My first clam

moliken, I hope you stop back by...now that the clam has pretty much forced its way down to the bottom, I'm a bit concerned that it won't do well long-term on a surface where it cannot attach (the glass). It has stopped jumping around quite as much, I think. Will lack of attachment be a real problem?
clam can cert'ly attach to the bottom. np. for me, i'd place some small, 1/2", rocks around it. maybe it'll grab onto those. then moving is easier. if he gets enough light on bottom, no probs. i have a few unattached little clams.
 
clam can cert'ly attach to the bottom. np. for me, i'd place some small, 1/2", rocks around it. maybe it'll grab onto those. then moving is easier. if he gets enough light on bottom, no probs. i have a few unattached little clams.

OK, great - he's stopped hopping quite as much. I'll make sure he gets enough light!
 
my clam has never really attched itself where its fixed....maybe thats because its small....dont worry about attaching if its open and looks happy....i freaked out about my clam for a while,but now i realize its one of the hardy pieces in my tank.....i looks sweet and seems healthy so just relax and enjoy:love2:
 
also it can be placed anywhere in the tank....you have enough lighting dont worry about spot lighting
 
my clam has never really attched itself where its fixed....maybe thats because its small....dont worry about attaching if its open and looks happy....i freaked out about my clam for a while,but now i realize its one of the hardy pieces in my tank.....i looks sweet and seems healthy so just relax and enjoy:love2:

also it can be placed anywhere in the tank....you have enough lighting dont worry about spot lighting

your cal,alk,mag levels are more important....keep them stable

Thanks for the comments and advice, sneaton.

I'm doing pretty well keeping my levels good now, although testing daily is a PITA!

Do you have any idea what this is, in the middle of the picture? It seems stationary...has these two antennae...

clam_critter01.jpg
 
that's an odd thing fr sure. details??

Sorry to miss your post. I've received suggestions that it's a type of vermetid snail. Seems there are more than one, and they are putting out mucus strands. The "snail" can extend out a bit, or retract completely.

This darn clam is hopping all over the bottom of my tank. It now likes to move closer to the rocks, so that the mantle contacts them and there is increased risk of a hermit failling into it.
 
I would like to know how much you paid for this clam ? Is this giant clam ?

I paid $100. I got a good price, I think, because I was on an organized club trip to the vendor's facility. Could be wrong about that, though.

I don't know enough about clams to tell you if it's considered a giant clam. This one is between 5 and 6 inches long; I have no idea how big they can get.
 
After hop after hop after hop, I decided to try to box-in my clam. Got some rock from the sump, and ended up with this:

trapped_clam01.jpg


I also lowered my main lights a bit, since the clam is so low in the tank. I wish I knew what kind of PAR the LED fixture is delivering.

The clam looks ok still, although there is a section of mantle that is pulled in a bit - right front, in the picture below. Hoping that's not indicative of a problem.

iffy_mantle01.jpg
 
Hmm I don't like the look of that mantel . Does it look like that all the time? Also by now that clam should have attached itself to the glass. And if she is expelling zoo then there is a real concern there. Should have more than enough light. Have u checked her for snails?
 
;personally, i wouldn't worry about attaching. it may never do that, or as is the case w/many maxis, there might be a small r ck already attached and that's enough for the clam to not need anything more. i have 3 that are in that situation. tridacs frequently expel zooanthellae [sp] for no reason that should be a cause fior alarm.
 
Hmm I don't like the look of that mantel . Does it look like that all the time? Also by now that clam should have attached itself to the glass. And if she is expelling zoo then there is a real concern there. Should have more than enough light. Have u checked her for snails?

No sign of snails, fortunately. I've noticed the clam can retract any little part of its mantle that it chooses...I'm thinking now that the mantle may have been retracted there due to the tang swimming right by it constantly. That part of the clam ended up in the tang's lane of travel near the glass.

I'll watch again today. The clam is on its side at a 45 degree angle again, due to a hop. Constantly happening. Driving me nuts.

;personally, i wouldn't worry about attaching. it may never do that, or as is the case w/many maxis, there might be a small r ck already attached and that's enough for the clam to not need anything more. i have 3 that are in that situation. tridacs frequently expel zooanthellae [sp] for no reason that should be a cause fior alarm.

I sure hope it changes its mind and does attach. I always hear a clam knows best, but it seems it is always either ending up partially on its side, or at the edge of a rock ledge where the light is lower, and a hermit could fall on it. I really want to put it back up in that rock crevice, but it would likely just shove my whole rock pile over again!
 
Try feeding it every day for a 3 days, see if she settles down. You sure no fish are nipping at her?

I only have one fish - a Kole tang - and I haven't seen it nip at the mantle. Once I thought it grazed on the shell close to the mantle, though.

Clam looks the same today, with just dawn/dusk lights on, so far.
 
Ah ok, well u will notice the eyes ripped out if she was nipping at her. Try a bit of phyto see if the clam settles down. It might be she is used to a higher amount of food in the water column.
 
Ah ok, well u will notice the eyes ripped out if she was nipping at her. Try a bit of phyto see if the clam settles down. It might be she is used to a higher amount of food in the water column.

I feed Reef Chili pretty much daily. Are you recommending I target feed the clam?

The unextended part of the mantle is not really folded over or under as I hear is often the case with pinched mantle. Still can't figure it out, though. Do you think it looks like pinched mantle?
 
not pm to me. i'm pretty sure that if you target feed the i siphon the clam will immediately retract, and send everything through the e siphon. unless you can do it so gently that it creates extremely low flow. if you're determined to use more than Reef Chili daily, water column is best\ imo
 
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