byassal thread mass or foot?

Silverdot1211 · Jan 12, 2022

Long story short I bought a clam about 6-8 months ago.....Cletus has exploded in growth (He was about 1.75 inches when bought and now is like 4 or 5inches now) and done really well. However this may or may not have just changed over night. This morning I checked in the tank and saw a fairly large mass of white stringy stuff mixed with sand. I am like 99% sure this came from Cletus. In addition to him loosing his white stuff he manged a full 180 degree turn....For the life of me I am struggling to get a decent picture but I attached what I could. He was fully open today and closed tight and fast when I bumped his shell gently. Now that I can see the mouth fully it doesn't appear to be any different then usual. Any chance they just shed the fibers once and while? I haven't to tried picking him up with the concern of causing more damage.

Silverdot1211 · Jan 12, 2022

Forgot to mention cletus is a Derasa

Uncle99 · Jan 12, 2022

Maybe he liked the flow better?
mine likes to lean forward, put him up, leans forward.
Clams have limited movement, but still, can make minor adjustments.

Chrisv. · Jan 12, 2022

I've actually seen this before with a squamosa. I also concluded that it was byssal tissue. I was very concerned but my clam was fine and lived for many years in my care until I gave him to a fellow reefer. He has continued to live for many years in their care. My guess is that it is normal and will heal.

Chrisv. · Jan 12, 2022

My squamosa did move a fair bit when he was 3-5 inches or so. Once he was bigger he settled down.

OrionN · Jan 12, 2022

That is a released bundle of Byssal thread. It does not hurt the clam. The clam just form a new bundle. I imagine that it does cost the clam a bunch of energy to form a bundle of protein that large.

Silverdot1211 · Jan 13, 2022

@Uncle99 that little slice looks awsome I bet the whole tank is killer

@Chrisv. And @OrionN thanks for the input that makes me feel better. Also, Cletus turned again today so I'm sure he's fine

minus9 · Jan 14, 2022

Also, once they get to a certain size, they’ll no longer rely on the byssal threads to keep them in place, but use their weight instead. This is why larger species like derasa, gigas and squamosa have small byssal openings.