Deresa Issue..Possibly?

[JENnKerry]

We have had our Derasa for almost 2 years and grown from 3 inches to 6 inches. Basically doing very well. About two weeks ago I noticed that he was acting a little strange.

Well, he started laying down on his side and when I went to pick him upright, it almost felt like his shells were detached and he would fall in two. But as soon as I went to totally pick him up, he snapped up real tight. He isnt opening up AS much as before but still open. As you can see from the picture, just a little part of his mantle is pulled in. Dont know why.

I flipped him over to look at the underside and I found a few bristle worms crawling around near the foot and in between the shells where they meet. Im not sure if that has something to do with it but I checked out to see if it was dying and I didnt smell anything funky. So Im kinda stumped.

Alright, tank parms:

125 Gallon (also has gold Maxima doing very well)
576 Watt PC lights
80.1 Degrees
1.0025 Salinity
Cal 400-425

No changes in the tank, it has never had any problem nor has any of the other tanks. Very stable.

Clam experts, please let me know what you think!

Jen-

 

[mbbuna]

have you checked for pyram snails?

when did you add the Maxima?

to keep it upright i would make a dent in the sand and place the clam in it.

i would remove the worms from the clam but i dont think they are the cause

 

[JENnKerry]

The Maxima went in about a year ago. I will check for those snails though. Hope I dont have them!

 

[mbbuna]

the best time to look is an hour or 2 after lights out.

they look like this

photo by Barry N.

what fish do you have?