Normal Clam Behavior

[rkpetersen]

If your blenny is nipping at it every time it extends its mantle a bit, that could be enough to keep it closed.

As far as flow, I'd keep it fairly mild, with the incurrent siphon (the long slit-like one, not the round one) directed into the current. The mantle, when fully extended, shouldn't be moving much.

Also, what were the light conditions where you got it, as compared to your tank? I've seen clams close up when suddenly placed in much brighter lights.

Pyram snails can be hard to see - They're tiny and white.

 

[DSC reef]

I haven’t seen any snails around the mantle or on his shell, but I haven’t checked the foot. As for the flow I’d say it’s a moderate amount, he’s nearest the wall that my gyre is attached to. My wall hammer used to be in that spot and it wasn’t blown away. Do I need to move him? I tried to place him in a spot with good flow and not as much intense lighting to help him acclimate to lights.

Definitely check the foot, the snails look like tiny pieces of rice. I'd make sure the clam is in lower flow, I wouldn't worry to much about light intensity, the clam can handle it.

 

[Cool Cat]

This is about as open as he gets...taken just now...I really appreciate your guys helping me out. No idea if he was wild caught, got him at my LFS that I usually visit and was under some LEDs.

 

[rkpetersen]

Did you give it a good long acclimation? Did you keep it underwater as you transferred it to your tank? Supposedly, sometimes a clam can trap a bubble of air which irritates it. You could try gently picking it up and briefly turning it over in different positions to see if it will 'burp' some air from either siphon. (Although some would say that the whole 'burping a clam that's been out of water' thing is a myth!)

 

[jda]

That is almost certainly a wild Tahitian clam if it is 5 or 6 inches. They usually do not have pyram snails, but check for sure. Make sure that nothing it irritating it since it needs to extend more than this. They need a LOT of light.

These are not easy clams that can sometimes look great for 6-9 months and then waste away in a day or two - they were slowly dying the whole time. As time goes on, only new, fresh shell grow is a sign that it is doing great. Even without new shell growth, they can live for a while, but you are never in the clear unless they are growing new shell.

If you want more info, you can search for "Tahitian Maximas" and probably find one-hundred threads over the years. Dr. Mac is a good resource on these but quit supplying them when they started to ship them out of water and the death toll went up exponentially with the clams not able to fight off the protozoan Perkinsus anymore.

Good luck.

 

[Cool Cat]

40 minute acclimation, he wasn’t out of water for more than a second...tried burping yesterday and didn’t see any air bubbles. I can move him to a calmer spot. If it does have snails how do I deal with those? Just scrub them off? How long does it take for them to attach foot?

 

[Cool Cat]

That is almost certainly a wild Tahitian clam if it is 5 or 6 inches. They usually do not have pyram snails, but check for sure. Make sure that nothing it irritating it since it needs to extend more than this. They need a LOT of light.

These are not easy clams that can sometimes look great for 6-9 months and then waste away in a day or two - they were slowly dying the whole time. As time goes on, only new, fresh shell grow is a sign that it is doing great. Even without new shell growth, they can live for a while, but you are never in the clear unless they are growing new shell.

If you want more info, you can search for "Tahitian Maximas" and probably find one-hundred threads over the years. Dr. Mac is a good resource on these but quit supplying them when they started to ship them out of water and the death toll went up exponentially with the clams not able to fight off the protozoan Perkinsus anymore.

Good luck.

Well crap

 

[jda]

They should attach in a few days if you put a rock under them. They will not do much on the sand. They can sometimes burrow through the sand and attach to the bottom glass - this can work, but is a real pain if you ever want to move them.

I am not a huge believer in burping, although it probably does not hurt anything. We saw clams in the surge between high and low tide in a few inches of turbulent water and they all were extend and not phased by the crashing waves and bubbles in the water.

Sales of Tahitians went down dramatically a few years ago after all of the losses - they sell them for food, but command a better price for the aquarium trade. Supposedly, the word got back to the collectors as to why they were not selling as many and they might be shipping in water now if they want the higher price for aquarium clams. There is hope. The ones from a decade ago that were shipped in water did VERY well.

Post #24, and beyond is a great summary/background on these.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/la-dd-clams-going-downhill.369539/page-2

 

[DSC reef]

40 minute acclimation, he wasn’t out of water for more than a second...tried burping yesterday and didn’t see any air bubbles. I can move him to a calmer spot. If it does have snails how do I deal with those? Just scrub them off? How long does it take for them to attach foot?

If you find any a soft toothbrush works well. A calmer spot and more light, hopefully it turns around.

 

[Cool Cat]

 

[Cool Cat]

Well she has decided to open up a bit more today. I know it isn’t fully extended but after a couple weeks f being mostly closed I’ll take it! Been reacting to lights all evening... found out this clam was aquacultured from a farm in Vietnam ...