Mystery Nips

[dp reefer]

I'm not having good luck with my clams right now. After re-balancing my system and replacing my MH bulb, they started looking better in only a few days. Now that they are extending their mantles, it looks like something has been nipping at them. Is this the work of fish or parasites? The only fish I have are a jawfish, firefish, tri-color wrasse, and a royal gramma, plus a blue tang that I just relocated with someone else because it was getting too big. Heres a pic with some arrows pointing to the nips on the derasa that got hit the hardest:

 

[skinz78]

what kind of shrimp and crabs do you have?

The wrasse is one suspect

 

[dp reefer]

I have a feeling it might be the wrasse too which sucks cause its my favorite fish but not worth my $200 in clams it could potentially destroy. I have a coral banded shrimp and a few emerald crabs and blue legs. The croceas have almost no nips compared to the derasas my blue maxima and largest crocea have none (knock on wood)

 

[WayneY]

When you say blue tang do you mean blue hippo. My blue hippo used to bite my clams mantles and leave little half circle tears until I moved the clams to my other tanks.

 

[skinz78]

The emeralds and coral banded are also suspects but I would guess the wrasse first.

 

[orchidsnfish]

My blue hippo used to bite my clams mantles and leave little half circle tears until I moved the clams to my other tanks.

Mine does too if I dont keep nori in the tank 24/7... The tang would be my number 1 suspect. Definately looks like fish bites to me.

 

[dp reefer]

Well I just got rid of the tang because it was getting a little big for my tank so hopefully it was the nipper. Will clams regrow mantel that has been nipped or just heal with ugly tattered mantles?

 

[skinz78]

They will regrow mantle. It will be a milky white color first but will color up with time.