Maxima help needed

[Fishfinder]

I’ve had this clam for about 3 months. It’s been growing well. Probably grown 5-6 new ridges since I’ve had it. It has had constant new growth. Recently the last few days, I’ve seen the mantle retracted near the mouth. Is this PMD? Or something else going on? Any help would be great. Sorry the pic is so blue

 

[twentyleagues]

Its really hard to see. A white light pic will probably be needed. Just a thought can the torch reach it?

 

[Fishfinder]

This should be better

 

[Fishfinder]

@twentyleagues the torch can’t reach it

 

[Fishfinder]

Should I fresh water dip him?

 

[Miami Reef]

Yes. 30 minutes freshwater dip, then put it back into the tank. Ensure the RO is around 78F.

 

[Miami Reef]

Afterwards, place the clam higher in the tank for more light.

 

[Fishfinder]

Afterwards, place the clam higher in the tank for more light.

He need to be higher even with the growth? He is currently getting 250PAR

 

[Miami Reef]

He need to be higher even with the growth? He is currently getting 250PAR

250 par is okay if you’re seeing growth, but it’s on the lower end. I prefer it a bit higher.

 

[Fishfinder]

Gotcha, you recommend a FW dip? does that look like PMD?

 

[Tcook]

Looks suspiciously like it. @OrionN

 

[minus9]

I’m not sure if it’s PMD, hard to tell from the blue pic. Looks like something may be irritating the mantle. It’s sitting on sand, so there may be worms, etc bothering it. I would at least put it on something solid if you want to keep it low. As it gets older/bigger, you’ll probably need more light as mentioned before. I would take a closer look to see if something is bothering it before you dip it. If you added another clam recently then I would suspect PMD, but I’m guessing some type of irritation.

 

[OrionN]

Something irritated it. It is not PMD unless you add new clam into the system. PMD just does not come up out of the blue. However there are a lot of other cause and damage to the clam which cause its mantel to retract.

 

[gigasclam1972]

Something irritated it. It is not PMD unless you add new clam into the system. PMD just does not come up out of the blue. However there are a lot of other cause and damage to the clam which cause its mantel to retract.

thats incorrect...the two 16" gigas clams in my tank developed pmd out of the blue a couple months ago. I havent added a clam to my system in over 3 years. They alhave recovered following three separate FWD. I was sick to my stomach thinking I might lose these girls. Have put on 1/2" of new shell since, so knock wood!!!

 

[Fishfinder]

It’s been 3-4 days like this. Should I do anything?

 

[OrionN]

@gigasclam1972
PMD is a disease that cause by infection. The clam cannot get it unless it gets exposed to the disease. Irritated mantel on the other hand is a symptom that can be from many different causes. Just because FWD did not kill your clam, and it get better on its own, is no proof that what your clam mantel irritation was cause by PMD.
PMD is aways symptomatic, maybe minimally at first but progressively gets worst. Worst in the afternoon as the day goes on. The clams secrete mucus strands from the irritated area. The pinched mantel spread to other area of the mantel and the disease worsen. The clam eventually succumbs to starvation because it cannot spread out its mantel to collect light.
Like I said, there are many causes of irritated clam mantel, some even kill the clam quickly or eventually. Some resolve spontaneously when the cause agent removed from the tank.
The OP period of healthy clams for 3 months with lots of growth, rule out PMD. The causative agent of PMD does not seem to last very long off the clam, a week may be less, clams free is enough to eliminate the organism from the tank IME.

 

[Fishfinder]

I checked the clam for snails, anything else I can do?

 

[OrionN]

It’s been 3-4 days like this. Should I do anything?

I would watch really close and see if there is anything that irritate it. Is the retraction worsened and at the exact same place? Other than PMD, aphasia can do this, or a tube snail that live on the shell at this place.

 

[gigasclam1972]

@gigasclam1972
PMD is a disease that cause by infection. The clam cannot get it unless it gets exposed to the disease. Irritated mantel on the other hand is a symptom that can be from many different causes. Just because FWD did not kill your clam, and it get better on its own, is no proof that what your clam mantel irritation was cause by PMD.
PMD is aways symptomatic, maybe minimally at first but progressively gets worst. Worst in the afternoon as the day goes on. The clams secrete mucus strands from the irritated area. The pinched mantel spread to other area of the mantel and the disease worsen. The clam eventually succumbs to starvation because it cannot spread out its mantel to collect light.
Like I said, there are many causes of irritated clam mantel, some even kill the clam quickly or eventually. Some resolve spontaneously when the cause agent removed from the tank.
The OP period of healthy clams for 3 months with lots of growth, rule out PMD. The causative agent of PMD does not seem to last very long off the clam, a week may be less, clams free is enough to eliminate the organism from the tank IME.

Sorry man and didnt mean to trigger you, but PMD is a blanket term for underlying disease (vibrio, others). Without a cytology smear or even biopsy we are blidnly treating the symptom...PMD (which is effective, as clam farmers in the Marshall Islands observed in the 1980s. For you education, my clams exhibited all the classic symptoms of PMD, including those you cite, above. This was in the case of no new clams introduced in years. It is likely that clams may live with low-lying level.of infection without symptoms, but can get pushed over the edge by a trigger (think 2 hit hypotheses if you know about biology). I have been keeping clams since 1989 and have been down this road.more than once. So, please dont tell me what I was observing in my tank without witnessing yourself. I admit, it was unusual how it happened in my tank wuthout any new clams added..It started with one, then moved to the other within a week. Careful using absolutes such as never or always in biology!

 

[OrionN]

Like I said, pinched mantle is a symptom that can be due to anything. PMD as I described it is a disease.
While I did not have the resources to ID the organism, it does not make it not true.
It is a fatal disease unless treated.
FWD is a fairly low risk treatment and will take care of ANY NUMBERS OF SMALL ECTOPARASITES. I am not surprise it help a number of afflictions of FISH, CORALS AND OTHER LARGER ANIMALS.
If we guess that the affliction is external, FWD will help. If the infection is in the tissue like Vibrio or other bacterial or viral infection, then FWD will do more harm than good. FWD will not kill micro organism that are intracellular.