Tilted clam.

SeanT

Premium Member
Over the last week my clam has slowly tilted more and more.
A few days ago he was like this.
 
I dug a small trench in the sand and placed him upright.
He hasn't leaned over anywhere near as far as he is in the picture but he has leaned again.

Is there a reason for this?
Should I be concerned?
He is reactive to light and movement and I feed DT's.
 
Clams are not found in sand in the wild. They are only found firmly anchored to reef rock, with such strength that it is often impossible to slip a dive knife blade behind the shell (take it from someone who knows). Several species of clams actually "grind" into the rock, so that by the time they are 2" or larger more than 50% of the clam is below the rock surface.

Clams CAN be kept in sand in a reef aquarium since there are no tropical storms or large predators. However, don't expect a clam to always be happy about it. They will probably try to find a firm substrate to anchor to, since that is the only way they can position themselves (relative to the sun, etc). In a deep sand bed there is no way for them to maneuver, so they will often fall over. Also, the only way clams can expel wastes, grit, etc, is by violently closing their shell halves. When this happens the clam can topple over, etc.

Is your clam falling over something to be worried about? Not really - just put him rightside up. However if you get tired of adjusting your clam, you might consider putting him on a bit of rock. If you want the "clam in the sand" look, consider burying the rock under a little snad.
 
I had a wandering maxima. I finally decided to put him on a shell I found at the beach. With-in 2 days it was attached. Now I can move him if I need to & he never tips over. I'm still trying to get the squamosa to settle down though!
 
My first clams didn't seem to be happy on the sand but I was wary about putting them on the rocks in case they fell or in case I needed to move them. I set them on scallop shells which they quite happily attach to and I can position them any way I like and if I need to move them or take them out altogether it's easy enough to just reach in and grab the edge of the scallop shell they are on.
 
I just saw this post. This is a good idea of what clams look like in the wild:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=155326

The top three or four clams (on the rock) look like clams in the wild. They hunker down on rock and in small crevices. If they ever stuck out as much as the lower clams, they would be eaten by nurse sharks or other predators. Also note the orientation -- they orient themselves randomly, and not in rows.

You normally can't see the shells at all; the shells are deeply buried in the rock or completely covered with coraline algae, sponges, etc. You see the clam because of the beautiful mantle, but if you move too close, the clam literally "disappears" when it closes up.

In the wild I never saw any clams larger than 8", though the rocks were covered with smaller specimens (sometimes 6 or 7 within a square foot). The larger clams were eaten by villagers who hunt them aggressively. They apparently make a great soup.
 
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