Is my clam a goner?

[Reeferparty]

I came home today and caught my cleaner shrimp and purple tang red handed nipping away at my clam! I quickly put it down in my sump. Is it a goner? Looks pretty bad..sorry for the iPhone picture.

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[jda]

How long have you had it? There is no new shell growth there, so if you have had it long, then it is probably going to die eventually. New shell growth is the only way to make sure that a clam is healthy.

Most normal tank inhabitants don't eat clams when healthy, but they will take a free meal once they start to die.

 

[Reeferparty]

How long have you had it? There is no new shell growth there, so if you have had it long, then it is probably going to die eventually. New shell growth is the only way to make sure that a clam is healthy.

Most normal tank inhabitants don't eat clams when healthy, but they will take a free meal once they start to die.

I've had it for like 2 going on 3 weeks


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[Ertan]

The answer is, unfortunately, yes.

 

[Ertan]

I highly recommend that you remove the clam from your tank.

 

[JustinM]

My cleaner shrimp was nipping at my clam as well. More so because my tank is fallow and I wasn't feeding it. Sorry to hear of this, hope it pulls through for you.

 

[carrots]

I had a similar experience. My clam was happy for about a year living with a Purple tang and cleaner shrimp as well as other fish. Due to my job demands, I fell behind on tank maintenance to the point that I later found out that the nitrates had jumped up to 50. When I finally made, or found the time to work on the tank I saw the cleaner shrimp and Tang ripping into the clam. I think the clam had died first then the clean up started. I hope yours can be saved.