Something killed my clam!

[prsnlty]

My tank and parimeters are fine. no alk or temp swings. I've had this clam for 3 months and it attached itself to a rock 2 months ago. It's been doing great. This morning I check on my tank as always and it appears he had been eaten. Now I have a leather that a week ago appeared to have been nibbled on. So I believe something ate the clam. I have no signs of bristle worms. All my rock and coral had been dipped before placing in the tank. Could/would a hermit crab do this? I suspect hermits because they kill my snails (even giant mexicans).

 

[peter505]

Well hermits kill snails for the shells because they need a larger one. I just had a hermit kill one of my turbos because it wanted the shell. That being said, it is still possible for hermits to cause problems. What fish do you have in the tank?

 

[SPSkeeper]

Any type of crab is going to be an opportunistic feeder. I would suspect the clam was going south and they just had a free meal, they are scavengers after all. The clam and leather is making me think of some type of polyclad flatworm or nudibranch. The polyclads are hard to spot/catch since they can blend in with their surroundings and are nocturnal. Look in your tank at night over the next week and look for some type of animal/pest that might be preying on your animals.

 

[prsnlty]

I have a yellow and pb tang, coral beauty, 2 OS clowns, 1 cleaner wrasse and 7 blue chromis. Inverts: coral banded shrimp, sea cuc, 4 scarlet leg hermits, 3 emerald crabs, 2 doz blue leg hermits, 3 thst grew into tan leg hermits (thinking these are my culprits) only about 5 snails left, 1 serpant star, 1 brittle star and 5 babys, 1 red linkia star, and a diamond sand sifting goby.

That's everything that moves.

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[prsnlty]

Any type of crab is going to be an opportunistic feeder. I would suspect the clam was going south and they just had a free meal, they are scavengers after all. The clam and leather is making me think of some type of polyclad flatworm or nudibranch. The polyclads are hard to spot/catch since they can blend in with their surroundings and are nocturnal. Look in your tank at night over the next week and look for some type of animal/pest that might be preying on your animals.

I do that every night before i go to bed... Lol. But will look again.

Some of the snails the hermits killed were way to big for them to use their shells.

I did have some micro bubbles in the tank yesterday... Could this have done it? The powere kept flickering on and off causing my pump to make the bubbles. (water rising and lowering drawing in air) !&
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[Acropora Crazy]

As said above look at your tank very late at night like 2am or so with a flashlight. Also bristle worms or a hitch hiker crab like a teddy bear crab could also be the culprits.

 

[Mr E Wrasse]

I stopped buying clams for the same reason, crabs were eating them.

 

[prsnlty]

I stopped buying clams for the same reason, crabs were eating them.

I really think i was better off before putting the blue legs in my tank. I did catch a bl on my leather nipping at it before. And as soon as i put new snails in the tank they are all over them in 5 minutes. My sandsifter does an excellent job cleaning and turning the sand and snails for my rock (when i can keep them from being killed) so i may just get rid of the blue legs. I'll keep the scarlet legs and emerald crabs also.

I'll look again tonight for worms and such but i really don't think that is the cause.



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[prsnlty]

Also need to note. I have plenty of empty shells in my tank... They have no reason to kill the snails other than to eat them.

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[Ryan2112]

I lost my clam R.I.P. little guy to blue leg hermits. He looked great when I went to bed and when I got up and looked they were just eatting away at him ate the foot first. I do still have a few hermits left but 95% of my cuc are snails now with 2 Tiger conchs. Snails do a much better job IMO.

 

[Acropora Crazy]

I do not use any cleanup inverts in my tank as they always cause problems one way or another. Either picking at stuff they should not or knocking my corals down.
Keeping the tank clean with regular maintenance and proper filtration helps more than a cleanup crew.

 

[returnofsid]

Most hermit crabs are not going to mess with a healthy clam. Bristleworms also aren't going to damage a healthy clam. After reading your fish list, my opinion is that one of two things happened...

1. The clam was in bad health and dying, becoming the target of opportunistic hermits.

2. Your Coral Beauty ate it. All Angelfish, including most dwarf angelfish, are very capable of eating clams. Coral Beauty, while somewhat more reef safe than a lot of Dwarf Angels, are still well known for eating clams.

 

[uall8up]

Do you still have the shell in your tank? If so, look on the bottom of the shell you will probably see pyramid snails. They are very bad!!!! I bet dollars to donuts that is what ate your clam.

 

[prsnlty]

Do you still have the shell in your tank? If so, look on the bottom of the shell you will probably see pyramid snails. They are very bad!!!! I bet dollars to donuts that is what ate your clam.

Yes i still have it saved in a container just in case i needed it. I didn't think about them because i've never seen one in my tank before. After you said this i took it out of the fridge and checked it again with a pretty good magnifying glass. (because i couldn't see anything) You are correct! But they are tinyer than a pin head. So how do i get rid of them?

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[Aznyoyoboy57]

hmmm are u running GFO? maybe that killed? i am guessing
Sorry for your clam :rain:

 

[uall8up]

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/clams/57886-pyramid-snail-removal-tips.html Skinz is the man when it comes to clams!!! Hopes this helps you!!!

 

[prsnlty]

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/clams/57886-pyramid-snail-removal-tips.html Skinz is the man when it comes to clams!!! Hopes this helps you!!!

Thank you very much :) i'll give a visit right now. I've never had these snails before. Maybe they came with the clam but too small to see....

I bought the clam 3 months ago. And the only thing since was an acro frag (my 1st) and a red digi frag. All have been dipped in rx and qt'd 2 weeks.

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[skinz78]

Wow how did I miss this one? I agree 100% with returnofsid, it wasn't a crab or bristleworm, they just clean up the mess after the fact. It was ether your Coral Beauty or one of your Tangs got a taste they liked... You may have not even seen them nipping but they are like kids in the candy jar, they know when you are looking and when you are not.....

 

[Pkunk35]

Do you still have the shell in your tank? If so, look on the bottom of the shell you will probably see pyramid snails. They are very bad!!!! I bet dollars to donuts that is what ate your clam.

wow, nice pickup there.

And to OP, great move on saving that shell! I believe pyramid snails also eat regular snails (I think) so that may be why all your snails are dead.

 

[prsnlty]

So a tang will eat a clam? Wow, i didn't know that! I do know angels will bother some corals. The only reason i didn't suspect the coral beauty is because he is very peaceful and has never bothered a coral, fish or any invertabrate. But I've had the clam 3 months and it continued to look and act very healthy... Why wait so long? :-( I was really hoping to be able to keep some clams. I have my first acro frag (blue monster) I hope they won't bother it. I bought the clam thinking at 3 months and it's still doing well that my tank may support acros.... My 2 favs.


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