Derasa Clam can't close completely

[npaden]

I was just bored and reading the thread on cleaning clams shells and thought I would ask for some thoughts on this. I have a Derasa clam that has grown very rapidly in the last year or so. I don't know if this is what caused the problem or what, but the clam can't close up completely like all my other clams. The shells don't align properly and when it closes there is still about a 1/2" of open space where the ridges don't line up right.

Any thoughts on this?

I'll try to make it close up tonight and see if I can get a good pic.

Thanks, Nathan

 

[jim norris]

Nathan,
Sounds like a good friend for my derasa "Scar". After many months Scar had a 1/2 inch gap---not because he was misalign but it was the last piece of shell I could not find. He has grown the 1/2 gap completely back and can close 100%. Show some pictures!
Jim
www.tanku.net

 

[npaden]

Well here is a pic of my baby. It has a general aversion to closing in the first place (I can poke it with a plastic poker all day long and it won't even try to close all the way) but it will only close this much even when I pull it out of the water. The pic isn't misleading or at an angle or something, the shells just don't match up perfectly so it can't close all the way.

You can see down at the front where the shells don't match up. I think it is a perfectly healthy (and heavy) clam as it has doubled in size in the last year, but it wouldn't last long if there were some serious clam predators around.

On a side note there were at least a dozen medium sized bristleworms under the clam when I picked it up. (I rarely pick this clam up - like once every couple months or so). There have always been several bristleworms that live under the clam and have never inflicted any visible damage and since they've been hanging out under it for nearly a year while it's doubled in size I seriously doubt they could be harming it at all. They can even attach themselves to the hinge area and hang on to the clam when I pull it out of the water.

Okay, enough of my rambling. Here's the pic:

Also, here is a pic of it from a few days ago when fully opened:

Maybe since this particular clam closes so rarely the shell doesn't come together to check alignment or something!

Oh well, just kind of a different look. FWIW, Nathan

 

[toptank]

I personally would not bother with it much as you could make it worse. Sure is a very looking clams. I have a 5" derasa in my tank that has been that way for about a year, no problem with him at all.

Barry

 

[jim norris]

Beautiful mantle extension! Great looking derasa! I would also just leave him alone and watch those worms!
Jim
www.tanku.net