PICS inside : Ordered a maxima clam from Liveaquaria. infested with pyramid snails

[samstersam]

The clam was completely healthy and beautiful. Kudos to liveaquaria. However, this situation has scared me to really believe in quarantining.

I've had a blue maxima for almost a year now, and added a gold/black/white maxima today. It opened up nicely as soon I put it into the DT after acclimating.

However, upon closer inspection, I saw a few pyramid snails. I took the clam out and with a magnifying glass removed at least a dozen of them. I used a toothbrush and scrubbed the shell vigorously. I took the blue maxima out and scrubbed the shell vigorously with a toothbrush as well.

I will be monitoring both clams carefully. But lesson learned. Even though liveaquaria is a very good online vendor, you must ALWAYS quarantine new arrivals. If I missed these snails, it would have infested my tank. Luckily the clam was only in for an hour, although who knows the eggs or baby snails might have now contaminated my DT. Anyway, I'll keep a close eye and inspect the clams every night.

<a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s78/samstersam/Reef%20Stuff/Pyramid%20snails/?action=view&current=2-clams.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s78/samstersam/Reef%20Stuff/Pyramid%20snails/2-clams.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s78/samstersam/Reef%20Stuff/Pyramid%20snails/?action=view&current=pyramid-snails2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s78/samstersam/Reef%20Stuff/Pyramid%20snails/pyramid-snails2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s78/samstersam/Reef%20Stuff/Pyramid%20snails/?action=view&current=pyramid-snails.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s78/samstersam/Reef%20Stuff/Pyramid%20snails/pyramid-snails.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[Koddie Doo]

good catch, I am not sure I wold have put them on my phone...

 

[Arkayology]

Nice clams. I had some on my crocea and maxima once. I started to pick them off and then sorta stopped. Eventually, I think either my wrasse ate them or them died off because I never saw them again after a few months. They are parasites and the chances of the clam dying due to p. snails is low. If you are really worried, I would also check any turbo snails you have as they will attached to them as well. GL

 

[ocmikep]

Good catch and a good rem

 

[ocmikep]

...reminder!

 

[Acronic]

interesting use of a blackberry! LOL

 

[reefjunkie42]

they look like little hermit crabs.. no?

 

[dogstar74]

They do look like hermits. With their claws out. If you don't see a soft grey pseudopod, then I'd wager hermits.

 

[samstersam]

2 week update.

2 week update.

Have inspected clams again and fonud no pyramid snails. I scrubbed the shells once more with a toothbrush just in case. Both clams are very wide open and happy. They catch some of the phytoplankton part of the mix when I target feed my pink goniopora with phyto/oyster feast/rotifers/crushed frozen cyclopeeze.

Also, in reply to above, no they aren't baby hermits. If you are looking at the blue colored abstractions near some of the shells, those are from prism reflections of small bubbles. These are definately pyramid snails. I've observed them after I caught them in a separate container with a magnifying glass.

 

[Zacktosterone]

I gave my clam a 30 minute dip in freshwater. I didn't have any problems after a dip. I hate quarantining too lol