch opening and the mantle is protruding through a bit. I even saw the clam react to a fish passing over it last night which was promising (IMO) as when I handled it to tie it up there was very little response from the clam and I had to "assist" it to close its shell.

 

[jafoca]

huh... after reading that other thread I would just leave it tied...

It looks very nice, by the way!