Early Stage Pinched Mantle Disease?

[matt_work27]

I have only had the clam for six days at this point and it looks pretty good for the most part. However, there are two areas of the mantle that don't extend over the shell. Is this early stage pinched mantle disease? If so should I freshwater dip ASAP or should I wait to see how it looks after a another week or 2?
Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[matt_work27]

For some reason the pictures didn't attach.

 

[minus9]

Anything on the shell? I don't see much growth on the shell either, like it hasn't been under good conditions for a while.

 

[matt_work27]

The shell right underneath where the mantle sits is very white. I am not sure if it is new growth or not though.

 

[matt_work27]

bump. Any extra insight is greatly appreciated.

 

[minus9]

Sorry, busy working. I don't see a good growth margin, especially where you can see the mantle is pulled away. There should be a good 2mm of growth on the top portion/margin of the shell (on the outside of the shell, not inside). What size is the clam? Is it over 4"? It's hard to tell from the pic. Do you know if it's a cultured maxima or wild caught?
There are 3 possible issues here, first, it could be something on the shell irritating the mantle (hard to tell from the pic), second, it could be the first signs of starvation and third, it could be PMD if the mantle keeps receding. The second and third can be look very similar at times. Do you have a side shot of the shell so we can see the growth?

 

[matt_work27]

Ok, thank you for the info. The clam is 4-5" and I believe it to be wild. Attached below is a side shot and then a top shot where the mantle is pulled in (you can kinda see the white area I was talking about in that photo.

Sorry, busy working. I don't see a good growth margin, especially where you can see the mantle is pulled away. There should be a good 2mm of growth on the top portion/margin of the shell (on the outside of the shell, not inside). What size is the clam? Is it over 4"? It's hard to tell from the pic. Do you know if it's a cultured maxima or wild caught?
There are 3 possible issues here, first, it could be something on the shell irritating the mantle (hard to tell from the pic), second, it could be the first signs of starvation and third, it could be PMD if the mantle keeps receding. The second and third can be look very similar at times. Do you have a side shot of the shell so we can see the growth?

 

[minus9]

Thanks, that helps. So, it looks to be a wild caught maxima (as you mentioned), which are difficult to begin with, but there also doesn't seem to be uniform growth on the upper margins either. I suspect that it was kept in subpar conditions before you got it and its growth has stalled. I can't really see the edges of the mantle that well where it's retracted, but if you look closer, you should see a "rippling" of the mantle, kind of a "crinkle" in the mantle, that's PMD for sure. But if the mantle is smooth/normal and it's just retracted, it may be more of nutrition issue (starvation). As the clam gets weaker, it will start to retract more and be less reactive.
It's a hard call, but I would increase lighting (if you can) and give it a couple more days. But, if you start to see more of the mantle receding, then it may need a FW dip.
The other thing to consider is fish, what fish do you have that might bother it?

 

[matt_work27]

It seems to be mostly just be retracted in those areas. The only fish that could bother it is a aptasia eating filefish, however I do not think that is the cause. I have been ramping up my lights since I got it. For context, I have two radion xr 15 gen 4's running at 80% sps blue+, and then a nicrew 150 W running at 100% blues and 30% whites over a 50 gallon tank. I will allow it to settle in for now and keep an eye on it. It is not getting any worse at this point, but if it does I will look to dip it in freshwater.

 

[Kazumi]

Just curious, what do you see that tells you that it is a wild caught?

 

[minus9]

Just curious, what do you see that tells you that it is a wild caught?

The size and the shell (lack of scutes). Most wild caught Maximas are over 4" (I think they have to be at least 4.5" to be collected) and they are almost always blue or a variation of blue. At this size, the scutes are usually missing from burrowing in place and/or when they are harvested, they scrape the scutes to get rid of growth, pests, etc. Cultured maximas are much smaller, usually always have scutes (not all) and their shells are usually white or near white.

 

[minus9]

It seems to be mostly just be retracted in those areas. The only fish that could bother it is a aptasia eating filefish, however I do not think that is the cause. I have been ramping up my lights since I got it. For context, I have two radion xr 15 gen 4's running at 80% sps blue+, and then a nicrew 150 W running at 100% blues and 30% whites over a 50 gallon tank. I will allow it to settle in for now and keep an eye on it. It is not getting any worse at this point, but if it does I will look to dip it in freshwater.

I've had filefish nip at mantles, so don't rule it out. I would get (borrow/rent) a par meter to see where you are, xr15's aren't that powerful and our eyes suck at judging intensity. I would also increase the whites as well. Clams are found in very shallow clear water where they get pounded by the sun, with some clams being completely exposed during low tide.