Maxima clam detached

[omeqa]

Hello all, I’ve had a maxima clam for approx. one month now. It’s been doing well. It extends its mantle and reacts to light. It attached itself to a rock after 2 days of introducing it to my tank.

About two weeks ago, I added a second AI bar. This being a Glow light (to enhance coral coloration). I didn’t realize my glow bar was at 100% intensity with a 75% UV. I lost a torch head. I made GSP so unhappy during those 4 days (it wouldn’t open) and for an additional 3 days after adjusting the lighting. My clam detached itself from the rock. I noticed the threads one morning being swept from under its shell.

Fast forward to 5 days later (present day) it has not re-attached itself. It continues to open and spread its mantle like it used to. Other than not attaching to a rock, it appears to be acting like nothing ever happened. Any idea on how long it will take it to re-attach? I’ve been leaving it alone, but my inverts (hermits, snails, and urchin) keep knocking it over throughout the night. I fear this will stress it and prolong the process of it reattaching or worse…

My solution: I did glue down some rubble on the sides of the rock acting as barriers to prevent it from being knocked over. It’s only been one night, and so far it has not been knocked down.

Clam is about 2”— so it isn’t heavy enough to sustain itself without being attached to a rock.

Tips/advice is appreciated.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

It doesn't have to attach...... sounds like everything is fine

 

[omeqa]

It doesn't have to attach...... sounds like everything is fine

Will it getting knocked down nightly cause it stress though? That’s my concern— with the addition of it landing on other corals or chipping its shell.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Will it getting knocked down nightly cause it stress though? That’s my concern— with the addition of it landing on other corals or chipping its shell.

Im sorry, do you mean it moves itself every night? It doesn't stay put?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Have you tried a clam mantle? You can glue the mantle on a rock so its steady.

 

[omeqa]

Im sorry, do you mean it moves itself every night? It doesn't stay put?

I want to say it gets knocked down by my inverts. I haven’t actually seen it do either (get knocked down or move on it’s own), but I have seen my blue legged hermits clean its shell and grabbing onto it tightly. The same goes for the snails.

 

[omeqa]

Have you tried a clam mantle? You can glue the mantle on a rock so it’s steady.

I have not. I was looking into it and that was my inspiration for the barriers I created using the rubble rocks. If it seems to work, then I’ll get a clam hammock so it has ample space.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

hermits and snails will climb on the shells regularly, the clam won't mind it. And I just see a hermit pushing the clam off a ledge lol.....

Try the clam mantle..... I was always skeptical myself, but I just got a new clam recently that was already on the mantle, and its actually pretty handy to move it around, rather than struggle to balance the clam somewhere lol

 

[omeqa]

hermits and snails will climb on the shells regularly, the clam won't mind it. And I just see a hermit pushing the clam off a ledge lol.....

Try the clam mantle..... I was always skeptical myself, but I just got a new clam recently that was already on the mantle, and its actually pretty handy to move it around, rather than struggle to balance the clam somewhere lol

Yeah it being knocked down from a ledge is what’s happening lol. Last time I found it almost on top of my bubble coral. Whether it hit it on its way down, idk but I don’t want to take that risk lol.

I’ll definitely look into what you’re suggesting. I already ordered a clam hammock, but it won’t be here until Saturday.

 

[BryanM]

I think I'd leave it on the bottom until the hammock shows up.

 

[omeqa]

I think I'd leave it on the bottom until the hammock shows up.

I thought about this too. Do you think it’ll take a hit from the lower PAR lighting levels? It’ll probably be a 150 PAR difference.

 

[Uncle99]

Hello all, I’ve had a maxima clam for approx. one month now. It’s been doing well. It extends its mantle and reacts to light. It attached itself to a rock after 2 days of introducing it to my tank.

About two weeks ago, I added a second AI bar. This being a Glow light (to enhance coral coloration). I didn’t realize my glow bar was at 100% intensity with a 75% UV. I lost a torch head. I made GSP so unhappy during those 4 days (it wouldn’t open) and for an additional 3 days after adjusting the lighting. My clam detached itself from the rock. I noticed the threads one morning being swept from under its shell.

Fast forward to 5 days later (present day) it has not re-attached itself. It continues to open and spread its mantle like it used to. Other than not attaching to a rock, it appears to be acting like nothing ever happened. Any idea on how long it will take it to re-attach? I’ve been leaving it alone, but my inverts (hermits, snails, and urchin) keep knocking it over throughout the night. I fear this will stress it and prolong the process of it reattaching or worse…

My solution: I did glue down some rubble on the sides of the rock acting as barriers to prevent it from being knocked over. It’s only been one night, and so far it has not been knocked down.

Clam is about 2”— so it isn’t heavy enough to sustain itself without being attached to a rock.

Tips/advice is appreciated.

Perfect, the cradle, however made, (I use half clam shells, is excellent idea, mine the same, became detached about 6 months ago.

I wouldn’t move him.

Mine has not dropped the thread, but otherwise no changes, happy and fully spread in his cradle.

The lack of being fully attached has not resulted in anything negative in my case thus far.

 

[omeqa]

Perfect, the cradle is excellent idea, mine the same, became detached about 6 months ago.

He has not dropped the thread, but otherwise no changes, happy and fully spread in his cradle.

That’s good to hear! I’m hoping mine continues to extend its mantle like it’s been doing :)

 

[BryanM]

I thought about this too. Do you think it’ll take a hit from the lower PAR lighting levels? It’ll probably be a 150 PAR difference.

A little less par for a few days is, to me, a lot less dangerous than it being pushed off a ledge.

 

[omeqa]

That makes sense.

 

[rhitee93]

FWIW, I've been in a similar situation with a maxima for over a year now. It initially attached itself, but I was doing some things in the tank that irritated it and it let go. I kept trying to put it in a depression in a rock, but my snowflake eel is a bull in a china shop, and kept knocking it off every week or two. I finally gave up and put it in a deeper rock depression elsewhere, but I don't think it has actually reattached. In all this time, it has grown quite a bit. It's probably 75% larger than it was a year ago.

 

[Tahoe61]

Neither of my Maxima are attached.

 

[omeqa]

Oh wow. And it hasn’t attached to a rock? Ok that’s good that your clam is thriving. It sounds like it’s afraid of commitment lol. That’s how my tank is with the crabs, similar to your eel. I’ll keep an eye for its needs and not worry about attaching lol, although, it will help if it decided to stick itself…

 

[rhitee93]

Oh wow. And it hasn’t attached to a rock? Ok that’s good that your clam is thriving. It sounds like it’s afraid of commitment lol. That’s how my tank is with the crabs, similar to your eel. I’ll keep an eye for its needs and not worry about attaching lol, although, it will help if it decided to stick itself…

It stressed me out for a while, but apparently not the clam. Here is a pic I just took of it. The red line is about where the edge of the shell was a year ago. You can just see the new scute that is about to emerge above the edge of the shell, it does this every month or so.

Top view from a couple of months back:

 

[MnFish1]

A little less par for a few days is, to me, a lot less dangerous than it being pushed off a ledge.

I think you're absolutely correct, Storms/shade can go on in the tropics for days - it will not hurt the clam