Crocea with "droopy" mantle.

[JSeymour]

I'm not sure if there really is a problem or not, but I recieved a wild T. crocea about a week ago. He seems very healthy (light reactive, good color, no damage, no parasites, etc.) other then it's mantle seems to droop down over the shell.

My tank parameters are as follows:
83 gallon
1625 gph of circulation
550 watts 10,000K MH
108 watts of T8 actinic
pH 8.3
Hardness ~11 dKH
Calcium 425-475 ppm
Ammonia and Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrates ~5 ppm
Specific Gravity 1.025

It currently sits on a small flat rock in the substrate about 20" away from a 400 watt 10K MH. I'm not sure if it is sick or still just acclimating. Here are two pics.

 

[mbbuna]

thats normal and how they should look. nice clam

 

[JSeymour]

Thanks. This is my first clam. I'm curious though. Is there something I can do to help/make him hold out his mantle like you see in pics everywhere(possible misid's of maximas?).

I had been looking for a good blue clam, and the only one I saw that matched the color I wanted was this one. For wild-caught, not too shabby. I feel bad promoting the illegal harvesting of clams. I wish the local stores would get in bigger farm raised individuals then the 1 inchers available.

Here is a pic with his true color(previous pics are from my phone).

This pic shows what I mean about the mantle. It just doesn't stick out.

BTW, I gently moved the sand/gravel away from the byssal opening to see if it had attached to the rock. Well, it moved the rock over and attached to the glass bottom. I wanted to eventually move him up on the rocks, but I guess he likes it where he is.

 

[mbbuna]

you want the mantle to be relaxed. some croceas hold there mantles out further then others, some hold them way out because there not getting enough light.

just because a clam is wild collected doesnt mean it was illegally collected.

 

[techreef]

right, if the mantle is super-stretched out, that's a sign that the clam is starved for light and is straining to suck up as much light as it can by spreading its mantle way out. your clam looks great!

 

[TeeLapia]

Cool... Good thing I looked on this thread. I had the same issue and started to do a lot of reading and all I saw were outstreched mantles. I started to think my clams are being deprived. Thanks also guys, and good post Seymour

 

[JSeymour]

Awesome. Well, so I won't worry at all.

As far as being illegal, I was under the impression that wild giant clams of all species were protected, but you'd know better then me.

 

[mbbuna]

they are protected. however in some areas(depending on species) you can get CITES permits to collect, import/export them.

http://www.fws.gov/international/pdf/cpc.pdf