how do clams move

[loganthebomb]

i dont know how clams move but i think mine did.i have a derasa and the mantle went in but the middle came up to the shell and then all of a sudden i saw sand burst away from the side that the exit hole is on and it moved a little bit. but i just want to know whats going on if its moving or if anybody has had the same experience.

 

[moliken]

derasas move all the time. what you saw is simply a law of motion: the clam exhales violently and moves in the opposite direction. but generally they are slowly moving all the time, a few inches in a week or so. why? well, that's speculation. they do love to congregate in groups, so that may be an explanation. How? is just by moving their false foot.

 

[loganthebomb]

thanks for the info

thanks for the info

derasas move all the time. what you saw is simply a law of motion: the clam exhales violently and moves in the opposite direction. but generally they are slowly moving all the time, a few inches in a week or so. why? well, that's speculation. they do love to congregate in groups, so that may be an explanation. How? is just by moving their false foot.

 

[moliken]

there's a famous vid of clams put on a grid and time lapsed. they end up touching each other.fairly funny link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un2Fx2YJELw&feature=player_embedded

 

[coralreefhq]

They move with their foot, sometimes I'm unaware to where my clams move all the time.
Once the find a location they like, they'll stay there permanently. If you attempt to remove them, it'll affect their longevity.

 

[moliken]

hq, not completely correct. derasas do not attach, or stay permanently, and just from my experience, both of mine have never stopped moving around the substrate.
once they feel they are heavy enough, probably over 10 inches, they may stay still, but moving them [derasas, gigas, or hippos, or any clam that is not permanently grabbed onto something--i have a crocea that is loose on the rock, and i turn him frequently to see different views] causes no harm at all. many people regularly take these out of their tank to scrub, no issues.

 

[goochesfish]

Moving clam

Moving clam

My clam keeps moving to a position that makes it harder to appreciate it's beauty. When I turn it so I could see the mantle better, it eventually moves back. Does anyone else have shy clams?
This is how I want it

Then it moves so I can't see it

 

[goochesfish]

Sorry

Sorry

Meant to start my own thread

 

[moliken]

derasas will move all over:
how i'd like them

where they end up

just gently move it back and it'll move again. pretend it's a game