Is it normal for the mantle to extend so far?

[homebrewdude]

Is this what I should see?

My clam is always been this way.
It is under 250watt 10K bulb

 

[Grins]

Wait for one of the experts but to my novice eye it looks like it is hyperextending towards light. I see you have a MH but how far away from the bulb is the clam? I'm not sure how deep your 120g is and it looks like it might be towards the bottom?

 

[homebrewdude]

It is now on the bottom.
it was extending just as far when it was 4" under the bulb

 

[a4twenty]

how old is the bulb?

how much flow do you have?

how long have you had him?

did you really have the clam 4" under a 250W bulb?, and for how long?

are those polyps on the left stinging the clam?

 

[homebrewdude]

Maybe it was 6" under the bulb
The bulbs are a month old
I have had it for 8 months
It has always looked like this.
The polyps were placed there last week.

Is this now how a clam should look?

 

[Echidna09]

This is how all crocea clams I have seen look. In my opinion (don't know for sure -Havent researched it-), croceas extend their mantle far more than most other clams. Someone said that mine was hyperextending his mantle, but I knew he wasn't because that's how he always was. It looked like he was pointing his mantle up because the glass was in the way. All the croceas at my fish store look like this. Again, I just think croceas have bigger mantles that the other giant clams (which may be why they are the most light-needy?).

 

[zuzecawi]

Looks hyper extended to me. I have croceas, they aren't THAT radically extended. I do notice they extend more than other clams, but they also need higher light, and seems to me that most hobbyists just don't provide the right spectrum and intensity of light to supply the true needs of these clams. Do you dose with phytoplankton? Might help the clam to get some alternative nutrition. Can't hurt as long as you don't go too crazy about it.

Just my 02 cents

 

[homebrewdude]

I do dose DT's
I will move it back up, but it has always been that extended, even when it was at the top of the tank.

Could this just be how my clam is?

 

[CMcNeil]

i have 11 clams and most of mine extend out like you pictured.mine are on the bottom of a 14"deep tank with a 175w MH about 3" from the surface.i think they look fine.

 

[homebrewdude]

Do you feed yours also??

 

[CMcNeil]

yes i feed them about 3 times a week with phytofeast.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

In my opinion, that clam is hyperextending for the light. I suggest moving it up closer to the light.

Croceas may have a mantle that large, but they dont usually reach up like that. They should lay flat against the shell or surrounding substrate.

 

[homebrewdude]

I will move it up....

Back to where it was, I thought it was getting too much light.

How long before it stops hyperextending??

 

[homebrewdude]

I was not able to put it the old spot - something else is there.

I am 1 inch left of the bulb
9 inches down

The original photo was 25 inches down from the bulb.

 

[zuzecawi]

Give it a week or so and then check. I take pictures of things when I move them around for comparison. I had a clam hyperextending that appeared to be the same up higher, until I looked back at old photos and saw that indeed, it had quit extending so far.

 

[dcs03tx]

I kinda like mine to be extended like that. As long as the color is good and theyre stayin open by day and closed by night, I dont see the problem

 

[homebrewdude]

Mine has been at the top of the tank for almost a month now.
Looks about the same, except the mantel folds over the sides more.
But they are just as long.

This could be from the higher flow also

 

[a4twenty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10747295#post10747295 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by homebrewdude
Mine has been at the top of the tank for almost a month now.
Looks about the same, except the mantel folds over the sides more.
But they are just as long.

that is normal

crocea's are known to have large mantles, they usually lay flat rather than pointing upward.