I went to a LFS today (tropicorium in MI) and they had some really beautifully colored ultra grade croceas that they had just gotten in, however when I looked closely at them, almost every single one of them had what looked like pinched mantle disease. Basically it looked like something had taken a bite out of multiple spots on their mantles. I ended up getting a small maxima instead that looks very healthy as far as I can tell. My question is Is pinched mantle specific to croceas or can all the other clams get it too? Also, is it easily spread from clam to clam through the water? What kind of organism/disease process is responsible for this disease? Can clams get over it once they have it?
Pinched Mantle
- Thread starter hatfielj
- Start date
its currently believed to be caused by a protozan(splled that wrong but hopefully you get the idea), and a real cure is being looked into by barry at clamsdirect, the best way of cure it we have is loading up your tank filtration with carbon and doing a 15-20min freshwater dip on the clam. I believe other clams can get it, but I'm new to clams and haven't done enough reading up on it, but it definately seems to me that croceas seem to get it more, but this could just be because croceas are more common on the market. I have heard of it spreading from one clam to another but I'm not sure if thats just happenstance or the protozan(sorry about the spelling again) spreading/moving.
Rovert
Premium Member
ProtozOan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protozoa
This is what I've gathered based on research in this forum and others over the past couple of weeks, having lost two Maximas recently, myself, though we're not positive it was due to PM. Rumor has it that there are aliens involved.
Maximas are allegedly more resistant to the infestation, Croceas get it easier and/or worse. The exact species of protozoan and corresponding cure is still elusive, and under study at this time.
Fresh water dips of up to 20 minutes are alleged to have a positive effect, presumably because the clam is a 'higher' animal and can resist and survive inclement conditions longer than a simpler animal that does not have the same complex energy pathways to ward off adverse conditions.
Personally, I'm skeptical about using carbon to 'filter' out protozoan infestations. I understand how carbon can bond with and lock up and/or neutralize chemical pollutants, but I'm not so sure about organisms. However, I'm open to hearing other opinions. It occurs to me while writing this, that if anything, UV would be the way to go, by isolating the clam in a quarantine and running the water through ultraviolet sterilization, or possibly ozone, to kill the parasite.
Just my two cents. I'm sure someone here will correct me if I'm mistken.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protozoa
This is what I've gathered based on research in this forum and others over the past couple of weeks, having lost two Maximas recently, myself, though we're not positive it was due to PM. Rumor has it that there are aliens involved.
Maximas are allegedly more resistant to the infestation, Croceas get it easier and/or worse. The exact species of protozoan and corresponding cure is still elusive, and under study at this time.
Fresh water dips of up to 20 minutes are alleged to have a positive effect, presumably because the clam is a 'higher' animal and can resist and survive inclement conditions longer than a simpler animal that does not have the same complex energy pathways to ward off adverse conditions.
Personally, I'm skeptical about using carbon to 'filter' out protozoan infestations. I understand how carbon can bond with and lock up and/or neutralize chemical pollutants, but I'm not so sure about organisms. However, I'm open to hearing other opinions. It occurs to me while writing this, that if anything, UV would be the way to go, by isolating the clam in a quarantine and running the water through ultraviolet sterilization, or possibly ozone, to kill the parasite.
Just my two cents. I'm sure someone here will correct me if I'm mistken.
you know if a UV would work it might be worth it to me to put one since a uv for a 20 gallon shouldn't be all that much. Haven't really thought of that but it should work, I've only recently read about the use of carbon and it seemed odd to me as well but I won't claim any knowledge as to why or why it wouldn't work.
Rovert
Premium Member
Hmmmm...
Well, as I think about it, I'm beginning to realize it won't work. If the protozoans are already infested in the tissue of the clam, running UV won't get to them there, the UV will only affect what's exposed to it. Since the protozoans are already resident in the mantle tissue, no go.
Now, if you were to do a FWD and then run UV in a regular salinity environment, there might be a chance that it'd kill off any latent "escapees" from the tissue that might reinfect the clam after they exited.
Just noodling, until someone who knows what' he's talking about jumps in.
Well, as I think about it, I'm beginning to realize it won't work. If the protozoans are already infested in the tissue of the clam, running UV won't get to them there, the UV will only affect what's exposed to it. Since the protozoans are already resident in the mantle tissue, no go.
Now, if you were to do a FWD and then run UV in a regular salinity environment, there might be a chance that it'd kill off any latent "escapees" from the tissue that might reinfect the clam after they exited.
Just noodling, until someone who knows what' he's talking about jumps in.
