Clam Distress

[Emisis]

I've been dealing with a clam that at first appeared to have PM. I have been dealing with this for longer than a month. I FW dipped when I noticed its distress at the beginning and it seemed to perk up looking its normal self again. As the weeks passed after the dip it started to look miserable again, so once again I FW dipped it. After a few days it returned to normal again. This evening it appeared distressed again so I started to prepare yet another FW bath. I picked up the clam and noticed that it had released its rock it was attached to. I could actually see up in to the byssal opening and it looks hollow. While I was investigating this in the tank under water a (scared the s&^! outta me) worm of some sort came shooting out running like hell. I didnt get a very good look at it since my Wrasse seen it and picked it out of mid- water and ate it in a flash. ( Damn I Love Wrasses)

 

I have searched for a similar worm/ bug thing and can not come up with a match for what I observed. I know it was fast as hell, grayish purple and looked similar in body type to a bristle worm. I really cannot give more of a description due to the Wrasses fast action of consuming the b@$t&rd.

 

I know it's a long shot but anyone have any ideas? I have 4 more clams to worry about and want to take some course of preventive action for the others.

 

The clam that had the beast in it is still alive............ so far.

[mzoo]

This is how all of my clams acted when they were being eaten from within by the flatworms that eat tridacna...stylochus matatasi. They all looked jumpy and irritated, mantles curled in a bit, and they all detached from rocks (throwing out the bundle of threads) that they were very firmly glued to.

 

Each one died pretty quick though. One by One. Largest one took a week. But I had very large worms.

 

When clams were actually dead, mantles still intact. No goo...guts were eaten. Big hole in bottom where foot & byssal gland/threads should have been. Almost looked still alive except no reactions.

 

I lost all 5 clams before I figured it out...even though looking back now, the clues were there.

 

I could not use levamisole (this is what really works against the polyclads) because of my mandarin but I did put out squid bait each night and caught them all.

 

Just added back in a small maxima, after 4 months of watching & baiting, and he's OK. TRY BAIT.