Blue-Green Squamosa

[m0nkie]

If you want to give it another try, CA has small blue squamosa at 50% off now

 

[minus9]

If their clams are in the same tank as wild caught clams, most likely a pathogen. But I don't know if CA keeps all their clams together, which is a no-no in my book.

 

[MartinM]

Unfortunately, I lost basically all of my clams, including my blue squamosas, over the past week to an extremely fast acting disease. They went from healthy, actively growing specimens to dead within 4 days of the onset of symptoms. FW dips were had no effect whatsoever, I strongly suspect this was something bacterial due to how quickly it spread and killed the clams. I've never experienced anything like this in my 15 years in the hobby.

It's a protozoan infection from the genus Perkinsus . It's common in clams from Bali, Palau, anbd Tonga, especially squamosas, and that's Bali is where all the blue squamosas currently come from. I've had a clam farmer warn me about that. The virus can be dormant for months or years before killing the clam, and sometimes it never will. That sucks though, such beautiful clams, I'm sorry

Wild caught vs aquacultured clams are all in the same water - clams are aquaculture in saltwater flow through systems and the water isn't usually sterilized.

 

[MoparMike97]

It's a virus. I can't remember the name, but it's common in clams from Bali, especially squamosas, and that's where all the blue squamosas come from. I've had a clam farmer warn me about that. The virus can be dormant for months or years before killing the clam, and sometimes it never will. That sucks though, such beautiful clams, I'm sorry

Wild caught vs aquacultured clams are all in the same water - clams are aquaculture in saltwater flow through systems and the water isn't usually sterilized.

Well, that certainly makes sense and probably explains the dismal survival rates of blue squamosa in general. They're gorgeous clams but apparently need to be treated with caution if you have an established clam population.

Interestingly, this disease seems to affect different species at different speeds. Maximas declined the fastest (3 to 4 days from first symptoms to dead), while derasa and squamosa would hold on for maybe a week before succumbing. The only clams that survived the outbreak were 2 ORA Ultra Grade crocea, which seem completely unbothered by the whole ordeal. In total, I've lost 12 clams to this... What a $#@& show...

 

[Rainblood]

It's a virus. I can't remember the name, but it's common in clams from Bali, especially squamosas, and that's where all the blue squamosas come from. I've had a clam farmer warn me about that. The virus can be dormant for months or years before killing the clam, and sometimes it never will. That sucks though, such beautiful clams, I'm sorry

Wild caught vs aquacultured clams are all in the same water - clams are aquaculture in saltwater flow through systems and the water isn't usually sterilized.

Wow. Great information.
It totally sucks but good to know.





Darn.

 

[MartinM]

High Mortality in a Collection of Giant Clams (Tridacna crocea and Tridacna gigas) Due To an Infection with Perkinsus Sp. - IAAAM 2009 - VIN

www.vin.com

More Perkinsus info. I will not risk Bali clams even though I have direct access to an aquaculture facility there, I have about 30 clams including 13 Red Sea maximas, I don’t want to risk an infection. Tonga and Palau aren’t really supplying clams now so the protozoa doesn’t tend to come from there anymore. My friend owns a farm in Okinawa that supplies Clammania with crocea clams, I know for certain they’re safe.

What’s worse is that quarantine isn’t likely to help, because the protozoan can remain dormant for long periods of time. I’m trying to dig more into this, to see if one particular supplier right now has ever had issues. It’s not the same supplier that supplies Biota.

Since commercial oyster farming is a huge industry and very well researched, I wanted to see if that same protozoan affected oysters. It turns out that it does, but unfortunately, it also turns out that there seems to be no treatment. https://www.wwt.org.uk/uploads/documents/1341561624_RWDM4DiseaseFactsheetsOysterdiseases.pdf

https://shellfish.ifas.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/Perkinsus-Infections-of-Bivalve-Molluscs.pdf

 

[minus9]

Interesting. I’ve experienced some issues lately, but there’s nothing that would suggest anything other than a virus or pathogen (that’s not pmd).

 

[MartinM]

Other clam farmers I know in Micronesia and Okinawa are diligent about testing. Perhaps some additional messages by concerned aquarists may provide sufficient motivation. The website is https://ptdinardarumlestari.com/fasilities

@Miami Reef @OrionN @vetteguy53081 a heads up here - I know you guys have big clam collections also, @vetteguy53081 this disease is almost certainly what wiped out your collection

 

[Rainblood]

OP purchased one from PEA and a second one from Corals Anonymous so nothing definitive regarding Dinar

 

[Doctorgori]

Farm in question is called Dinar, and they haven’t responded to requests for tests. Other clam farmers I know in Micronesia and Okinawa are diligent about testing. Perhaps some additional messages by concerned aquarists may provide sufficient motivation. The website is https://ptdinardarumlestari.com/fasilities

@Miami Reef @OrionN @vetteguy53081 a heads up here - I know you guys have big clam collections also, @vetteguy53081 this disease is almost certainly what wiped out your collection

this is alarming … just cop’s these a few months ago…ouch

P.S also shown are VERY “Green Goblin” palys, $10 per polyp, pm me lol

 

[PacificEastAquaculture]

.

 

[MartinM]

Your assertion is incorrect, baseless, and defamatory. You edited your original post that revealed your connection with or being Clammania and stating they buy clams from a different source.

Quite a harsh reaction when all I did was ask for a simple industry standard test for a pathogen known to originate in the Indo-Pacific from all vendors importing from the clam farm there.

I have no interest or connection with any vendor. In fact, I don’t even reside in the USA, nor do I have any commercial or financial interest whatsoever in clams, or in this hobby as a whole. I am a part time consultant for some public aquariums and consultant/philanthropist for some conservation-focused propagation facilities internationally, but nothing hobby level and nothing in the USA.

What I am is a marine biologist with a lifelong passion for clams, so I know many clam farm owners and sources, and I’ve visited many farms, especially when I was actively performing coral reef research..

This isn’t an attack on you, my friend, no need for knee-jerking and name calling. Instead of doing that, you could set yourself apart and help your customers rest assured that they’re getting healthy clams - that’s good business!

I also didn’t edit my post to remove anything, the mods did for apparent “speculation of vendor sources” - although I’m not speculating, I know for a fact.

 

[MartinM]

OP purchased one from PEA and a second one from Corals Anonymous so nothing definitive regarding Dinar

there are only about 6 clam farms in the world supplying the hobby. A lot of vendors but few sources.

 

[revhtree]

You are free to discuss but don’t speculate about suppliers and companies. Thank you.

 

[jonnyglass]

You are free to discuss but don’t speculate about suppliers and companies. Thank you.

.

 

[billysprout]

OP, I'm so sorry this happened to you. I'm also sorry that a *paying r2r customer* came in here and turned your mourning thread into a hissy fit. Hopefully we can leverage your loss to educate more hobbyists and bring the hobby's tridacna pipeline into a healthier and more responsible state.

@Asagi FYI

 

[MoparMike97]

Yes, let's please keep this cordial. Frankly, I don't think it's fair to blame anyone in this situation.

At the end of the day, every single fish, coral, or invert you add could potentially be carrying a disease, pest or parasite... and if the animal isn't showing symptoms, there's no way for the vendor to know. This definitely has been a rough couple of weeks but at the end of the day, I'm just filing it in the s@#$ happens category.

Tbh, I've never been a big believer in QT, but after this, I'd urge anyone keeping clams to observe any new arrivals in a separate tank for at least 3 weeks before adding to an existing clam population. One final note, the two ORA crocea are still healthy and growing! So whatever disease this was, it clearly isn't 100% fatal.

 

[Eric R.]

Yes, let's please keep this cordial. Frankly, I don't think it's fair to blame anyone in this situation.

At the end of the day, every single fish, coral, or invert you add could potentially be carrying a disease, pest or parasite... and if the animal isn't showing symptoms, there's no way for the vendor to know. This definitely has been a rough couple of weeks but at the end of the day, I'm just filing it in the s@#$ happens category.

Tbh, I've never been a big believer in QT, but after this, I'd urge anyone keeping clams to observe any new arrivals in a separate tank for at least 3 weeks before adding to an existing clam population. One final note, the two ORA crocea are still healthy and growing! So whatever disease this was, it clearly isn't 100% fatal.

Agreed, but it also sounds like QT may not be effective , depending on the dormancy period and presence of symptoms for this disease, and it also sounds from Martin’s post that even without symptoms, it may be possible for vendors to know, if it’s possible for their suppliers to runs tests for the protozoan, and have them provide those results to the vendors. I know some folks are trying to do that for mariculture rock coming out of Florida and SCTLD, although the biology of the disease is quite different, being bacterial.

 

[Asagi]

OP, I'm so sorry this happened to you. I'm also sorry that a *paying r2r customer* came in here and turned your mourning thread into a hissy fit. Hopefully we can leverage your loss to educate more hobbyists and bring the hobby's tridacna pipeline into a healthier and more responsible state.

@Asagi FYI

What’s up boys. Let me add some pretty pictures here to get everyone going. Some past blue babies. The solo shot was the nicest one I ever owned. My uncle has it now. My Persian uncle.

 

[Asagi]

I might not buy from pacific east anymore after reading that haha! Wow