some kind of snail under my clams mantel.
- Thread starter datman422
- Start date
Johnsteph10
New member
Pyramid snails are obligate parasites - they bore through the shell and suck lymphatic fluid. In the wild, clams almost always have them, but in low numbers. In our tanks, there aren't natural predators and huge numbers of clams, so they muliply quickly.
People seem to try predation with limited results. As mentioned above, yellow coris wrasses (REQUIRE good sandbed of at least a few inches if you want them to live more than a few weeks) and some other wrasses seem to be a hit or miss.
The only surefire way is to constantly pick them off. Wait until lights out for a while then get your clam and pick 'em off. Be thorough. Look for gelatinous egg masses. Scrape those off, too. Check the scutes (ridges on the side of the clam as they are a fav hiding place). Some ppl will actually break 'em off since it is easier and doesn't hurt the clam.
No FW dipping, iodine dips, etc. Those only stress the clam out more. If you're diligent you can beat them back. Another solution is to remove the clams from the display tank and QT them for several weeks -- making sure the clams themselves are clean.
Pyramid snails come in a bunch of different varieties, each of which is a specific obligate parasite meaning that clam parasitizing pyramellids won't parasitize snails (like turbos and vice versa). This means that if you don't have clams, you won't have pyramids. Remove the clams and the pyramids will die given time.
Long-winded answer, eh? Sorry about that! HTH!
John
People seem to try predation with limited results. As mentioned above, yellow coris wrasses (REQUIRE good sandbed of at least a few inches if you want them to live more than a few weeks) and some other wrasses seem to be a hit or miss.
The only surefire way is to constantly pick them off. Wait until lights out for a while then get your clam and pick 'em off. Be thorough. Look for gelatinous egg masses. Scrape those off, too. Check the scutes (ridges on the side of the clam as they are a fav hiding place). Some ppl will actually break 'em off since it is easier and doesn't hurt the clam.
No FW dipping, iodine dips, etc. Those only stress the clam out more. If you're diligent you can beat them back. Another solution is to remove the clams from the display tank and QT them for several weeks -- making sure the clams themselves are clean.
Pyramid snails come in a bunch of different varieties, each of which is a specific obligate parasite meaning that clam parasitizing pyramellids won't parasitize snails (like turbos and vice versa). This means that if you don't have clams, you won't have pyramids. Remove the clams and the pyramids will die given time.
Long-winded answer, eh? Sorry about that! HTH!
John
datman422
New member
Johnsteph10: Awesome inputs. Thx for the education on pyramid snails. Is it ok for me to remove the clam and maybe brush them off with a toothbrush? Is there any procaustion I should take when removing my clam out of the water? How long can a clam sit outside of water? I have a squasmosa that mantle have been receeded for over 3-4 weeks now and doesnt look too happy. Is this the effect of pyrmid snails? thx
Johnsteph10
New member
datman422: Sure, you can remove the clam. A lot of clams are actually exposed to air for a good while with low tides and such. I wouldn't leave it out in the air for long though - just use a shallow container to keep it in while you brush it off.
On the squamosa question - probably. Pyramid snail effects are gradual and can take months to really start stressing a clam. Mantle recession is probably one of the first signs.
If it is more convenient, some people use airline tubing and make a little gravity-fed vacuum to suck the snails off the clam each night and then every few days will take it out to examine it.
I know it's a lot of work
but you sound like you're on the ball.
Glad to be of the limited help I am!
John
On the squamosa question - probably. Pyramid snail effects are gradual and can take months to really start stressing a clam. Mantle recession is probably one of the first signs.
If it is more convenient, some people use airline tubing and make a little gravity-fed vacuum to suck the snails off the clam each night and then every few days will take it out to examine it.
I know it's a lot of work
but you sound like you're on the ball.Glad to be of the limited help I am!
John
bcolvin
New member
waged that war last month! Man 1: snails 0
waged that war last month! Man 1: snails 0
Hey,
Get as many of those little punks off the clam as you can. I just left the clam in the tank and used a pair of forcepts to remove the snails. My clam is now in excelent shape. By the way I too have a six line wrasse that does nothing against the snails. If you are dilligent about removing the snails and follow up you should be in the clear. Good luck!
Bennett
waged that war last month! Man 1: snails 0
Hey,
Get as many of those little punks off the clam as you can. I just left the clam in the tank and used a pair of forcepts to remove the snails. My clam is now in excelent shape. By the way I too have a six line wrasse that does nothing against the snails. If you are dilligent about removing the snails and follow up you should be in the clear. Good luck!
Bennett
datman422
New member
bcolvin: THX for the Encouragement . Last night I took all three of my clams out and scrub them with a toothbrush. I think I got most of them out, however my squasmosa is still in pretty bad shape. I can still see a few snails that are inside the clam and was unable to remove them. any tips on removing snails that are louge inside? thx.
bcolvin
New member
describe inside
describe inside
What do you mean by inside? If you mean imbeded in the mantle I would use a pair of fine tipped forcepts to remove the snails. If you you actually mean way deep down in the clam that would be different. Maybe freshwater dip? The consequences of this would stress out the an already beaten up clam. But if the snails are way too deep to reach then I would think your options would be limited. Again my squamosa was in bad shape but made a quick (approx. one week) recovery after the snails were all removed. Good Luck keep me posted!
Bennett
describe inside
What do you mean by inside? If you mean imbeded in the mantle I would use a pair of fine tipped forcepts to remove the snails. If you you actually mean way deep down in the clam that would be different. Maybe freshwater dip? The consequences of this would stress out the an already beaten up clam. But if the snails are way too deep to reach then I would think your options would be limited. Again my squamosa was in bad shape but made a quick (approx. one week) recovery after the snails were all removed. Good Luck keep me posted!
Bennett
datman422
New member
http://reefers.org/album/images/3583_106454.JPG
This picture was borrow from its orginal thread.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=489644
This picture was borrow from its orginal thread.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=489644
No. The mantle recession is likely from being super stressed by pyramid snails. Dipping would likely make things worse.
Every night for a week or two, check and remove all snails from all clams. When the clam realizes it's not being constantly preyed upon, it will improve.
Every night for a week or two, check and remove all snails from all clams. When the clam realizes it's not being constantly preyed upon, it will improve.
greenfroggiespawn
New member
i've had my derasa for about a few months, the mantle extends nicely and to me it is healthy.. do u think that, perhaps by now i would've gotten tthem??
all i see is new clam shell growing and extending.. but no snails or anything.. am i okay?? or will it hit me later on?
all i see is new clam shell growing and extending.. but no snails or anything.. am i okay?? or will it hit me later on?
Similar threads
