Clam worm?

[Cherie cook]

I have a gorgeous blue squamosa clam that has been doing very well despite me finding a pyramid snail on its shell when I first got it from the seller. At the time I scrubbed the shell thoroughly and thought that would take care of the problem. Unfortunately the clam started to go downhill after 3-4 months so I removed it from the tank to check the bottom…and sure enough there were several pyramid snails around the byssal opening. Cleaned those off and still a few days later the clam is only so-so. I rechecked it a couple of times over the last week and found no more snails…but today I noticed what seems to be a white worm-like organism protruding from the inhalant opening! The clam seemed like it was trying to expel this…it opened and closed repeatedly, but nothing came out. I wish I had thought to grab a pic when I first saw it, but I didn’t. This is what it looks like at present…I will definitely get a pic if I see it again!

 

[KrisReef]

That's an interesting observation.
I wonder if dog worming meds would work without killing the clam?
That is a beautiful clam so let's see if we can get some help with your situation.
@Jay Hemdal @OrionN @PacificEastAquaculture

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

First thing to do is confirm that the thing is actually alive. Wormlike things are not always living worms. It probably moves, but is that as a result of the clam's moving water through the siphon or does it move independently? If the latter, that confirms that it is a worm, and not a bit of mucus or tissue.

Trouble with worm medications is that they are specific to different types of worms. Praziquantel is only effective against flukes and tapeworms. You would need to different medication for nematodes, and then true annelids, like leeches are really tough to kill.

Jay

 

[KrisReef]

Thanks Jay. I wish I could remember these types of information and I am thankful you are here to help. @Jay Hemdal
said:

"Trouble with worm medications is that they are specific to different types of worms.
Praziquantel is only effective against flukes and tapeworms.
You would need to different medication for nematodes, and then true annelids, like leeches are really tough to kill."

I did nose around the internet and found that there are some clam siphon dweller "worms" that don't kill the clam, they just use them like a clownfish hiding in the anemone. Hopefully this is the case for whatever is inside your clam. I even started to wonder if it might be a stray sliver of plastic and your clam is using it for decoration like those crabs do?