Fish got hungry and picked at Maxima

[d4a2n0k]

I usually feed my fish twice a day because they are pigs. Flakes in the morning and frozen in evening.

Saturday morning I fed them flakes as usual then left to do the family Christmas thing. Didnt get back until Saturday night so they never got their dinner. Then Sunday, I left at 7 am before lights were on and didnt get back until 6 pm when I noticed my clam was torn apart.

I watched the tank and noticed my PB Tang and Foxface were both picking at his mantle. I usually have seaweed clipped for them because they look for trouble, they really are fat, but didnt because I had to rush out.

They chewed a small portion of his mantle but only the part that hangs over his shell. They took little nips around the outside. They didnt do any damage to the part near his siphon.

I have had this Teardrop Maxima for about a month and also have a Derasa that they didnt touch.

All my levela are fine (0 ammonia, nitrites, <5 nitrates, calcium 420) and my lights are in my sig.

He is still responding very well to any movement but just isnt opened as much as he usually is. Also, the mantle near his siphon is sunken in a bit.

The fish havent touched him since because they got fed and also have seaweed now to munch on. I will continue to monitor them.

Do clams usually recover from this type of damage?

 

[Peabody]

They can recover....if your fish continue to pick place something like a strawberry basket over the clam so he can still get light and flow, yet can't be picked on by fish.

Beware the foxface...they can often be habitual clam nippers. There's a thread about this a few below this one. Two guys here have had foxfaces go clam eaters in the last week.

 

[d4a2n0k]

The clam is looking better today, hopefully his recovery will continue. Since I clipped some seaweed up for them, they havent touched the clam. I will continue to monitor them. I hope I dont have to get rid of the fish but will if it happens again.

Thanks.