Troubles with missing clam flesh

Shigshwa

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2017
Messages
341
Reaction score
278
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I've been battling some kind of disease that an ORA clam brought in some months ago. The siphons of the clam are being eaten away, and in the later stages, certain parts of the mantle are eaten as well. I don't think it's the work of any of my fish, or even a worm, since the eaten flesh is rather symmetrical, nothing that looks like a bite mark. I've been running carbon heavily, and it seems to help them recover, but for some reason, the disease comes back and eats away all of the flesh that they worked so hard to regrow again.

Now, I'm having a crisis where nearly all of my clams are being affected by this. The only clam that is not showing signs of eaten flesh is my biggest Derasa (not the one below), which seems to be less extended than usual. I've set up a 15 gallon quarantine to house them, and try medicating them if I don't spot any worms living within. Do you guys think that if I leave my DT fallow of clams, that whatever pathogen or creature that is harming my clams will die off? I cannot add any clam now without them suffering the same ailment.

2018-02-26 17.08.52.jpg
 
OP
OP
Shigshwa

Shigshwa

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2017
Messages
341
Reaction score
278
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Time after time I've looked for pyramid snails, but I have not found any, nor do I see any on my snails. I'm thinking that if I do have them, then all of my wrasses would have made quick work of them in the daytime. I don't spot any when the lights are off.

I've seen some forum members post about the recent batch of ORA clams harboring some kind of disease, but I don't know if this is actually the case. The only documentation that I have found that lists missing flesh as a symptom is either a predatory snail or a bacterial infection. I'll drop this Derasa into the QT to watch for any adult snails or any worms that may appear, and will try a spectrum of medication. I've posted about this very issue before, and I've seen positive results with medication, but it could also be that the clams are no longer being attacked as well, if anything is attacking them.
 

DSC reef

Coral wasted
View Badges
Joined
Jan 8, 2014
Messages
15,906
Reaction score
50,359
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm hoping they pull through. If it is bacterial I would assume it's easier to deal with? The only other time our clams were missing flesh is when they were dying, almost disintegrating. On the other clams we found pyramids under the mantle on the edge of the shell.
 
OP
OP
Shigshwa

Shigshwa

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2017
Messages
341
Reaction score
278
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Have you tried to contact divers den? My wife has contacted them through Facebook and phone calls when we bought our blue squamosa.

Their representatives are likely not knowledgeable about it. The patient zero clam was actually from a LFS selling ORA Squamosas. Curiously, I found that their store had snails on their clams after I purchased one, so my fingers are crossed that it's not snails. If it were though, at least I can find a more definitive cause.

Have you done a freshwater dip?

BTW - which medication are you considering?

I'm avoiding dips until I find that the meds do not work. My medications are a somewhat blind cocktail, since there is barely any info. I'm using Metronidazole to target protozoa, neomycin sulfate(NeoPlex) as a broad spectrum anti-bacterial, and ethromycin as another anti-bacterial. I've found that clams don't seem to produce detectable ammonia from my experience with dropping them into emergency QTs, so I don't think that nuking the live rock in the QT should be a big issue. I'm still gonna watch ammonia though, just in case.

I've already dropped the medication bomb into the QT. Tester clams are hanging out as though nothing big happened. If I see great improvement, then all of my clams are gonna be hanging out here for a while. I may consider dosing pumps too, because the alk consumption is gonna be sky high in this little tank, lol.

 
OP
OP
Shigshwa

Shigshwa

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2017
Messages
341
Reaction score
278
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Here they are, the tester clams, the ones most badly affected at the moment.

2018-02-26 19.15.39.jpg
 

jda

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 25, 2013
Messages
14,325
Reaction score
22,134
Location
Boulder, CO
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Good luck. I hope that this turns out well.

Please take some rough notes on your cocktail in case it needs to be duplicated by others.

My clams have all survived P snails - just one time, though. I doubt that this is it... mine had textbook symptoms.
 

jda

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 25, 2013
Messages
14,325
Reaction score
22,134
Location
Boulder, CO
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
They would have to be on the clam when you dipped them.

Higher doses of Milbemycin Oxime is good with larger pods, but it does not discriminate between the bad and good ones.
 
OP
OP
Shigshwa

Shigshwa

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2017
Messages
341
Reaction score
278
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Great news. I figured out the root cause of this fiasco: homemade fish food that was contaminated with tridacna clam tissue. Basically, I once blended in a dead Maxima with my DIY frozen food, because I thought that it'd be a waste of perfectly good flesh. Well, ever since I ran out, the clams have not been showing any symptoms of disease, and are now thriving.

Lesson: when a clam is dead from disease, toss it out, the flesh is diseased.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 64 36.8%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 33.9%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 14.4%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 26 14.9%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
Back
Top