Strange growths on the bottom of my Crocea

[Lithy]

In the last few weeks, some stony cylindrical growths have appeared on the bottom side of my clam. They look like calcareous, porous. They are fairly large (up to an inch) and more seem to appear. They prevent the clams from staying facing up to the light. Otherwise the clam seems to be doing really well.

Here is a picture (I wish it was a better picture but it is hard to capture)
http://picasaweb.google.com/ale.rugge/ClamGrowthsAndRedSponge/photo#5118843999748856594
What are these? Are they normal? should I pick them off?

Thanks!

 

[mbbuna]

i cant see anything from the photo. can you take the clam out of the tank and get a few clear photos

 

[jdieck]

Are you sure they grew? Many clams are grown on substrate of broken coral so they do not attach and when shipped some fragments of corals come attached to clam. Could that be it?

 

[Lithy]

That would make perfect sense as they indeed look like coral fragments. Expect I am positive there was nothing on the bottom of the clam when I received and for many months after that.

here are some (slightly) better pictures.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/ale.rugge/ClamGrowthsAndRedSponge/photo#5118853745029651250"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/ale.rugge/RwnSXDmrmzI/AAAAAAAAAHU/tr00RUTmtso/s400/IMGP4125.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/ale.rugge/ClamGrowthsAndRedSponge">Clam growths ...</a></td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/ale.rugge/ClamGrowthsAndRedSponge/photo#5118853766504487746"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/ale.rugge/RwnSYTmrm0I/AAAAAAAAAHc/lOrfqBwKXQo/s400/IMGP4127.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/ale.rugge/ClamGrowthsAndRedSponge">Clam growths ...</a></td></tr></table>

 

[jdieck]

All this time, they might have been inside the clam

 

[skinz78]

they are chunks of crushed coral. Your clam has attached its byssal threads to them. DO NOT pull them off you can kill your clam by doing so. The byssal threads are how a clam attach's itself to the rockwork and holds itself in place. Crocea's should be up on the rockwork and not on the sand. Try burrying a flat piece of rock in the sand underneath it that you would like it to attach too. In about a week it should be attached and you can then move it to where you want to in your rockwork.

 

[Lithy]

Thanks Chris. Very helpful...