Fish bothering clam? Help please

[CurtnStac]

I've had my maxima clam for over 2 years. So far he's been healthy and happy and shows growth with new scoots. Lately though he's been opening but extending the mantle very little. I feel like this is due to my crazy kole tang CONSTANTLY darting back and forth right over top him making him constantly contract. I've had my tang for almost a year. Is it possible the tang is the culprit or should i be looking elsewhere? Is it possible fish can nag a clam to death?
Tank stats:
80g shallow AIO (48w, 24d, 16h)
4x t5ho (coral+, 2x blue+, purple+)
Cal 420, alk 8.6, mag 1350
Haven't tested for Nitrates or p03 cuz i don't have algae issues. I do run a higher nutrient tank (feeding coral food 2x a week) Corals are mainly soft and euphylias
Temp 79 ph 7.9 Sal 1.025
Clam sits in a rock cradle on the sandbed and hasn't been moved in 2yrs.
The only thing that i can think that i have changed lately is i cleaned the return pumps which i hadn't done in a LONG time lol and i changed the return nozzle that is in the clams direction from a RFG back to stock.

 

[rkpetersen]

Anything's possible but it seems unlikely that shadowing without actual contact would cause harm to the clam. If unharrassed many healthy clams will eventually almost entirely lose the reflexive closure to things passing overhead.

If the clam isn't actually attached to the rock, I would check the base for any sign of pyram snails. There are some pics here. The other concern is chronic infection with the perkinsus parasite which can cause pinched mantle disease and white spot disease. Although that most likely would have presented sooner than 2 years. Clams from Tahiti have been particularly hard hit with this parasite recently.

 

[CurtnStac]

Anything's possible but it seems unlikely that shadowing without actual contact would cause harm to the clam. If unharrassed many healthy clams will eventually almost entirely lose the reflexive closure to things passing overhead.

If the clam isn't actually attached to the rock, I would check the base for any sign of pyram snails. There are some pics here. The other concern is chronic infection with the perkinsus parasite which can cause pinched mantle disease and white spot disease. Although that most likely would have presented sooner than 2 years. Clams from Tahiti have been particularly hard hit with this parasite recently.

Thanks for the reply! Just checked and don't see any pyram snails.
My tang doesn't just pass above him he literally darts right over top, almost touching the clam every time. And does it constantly. The clam still has good reaction so i don't think it's dying... yet.
I also have some clove polyps growing right next to the clam and one or two almost touch it. Could they be a bother?

 

[rkpetersen]

Thanks for the reply! Just checked and don't see any pyram snails.
My tang doesn't just pass above him he literally darts right over top, almost touching the clam every time. And does it constantly. The clam still has good reaction so i don't think it's dying... yet.
I also have some clove polyps growing right next to the clam and one or two almost touch it. Could they be a bother?

Well, in that case, maybe it is your tang! Pretty weird, if so. If you can catch the tang and put him in an acclimation box for a time out, you can test your theory.

Clove polyps shouldn't bother the clam. In fact one nice thing about clams is that you can nestle them in among corals because they're resistant to most coral stings.

 

[hotashes]

Well, in that case, maybe it is your tang! Pretty weird, if so. If you can catch the tang and put him in an acclimation box for a time out, you can test your theory.

Clove polyps shouldn't bother the clam. In fact one nice thing about clams is that you can nestle them in among corals because they're resistant to most coral stings.

Are clams resistant to Duncan corals sting?

A.

 

[DSC reef]

Clams produce a mucus on the mantle that can be irresistible to some fish including tangs. It's possible a fish can nag a clam to death. Clams use much more energy to close or keep closed than holding the shell open. Think of an open shell as more of a relaxed state. The problem you can run into is the mantle gets less light exposure as well. I would keep a close eye on the fish and clam. Also, clams are pretty resilient when it comes to corals and anemones but not completely resistant.