Rock slide cracked my Teardrop Maxima!

[Kewlworm]

Any suggestions?

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=898250

Thanks!

 

[jeffbrig]

Fire the civil engineer?

I'm not sure if gluing would accomplish much. Keep him safe and give him a chance to recover, IMO. I don't know to what extent clams can repair their shells, or if they just grow from the edges.

 

[Kewlworm]

I hope he's going to be ok. First clam...hate to see it go.

 

[Sk8r]

Superglue was actually invented as a medical sealant. It might serve: I can't think that leaving the shell moving about with muscle contractions would be optimum...try posting this in the clams forum.

 

[cschweitzer]

I was going to say the same thing. Super glue is completely non-toxic and forms a strong bond. When I got a cut on my head, instead of going to the doctors, I used superglue to seal it shut. When body builders lose a callous, they superglue that part of their hand together. It really works and I would say it could work on a clam shell. Same basic principle.

Maybe, and I mean maybe, epoxy could work for the shell, but not the muscle or skin.

 

[Ludwigia73]

I personally think that you should not repair the crack. HOWEVER, I do believe you should stabilize the crack, because they grow new shell extremely slowly, so a tiny thin repair would just crack again. I'd use some of that 5 minute epoxy, the putty you cut some off and mix it by kneading it into a uniform color. Spread a small bit of it across the crack while holding the shell pieces together. Continue to hold them together underwater until it cures (about 5 minutes, hence the name.) I have some if you need it, but you can buy it at any home depot or lowes for about 5 - 7 bucks.

I personally would not use superglue, because it does exactly what it's supposed to... flow and find the furthest point and glue everything together. Ever use it to glue 2 pieces of balsa or ceramic together? How many of you have had to cut their fingers apart? Guilty as charged. I know I'm not the only one. If you put glue in the crack, it will find the clam and bond it to the shell in an unnatural manner. Don't try to fix the crack, stabilize it so the clam can fix it.

 

[Kewlworm]

Thanks for all the advices!

Chris, I am planning to get the aquamend 2 par epoxy from HD and stabilize the crack like you said. He's reacting to light and for some reason he always "tilt" himself to the side, so I put a rock next to him to keep him upright. Hope he will be ok.

Thanks again!