Clam Fell Down :(

[Zakary2003]

I moved back home from college a week ago and took my tank with me. The clam wasn't amused. It detached from the rock and fell down. Now part of the mandle is not opening. Will it be OK? What are my next steps? It still reacts to light. I moved it and the clam hammock down to the sand bed to let it reattach.

 

[Miami Reef]

How long has it been like that?

Looks like the stress triggered PMD.

The solution is a 30 minute freshwater bath then put the clam back into the tank. Get the RO/DI to around 78F prior the bath.

 

[Zakary2003]

How long has it been like that?

It fell down sometime between 2am this morning and 1:30pm this afternoon. I put it in the sand at 1:30pm and it's been like that ever since.

 

[Miami Reef]

It fell down sometime between 2am this morning and 1:30pm this afternoon. I put it in the sand at 1:30pm and it's been like that ever since.

OK. You can wait a day. If it doesn’t get better on its own, do the freshwater bath I mentioned above.

 

[Zakary2003]

OK. You can wait a day. If it doesn’t get better on its own, do the freshwater bath I mentioned above.

The clam is worst today so I will be doing the dip. Do you know why the dip works? It makes sense with the protozoan variety of PMD, but I don't know what dipping will do if it isn't caused by an infection. Unless maybe the stress of falling down opened it up to infection?

 

[Zakary2003]

Does the open mouth mean anything?

 

[SaltyWalty]

I’m not an expert but I would leave it alone. Freshwater dips are very effective against PMD but also very stressful on a clam. If the mantle go irritated by the sand or annoyed it’s normal for it to have part of it retracted. I have had clams do this for weeks and eventually go back to fully open.
Even If it has PMD, and with no prior signs I’m not sure, it’s not instantly fatal, it might be better to let it be for a few days give it a chance to settle and not stress it twice in a two days, then FW dip it if you still want.
Make sure your FW is RODI and at the same temperature as the tank if you go that route.

 

[Miami Reef]

The stress from the move and fall allowed the Protozoa to take hold.

The gaping inhalant siphon isn’t necessarily a bad sign; healthy clams can have it for no seemingly reason.

However, the pinched mantle disease is fatal if left untreated. If you wait longer, you are prolonging and reducing it’s chances of survival for when you decide to dip.

I’ve dipped many clams in FW and never had a death come from it. It’s not stressful in comparison to PMD. A decently healthy clam can tolerate it very well.

 

[minus9]

It’s just likely an injury from the fall. Just put the clam back where it’s been and let it recover. If it’s truly pmd, then you’ll see the progression and you can act accordingly, otherwise it’s probably stressed and needs a little time.

 

[Zakary2003]

It’s just likely an injury from the fall. Just put the clam back where it’s been and let it recover. If it’s truly pmd, then you’ll see the progression and you can act accordingly, otherwise it’s probably stressed and needs a little time.

I already did the dip but thanks for the advice. My LFS and a couple people on this thread recommended I do the dip... hopefully it wasn't a big mistake

 

[minus9]

I already did the dip but thanks for the advice. My LFS and a couple people on this thread recommended I do the dip... hopefully it wasn't a big mistake

As long as the clam is healthy it should be fine, but I don’t think pmd is triggered by injury or stress, but if the clam is weakened then it could be susceptible to other issues or pathogens (not pmd).

 

[Miami Reef]

I already did the dip but thanks for the advice. My LFS and a couple people on this thread recommended I do the dip... hopefully it wasn't a big mistake

I don’t believe it was a mistake.

Most organisms suppress infections with the immune system. Think of fish developing a resistance to ich. Once stress comes and lowers the immune system, the parasite can take hold.

The same applies to humans with infections.

I bought several ORA maxima clams. Some developed it and some didn’t. The ones that did got the FW dip and immediately got better. PMD is a pathogen, so the immune system can fight it off. I highly believe stress can influence susceptibility to it.

The symptoms clearly looked like PMD to me, so I believe it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially since the clam progressively got worse. FW dips are only mildly stressful IME, so I believe it was pretty low risk and worth ruling it out.

Of course, these things aren’t always clear and we won’t always agree with each other. It goes to show how complicated these creatures are.

I hope the clam gets better.