clam not fully extending mantle Help!

[fpm06001]

Hello,

i recently picked up this maxima clam from my LFS, he/she is about 4-6" (at the time the metal halide lights where off and the clams mantle wasnt fully extended), the owner assured me that the clam is OK and that the mantle fully extends when the metal halides are one... long story short i purchased the clam, moved it into my tank and haven't seen the mantle extend further than whats shown in the photos.

i have a hydra 52 led light in a 60g rimless deep blue ocean cube

the clam is resting on top of a flat rock, however it seems like its attached to a small piece of rubble (i got it like this from the fish store), and i didnt want to mess with it. Currently the clam is sitting in the muddle of my tank sitting right under the light, i moved it there this morning to see if it needs more light). Any help is greatly appreciated as i do not want for it to die! i have been feeding my tank live phyto every 3 days.

Also ive noticed that its "gaping" or at least i think it is, it gets really wide and i can see inside it. And maybe also bleached, depending on what angle you are looking at it some parts look white








Tank Parameters:
PH= 8.0
Ammonia= 0
Nitrate= 0
Nitrite = 0
Alk= 9.2
CA= 440

phosphate = not sure, picking up a test kit tomorrow

[/QUOTE]

 

[Salty1962]

It will take a little while to acclimate to your tank conditions, looks ok in pics.

 

[Elementalj]

I'd say it looks pretty good. Don't disturb it if you can, the sessile fibers need time to attach to the rock, once that's happened, I'd never move it again.

 

[stede]

Dont move the rocks belove it. If you pull of its foot it will die. Could put it on a clam frag stone then you can move it around. Leave it for a couple of days and see if it exstend fully.

 

[LA Reef Addict]

Keep an eye on your fish. Make sure no one is picking on it. Also, check it for pyramid snails. Refer to this R2R thread for more info. Good luck and hope that beauty makes it.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/pyramid-snail-removal-tips.57886/

 

[DeniseAndy]

Maximas hate being moved around. If you have anything bothering it nearby such as a coral or invert, it will stay closed too. Cannot tell if it is pinching at all on the mantle in the pics. Did you make sure it was snail free?

Looks to be acclimating. These guys also like light, so hope it opens soon. a 4-5" one is nice as it will not require as much food. Good Luck!

 

[fpm06001]

setup is 6+ months old, clam just gets wide little mantle extension, i moved the rock it was sitting on a little bit higher in the tank and feed phyto 2 times a week. going with the wait and see approach.

when i got it i didn't have the balls to dip it in bayer pesticide (as some others on here have done), i scrubbed the shell and looked for pyramid snails (didn't find any), it does have 1 aphasia polyp on it (looking into removing it without hurting the clam)

 

[Elementalj]

Nuke the aiptaisa with a little super glue gel.

 

[Elementalj]

He's acclimating, seen it before. I'd also not move him around much. You could tear those distal fibers and kill him.

 

[Tahoe61]

I do not like the look of that pinched area of the mantle, right side of the clam and mid way length wise. Is that the area the aiptasia is located?
Is the flow too high in the area where the clam is located?
Are you using an charcoal?

 

[fpm06001]

ok, against my better judgement i took the clam out of the tank, placed it inside a tupperware container with tank water, i then scrubbed the side of the clam with a toothbrush (new soft), and cleaned out the all the crap from the crevices, upon looking at the bottom of the clam i noticed that it was attached to a piece of limerick rubble that was sticking up in the clam... again against my better judgement i cut the little piece of rock ... about .25"x1.5" from its threads and placed it back in the tank on its rock... i hope i didn't just kill it... will keep everyone posted.

i have a gfo/carbon reactor running but thats about it

 

[fpm06001]

ps he's pretty ticked off at me at the moment.. and is closed

 

[Elementalj]

Omg.

 

[fpm06001]

Omg.

i felt like i had to do it... seemed like he was getting stabbed from where he was attached the way the piece of sharp live rock rubble was oriented. he just opened up about 1/2-1/2" inch the little periscope tube is sticking out

 

[Elementalj]

Those fibers should never be cut. If they're attached to something it should remain so. I'd put the rock back underneath it and say a little prayer.

 

[fpm06001]

Attached is a photo of the said attached rock (clam hasn't attached itself to the big flat rock I put it on) which I have now tossed in the trash. This thing was poking the clams inards

 

[Sabellafella]

ok, against my better judgement i took the clam out of the tank, placed it inside a tupperware container with tank water, i then scrubbed the side of the clam with a toothbrush (new soft), and cleaned out the all the crap from the crevices, upon looking at the bottom of the clam i noticed that it was attached to a piece of limerick rubble that was sticking up in the clam... again against my better judgement i cut the little piece of rock ... about .25"x1.5" from its threads and placed it back in the tank on its rock... i hope i didn't just kill it... will keep everyone posted.

i have a gfo/carbon reactor running but thats about it

Oh my, shouldve have done that. My clam has rocks and fish that hangout inside of him for the last year. These clams grow completely inside rock structures, i dont think anything poking it would be a problem. You have to watchout for the mantle detaching and pinching. The Mantle not extending isnt necessarly a bad sign.

 

[Tahoe61]

The less you handle the clam the better. I am confident the rock was not an issue as already posted.

 

[Elementalj]

The less you handle the clam the better. I am confident the rock was not an issue as already posted.

The less you handle just about anything the better.

 

[NanaReefer]

I bought mine in March. First couple weeks it looked just like yours. I've not touched it! I even removed my 2yr old Blenny who took to nipping the mantle.
Here she is today in all her glory. Leave it alone!! [emoji2]