Hitchhiker baby clam on a snail!!

I did kill the snail. The shell is now on top of a rock, closer to the light. So if it is a tridacnid that should help, if it is not, it wont matter.
 
Poor snail:( *sniffle

But hey, if that clam is indeed a tridacnid, it would be killer for it to grow out from such a small size in your tank!:)
 
For Freed and MarkS

Sorry for not replying sooner, I'm not yet in the habit of checking my PM.

I counted 7 ridges. The "mantle" (if it is a mantle for what it is) is kinda white ish with green specks.
I think Minh is right, it is not a tridacnid calm.
 
Green specks sounds like zooxanthellae to me though. Give it a few months to see if it turns into the flower we are all hoping it will. Freed
 
Freed said:
Green specks sounds like zooxanthellae to me though. Give it a few months to see if it turns into the flower we are all hoping it will. Freed
Click to expand...
Freed,
I think you got wrong information on a website that state that zooxanthellae are colorful. They are not colorful but is golden brown. The color of corals and clams are pigments that is not related to zooxanthellae at all. When the coral or clam bleached or lose their zooxanthellae they become whitish pastel color without the brown color. They still retain their pigment. This will eventually fade also, presume due to the coral or clam lack the energy to maintain these pigment.
Minh
 
I did a google search and typed in "zooxanthellae colors". At least the first 7 or 8 entries stated that the colors of clams and corals are because of the colorful zooxanthellae in the tissue of the inverts. Please try this and you will see what I am going by. There are also a couple of entries that state what you have said as well but not nearly as many. Thanks, Freed
 
I think you should pay more attention to the source rather than the number. Anybody can put anything on the internet.
If you don't believe me, limited your search to the published scientific articles.
Minh
 
The colors in corals are caused by proteins that the corals make to reflect light. They can use it to protect the zooxanthellae from too much light by keeping it between the light source and the zooxanthellae, or they can move it under the zooxanthellae to reflect light back up to it in low light situations.
 
Freed said:
I did a google search and typed in "zooxanthellae colors". At least the first 7 or 8 entries stated that the colors of clams and corals are because of the colorful zooxanthellae in the tissue of the inverts. Please try this and you will see what I am going by. There are also a couple of entries that state what you have said as well but not nearly as many. Thanks, Freed
Click to expand...

I've read just about everything by Delbeek and Sprung, and they concur with what Mihn in saying also; zooxanthallae are brownish algea, and the pigments you see on the mantle is like melatonin in human skin when we tan, it's a protein that blocks uv radiation.
 
MMM. The thing I hate about reef central- rumors and opinions!! Haha. The "clam" is actually an oyster. Search google images for the genus "Lopha" and you'll find something strangely similar. Tridacnids can have more than 6 folds in their shell, in fact, check out this picture of a Hippopus, and you'll see he easily has 7 on one side alone. Here's the determining factor, though: I know we've all read as many Tridacnid books as possible before buying ours, so we know how they attach to stuff... the bysuss! That feller is attached to the snail by cementing his left shell to it, something that no clam does, but all oysters do.

As for the color of zooxanthellae, I searched google, and of the first 10 entries, 4 said it is brown, 3 said "the color of the coral is due to the color of the zooxanthellae" and 3 didn't provide relevant information. You could also look at the color of the stuff yourself. Search Symbiodinium, the genus of nearly all zooxanthellae, and you'll find pictures like this one or this one .

If it sounds like I'm trying to drive a point home, its because I am. It makes me sad that people come here to get real information, and when someone who actually knows what he or she is talking about offers advice, they are bashed for crushing someone's hopes. Take what you find here with a grain of salt. The prevalence of an opinion does not make it fact.

What you do have there, Dan, is not a Tridacnid, but it is a damn cool little shell, and will look awesome once it's all grown up. I bet you won't come across many people who have one of those in their tank!

Peace, good luck.

Jimmy
 
Well said Jimmy. It's been fun and very informative following this thread and getting so many opinions. I had know idea my question would start such a debate.
I will try and post a new picture in a few months so everyone can look at changes. (it hasn't changed much yet). In the mean time I'm going to learn how to post pictures.
Cheers
 
i would sacrifice the snail for the clam if it were me, it looks like a maxima or crocea too small to tell but you can defintely see some blue coloration in the mantle.
 
well looking around doing a searcg i found this thread, Can some one post the pics and give an update? The pics dont work so im bumed out.
 
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