Clam Lost it's Foot

HeulittSalmi · May 31, 2017

SO to give you some background I finally bought a clam after wanting one for the past year or so and found one on sale at my LFS. I have totally forgotten what type, but it is only about two inches big and I am just holding it in my 10 gallon until my thirty is up and running. So yesterday morning I put the clam on the rock instead of the sand just to see if it would like it better, only to come home about 12 hours later to see it back in the sand and the foot still on the rocks. Now with this being my first claim I freaked out and searched and searched all of the forums and found about 984859435 answers to the same question. So I am here to ask you all, is it doomed? I put it back in the sand over night and this morning it was still responding well to light and shadows and it was opened, but being the person I am, I have stressed out about it all day.

Tahoe61 · May 31, 2017

What you saw was probably the byassal thread mass and not the actual foot. Clams are pretty much doomed with damage to the foot.

Leave the clam in the sand bed if lighting is significant.

reef lover · May 31, 2017

What type of clam? Some prefer the sand bed and some like to attatch to rock.

pirate2876 · May 31, 2017

I've had bad luck with them when that happens.

40B Knasty · May 31, 2017

Same thing happened to my 2" maxima clam. Put it up top, because I thought going from a MH light to 4x39W T5 would be stressful and not enough light. It planted right away. 2 days later in the sand bed and has been there for a month. There was a tissue like substance where it was up top after it jumped down. It might be what Tahoe mentioned. If it is happy where it is now in the sand bed. Just leave it, because ya figure it might be the least stressful spot for it.

reef lover · Jun 1, 2017

I as well have a crocea that's very happy on the sand bed but he is also happily attached to a larger clam shell. And directly under the hydra 52.

Tahoe61 · Jun 1, 2017

I look at it this way, if I can not find a spot in the rock work that I absolutely know the clam will not fall from than the clam goes in the sand bed be it Crocea or Maxima. I used to believe that rock boring clams needed to be up in the rock work. Crocea do appreciate it more but it's not a deal breaker, but clams fallkng from rock is the quickest way to kill one.

40B Knasty · Jun 1, 2017

In the wild don't they bury themselves in the sand leaving their mantels showing? Seen that on the Great Barrier Reef on Animal Planet.
I was kind of happy it jumped off. It seemed like to much flow and the mantels were starting to flap a little.