pleasants9
Member
well I had a beautiful clam, and I take indirect blame for killing it. The least I can do now is learn from my mistake for when I feel up for trying another. Here is the situation, I would appreciate all input on possible mistakes and ways to improve.
Well I bought a beautiful deresa clam from my lfs, after it had been there for a few weeks. I watched them bag it up safely and brought it home. I acclimated it and put it in the sand bed, where it stayed happily. Well about 2 weeks after putting in the tank, I was walking by the tank and noticed my conch was climbing on top of it. The clam was partially closed but not all the way. I found this weird so I pulled the conch off him, put the conch in the sump and put the clam back in the sand bed. ( I didnt take the clam out of the water in the slightest bit during this) When I pulled off the conch though his snout looking thing appeared to be sticking in the clam. So I researched if conch's ever eat clams. Well after researching I think I actually had a whelk, I collected this specimen out in the bay while paddleboarding here in pensacola. He had been in my tank for well over two months before I got the clam with no issues so i thought nothing of it. Well later that night the clam started receeding itself into its shell but not closing all the way, and his mouth (or inlet) was the biggest I've ever seen. Interior parts of the mantle were exposed a little bit. I made sure my water was in good params since that seemed to be the best state of action and let him be. The next morning I noticed a hermit crab just inside the clam, when i tried to push the crab out the clam was closed just enough to not let him fall through but still slightly open. I used a wooden clothes pin end to slightly pry open the shell (I didn't really feel any resistance to the little bit of movement I instigated) and turned the clam over to shake out the hermit crab in the water. After getting the crab out I then covered up the clam with a large 2 liter soda bottletop with the top off so water could be exchanged, but to keep anyone else from touching him. Well the few days following he went downhill and now I know for sure he is dead :sad2:
photo a few days after putting him in the tank:
the day after the conch/hermit fiasco
yesterday
two lessons I have gathered:
1) no more wild collecting inverts
2) I should have covered him up as soon as I pulled the whelk off
Well I bought a beautiful deresa clam from my lfs, after it had been there for a few weeks. I watched them bag it up safely and brought it home. I acclimated it and put it in the sand bed, where it stayed happily. Well about 2 weeks after putting in the tank, I was walking by the tank and noticed my conch was climbing on top of it. The clam was partially closed but not all the way. I found this weird so I pulled the conch off him, put the conch in the sump and put the clam back in the sand bed. ( I didnt take the clam out of the water in the slightest bit during this) When I pulled off the conch though his snout looking thing appeared to be sticking in the clam. So I researched if conch's ever eat clams. Well after researching I think I actually had a whelk, I collected this specimen out in the bay while paddleboarding here in pensacola. He had been in my tank for well over two months before I got the clam with no issues so i thought nothing of it. Well later that night the clam started receeding itself into its shell but not closing all the way, and his mouth (or inlet) was the biggest I've ever seen. Interior parts of the mantle were exposed a little bit. I made sure my water was in good params since that seemed to be the best state of action and let him be. The next morning I noticed a hermit crab just inside the clam, when i tried to push the crab out the clam was closed just enough to not let him fall through but still slightly open. I used a wooden clothes pin end to slightly pry open the shell (I didn't really feel any resistance to the little bit of movement I instigated) and turned the clam over to shake out the hermit crab in the water. After getting the crab out I then covered up the clam with a large 2 liter soda bottletop with the top off so water could be exchanged, but to keep anyone else from touching him. Well the few days following he went downhill and now I know for sure he is dead :sad2:
photo a few days after putting him in the tank:
the day after the conch/hermit fiasco
yesterday
two lessons I have gathered:
1) no more wild collecting inverts
2) I should have covered him up as soon as I pulled the whelk off
