Petco Deresa with cyano

[jetson]

One of the Petco locations near me has several Deresa clams in stock. When I was there last week, the tanks were covered in cyano.
I’m tempted to go grab one, but really don’t want to risk my tank full of cyano, or put the clam through stress trying to clean it the wrong way.
What is the best way to go about it? Is a simple RODI or clean SW rinse before introducing to the enough to completely remove all traces of cyano and not harm the clam?

 

[Tahoe61]

Cyanobacteria is not unavoidable. If the clams look other wise healthy I would just give them a rinse and acclimate.
Cyanobacteria is always present.

 

[minus9]

It's cyano, it exists everywhere. Make sure the clam in question is healthy and has a nice growth rim on the upper margins of the shell, if not, move on. If a clam doesn't have good mantle extension and new growth, I simply pass on it. Know what a healthy clam should look like and you'll be okay.

 

[bushdoc]

^This,
I would be reluctant to buy corals or clams from Petco, clam is probably malnourished as I do not believe they provide enough light intensity.

 

[tangyluv]

Cyano is always present just don’t give to conditions to flourish and you’ll be fine. If cheap I’d buy

 

[minus9]

There is a Petco near me, but closer to @dansyr that was ran by a local hobbyist who took care of their SW section and always had some nice clams and ORA stock, but unfortunately, he relocated farther away from us. I honestly just look at the animal in question first, then where it's kept second. I've purchased a few animals from Petco without issue. Just observe and go from there. No matter what, QT or observe in a separate tank before putting it with other clams.

 

[dansyr]

Yeah I would say hit or miss. On the cyano front, don't worry about that. scrub with toothbrush should be fine (i do this on all my incoming clams as a precaution). Hold and pinch the shell shut together firmly (but not crushing) while doing any scrubbing just to help in case the muscle is weak/malnourished from starvation during supply chain/Petco tank. Worst thing is for it to half open while you're scrubbing, and your force breaks the hinge or tears something. Avoid scrubbing around the byssal opening just to be safe.

The petco near @minus9 and me had an awesome manager and I haven't seen any since he's been gone. I wouldn't say that I saw a clam at Petco that was happy, except for the odd extra-large one they would bring in that had more strength. 4 of my 7 clams have been from petco and still doing well today ~3y later, a 5th clam (derasa) from petco I tried was way too far gone and didn't make it. But otherwise I've had good luck - just be veeeeeery gentle and slow on the acclimation.

The tips from minus9 about growth band and extension are exactly what to look for in a healthy clam. But if those markers are missing, it's not necessarily a goner, just remember that things that might not do in a healthy clam (curious pecking by fish, hungry scavengers) could do in a weakened clam. Hopefully that helps you judge whether to pick it up or not. I would, but i'm a sucker for rescues and know I have a very gentle tank with relatively few scavengers or peck-y fish.

 

[jetson]

Thanks for the feedback all. I went ahead and got it and its appeared to have been doing well. It looks different today though. Does it look ok? Today it seems to be tucking a little. First image is Monday, second is today.

 

[dansyr]

Thanks for the feedback all. I went ahead and got it and its appeared to have been doing well. It looks different today though. Does it look ok? Today it seems to be tucking a little. First image is Monday, second is today.

Looks ok to me, I would attribute it to just figuring out extension with your flow and lighting. It looks a little tilted into the substrate, but it will probably figure that out as long as it's not getting bulldozed too often. Looks healthy from mantle and color! Need to see shell margin or amount of 'filling' through the byssal opening to get an idea of how its' recent health has been, but looks promising.

nice find. I like the really stripey ones like these.

Edit: if it keeps some of the sharpest folds in there through the weekend, and they increase, maybe thats a concern. but looks like temporary folding to me.

 

[minus9]

Looks good to me. Just keep an eye on the new growth and you should be good. Keep things stable and it will grow nicely for you. I agree with Dan, I really like the striped ones. Top down probably looks so much better.