crocea keeps moving--help!

[catdoc]

I've had my crocea since this summer and it had been doing well, has new white growth at the margin of the shell, nice mantle extension, good "visual" response to fish swimming by. I moved my livestock over from my 90 to the 125 3 weeks ago. I'm acclimating the tank from dual 175W MH to dual 400W MH (have the pendant hung higher, several layers of window screening over tank, increasing photoperiod). The clam has been firmly anchored to a piece of rock since I placed it in my tank.

Last Sunday, I found a weird fleshy thing in the tank that I think may have been the clam's byssal organ. It looked like a shrimp tail (curved, firm, white, almost looked segmented like a shrimp minus a shell), with a 1/2" to 3/4" fringy edge on one side. It had no odor like a dead animal would have and after I removed it from the tank, I saw the clam had "jumped" off of its rock. It has jumped 2 more times since. Yesterday, I decided to try moving it to a spot where it had more direct light (I had it on the bottom of the tank about 12" from the end of a 72" tank). I just found it's flopped itself over again. It still extends its mantle (until I pick it up). Its color looks fine. When I turned it over to look at the byssal area, I can actually look INTO the clam, like a big hole. I do not see any parasites/snails in there or on it.

What do I do? I haven't righted it yet, it's getting to where I'm afraid that each time I replace it I may just be stressing it more. Should I leave it to find its own place? Place it higher in the rockwork? Or is it a lost cause and I can't help it? It's about 4 to 4 1/2" long, btw. I have not been target feeding it b/c I was of the understanding that clams of this size don't need directly fed? Have I starved it?

Please help, I don't whether to intercede or let it be!

 

[mbbuna]

it needs time to adjust to the new tank conditions. i would take a small flat rock and place it just under the sand and place the clam over it. then place a few peaces of rubble next to the clam to keep it from falling over. when it attaches to the rock you can slowly move it up into the rocks again. the fleshy stuff you found was the clams byssal threads, the clam should be fine,and when its happy again they will grow back

 

[catdoc]

It was attached to a piece of flat rock (Caribbean) and the tank is bare-bottom. I can keep putting it on the rock, but it keeps jumping off. I had the clam positioned in a trough in the rock, so I think it really had to work to get out of that trough. I don't know if rubble will keep it upright if it's that determined, but I don't know what else to try.

thanks for the reply!

 

[Charlie Davidson]

Christy, I tried for @ 6months to make some clams position themselves in a manner I liked. It never worked with a crocea!! They just moved around - till they find a spot they like! (Of corase- in a spot I cannot easily view them) :lol:

 

[klese]

Thanks for the tip Charlie, just picked up a crocea today and noticed that it was moving quite often with a small rock underneath. I'll take your words for it.

 

[catdoc]

I decided since the clam obviously wasn't happy on the bottom, to try moving it up higher. It's now about 1/2 way up in the tank and hasn't budged for 2 days. I guess it likes the new spot. For now anyway...