Worried about possible pyramid infestation

ezcompany

ezcompany

Premium Member
Clams are doing fine.
Tonight however, I found a snail that looks like a pyramid near the mantle, not on the mantle but still on the shell of the clam. Now I have baby Ceriths in my tank, and this clam has been in the tank for almost a month now. It opens fine, responds to light, and seems perfectly healthy.
What is a sure way of identifying a pyramid from a baby Cerith? I will check tonight in pitch black to see if there are snails on the mantle, but do they start feeding in the bysal threads first? I have removed the clam for inspection but have not found anything under there.
 
you wont see them ON the mantle the will be at the edge of the shell with there proboscis touching he mantle. they could be feeding anywhere on the snail.
 
should i go ahead and cut the byssals and check its bottom? if i have one does that 100% mean there are more? an hour after the lights were out last night i checked with a flashlight and there were none to be seen anywhere on my 3 clams.
 
hey Karl
The snail was almost pure white, i can BARELY make out some brown specks towards the end of the cone.
 
If it were me (with your clams), I'd probably want to at least get a good look at their byssal area. Wouldn't hurt to carefully cut their threads to investigate.

I know you've seen the other pyram snail thread on here, and sort of agree with how they've identified them. I've never had the clam feeding kind, but of all the pictures I've seen of those, they were always pure white. I have had the snail feeding time, and they always have some sort of coloration to them.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8630897#post8630897 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ezcompany
does anyone have any pictures of how the eggs would look like?
Click to expand...

they look like a small clear jelly. completely clear. the egg masses ive found are very small. about the size of a BB. you really need to brush the whole shell and make sure to take a tooth pick and get into the nooks and crannies of the clam
 
while doing this, is it okay for the clam to be out of the water? how long can they be exposed to the air with them shut?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8631371#post8631371 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mbbuna
they look like a small clear jelly. completely clear. the egg masses ive found are very small. about the size of a BB. you really need to brush the whole shell and make sure to take a tooth pick and get into the nooks and crannies of the clam
Click to expand...

I would do this. It works well. With my clams, I would take them out of the tank (I kept them on the sandbed) and, under a gentle stream of freshwater and allowing the water to flow from the bottom of the clam and over the top so the water would flow away from the flesh, I would brush the entire outside shell with a toothbrush. I then would wipe it dry. If the clam was completely closed, I would then completely rinse it in a gentle flow of tapwater and dry it off again. They can stay out of water for some time. 5 minutes is no big deal. Make sure the water is close to the same temp as the tank. After you do this, then put them back into the tank. You may want to repeat this every week for about a month and that should pretty much take care of it (or at least control it.)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8631500#post8631500 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ezcompany
while doing this, is it okay for the clam to be out of the water? how long can they be exposed to the air with them shut?
Click to expand...

they are absolutely fine being exposed to the air. it shouldn't take you more then 5 or 10 min to thoroughly brush each clam, but even one hour out of the water shouldn't be a problem.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8632366#post8632366 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Outerbank
If the clam was completely closed, I would then completely rinse it in a gentle flow of tapwater
Click to expand...

be very careful with TAPWATER, it has chlorine (bleach)in it. i would take a bowl of tank water and clean the clam in that, and dunk and rinse it in another bowl of tank or RO/DI instead
 
just finished brushing every clam, no signs of any snails whatsoever. it was painful cutting the byssals though :(
the clams are back in the tank, but the black and white hasn't opened up yet. poor guy.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8633478#post8633478 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ezcompany
but the black and white hasn't opened up yet. poor guy.
Click to expand...

it will be back to normal in the AM. My Squamosa and Derasa don't even flinch when i take them out any more
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8633478#post8633478 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ezcompany
it was painful cutting the byssals though :(
Click to expand...

more for you then the clam. they cant feel it. its like hair or finger nails to them. no nerve endings or blood supply
 
oh really??? i thought there were nerve endings or it was directly connected to their vitals or some sort....
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8636591#post8636591 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ezcompany
oh really??? i thought there were nerve endings or it was directly connected to their vitals or some sort....
Click to expand...

the threads them selves are connected to the byssal gland. that why i say to cut the threads as far away from the clam as you can, so you dont touch the gland.
 
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