Crocea looks bad -- can it be saved?

[CA]

I suspect what happened was improper removal from the previous place it was attached. Before I knew better, I watched the LFS guy (temp help) remove it from a rock when I asked to buy it. He seemed a little rough about it, but I didn't know how it should be done.

I was never able to get it to secure itself very well, and would find it flopped over on its side regularly. Only recently did it sort of attach itself, but not very securely. Today I found it laying on the bottom again. When I picked it up, I noticed I could clearly see into it from the bottom, where it was closed previously. Also the mantle is quite discolored, to the point where it seems almost translucent in areas. The photos look better than it looks to the naked eye. In the second photo the areas that appear tan actually appear almost see-through on the clam, though I can't actually see through them, they seem to have depth rather than surface color. Unusual.

Water is good, other life is doing well. Water parameters:

Temp 79.6
Salinity 1.023
pH 8.3
Ammonia/Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5-10
Ca 410
KH 11.20
Phosphate 0 (or possibly small trace)

Light: 2x250w MH 10,000k 8" from water, clam is 10" from surface, 90g display tank

 

[CA]

Forgot to post my questions...

First off, ideas on whether it was damaged in the original removal?

Is there something I can/should do?

If this dies, is there a pollution danger to my tank?

Oh, and I found this thing in my tank today, no idea if it is related, but since I don't know what it is, figured I should ask if it could be a clam part.

 

[botp2k1]

Not a clam expert but it sounds like it was damaged. The clam probably attached and LFS helper may have ripped it off. If it was at the LFS for a while and on a rock, then probably the worker damaged it. If it just got to the store, it may be the locals who collected it or the LFS, or inbetween, etc.

If it is damaged, depending on the severity, it may die overnight or slowly waste away. You may want to talk to someone in charge at the LFS just in case.

That pic kinda looks like the threads from the clam.

 

[john rochon]

if theres no bysal gland/foot and you can see right thru the bottom of the clam then chances are its done for. if so, it will just die very fast and the worms will clear it up quick.

 

[corndogg]

I did that to my first crocea clam and it grew back. I've had it for over a year since.

 

[CA]

So it sounds like there's no danger to just leaving it there and seeing how it does, but also nothing in particular that I can do to improve its situation.

 

[Rothie]

The clam doesn't look sick,but it does look like it's loosing color-too little light or too much light to fast.Was it under good light at the LFS?The third pic is the byssal gland after it was expelled.It will grow back.This usually happens from poor removal and stress.I have had several clams do this during shipping or soon after.Leave it on the bottom with a flat rock under it to attach to,and don't move it anymore.Hopefully it will attach to the rock.

 

[CA]

The LFS had it under MH lighting also. It has been in my tank for probably about six weeks now, starting at the bottom and then moved to half way up when it attached. I put it back on its rock, braced against another rock, and it re-attached itself pretty quickly, which seems like a good sign.

I assume I should remove and discard the byssal gland? Nothing seems to be eating it, oddly enough, and it doesn't appear to be decomposing. It's like it's made out of plastic, or still living.

 

[botp2k1]

6 weeks? You're fine, I thought you just bought it.

 

[Rothie]

CA-This sounds very encouraging.Discard the dead byssal,and leave the clam right where he is.He should get plenty of light where he is.Hopefully the color loss is just stress related,and he will gain his color back over the next few months.Our reef inhabitants go through litteral hell before they get to our tanks.I'm surprised that any of them survive.I would feed a small amount of DT's daily to the tank to give him steady nourishment.Just a few drops-less than 1/8 tsp.Shut your skimmer off for an hour or so when you add the DT's.I never move my clams up more than about 3 inches at a time,and I do it over several months.

 

[CA]

I have been feeding Liquid Life Coral Plankton and Cyclopeze, along with Reef Chili, each on alternating days. Seems to work well for the other inverts and corals (growth and spawning), but even with the reading I've done on Crocea I can't be sure what it really needs.

I guess I panicked prematurely, but this is my first clam, and all the reading I've done makes me more paranoid.

Thanks for all the great info.

 

[Rothie]

Cyclopeze is too large for clams,although other reef critters seem to like it.I don't know anything about the Liquid Life or the Reef Chile.There is some good info and articles on the DT's website(of course).Here is a link http://www.dtplankton.com/phytoplankton/main.html