Is My Clam Gaping? (Pics Included)

[magical26]

New to clams here. Thanx in advance for any help or info provided.Another shot from the top, sorry if the pic is not that clear.

[seahorsedreams]

Croceas tend to gape. I would get that up off the sand though. Croceas have the finest gills and you can easily clog them up and kill them in a sand storm of sorts if your sandbed is disturbed.....

[Urchinhead]

New to clams here. Thanx in advance for any help or info provided.Another shot from the top, sorry if the pic is not that clear.

 

It looks like it. What kind of clam is it? How long has it been in the tank? What are your params? What is your lighting? Are you supplementary feeding him?

 

Gaping is a sign of stress in clams so I would start by thinking about what could be stressing him out. If it is a Cocea then you want to move him up onto a rock as they tend to like to attach firmly. If it is a Derasa or Squamosa then the sand bed may work for them. They also can be stressed by salinity that is too high or too low and a too high PH level. It could be the light he is getting is too low for him. It could also be something stuck inside or irritating his byssal opening (the bottom part of the clam where his 'foot' comes out to attach to something). Lastly they do like supplementary feeding of zoo and phyto plankton oyster eggs and the like.

 

Please see here for a writeup I did on the various lighting needs of the types of clams:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...0clam&st=80

 

It is post #85

 

Also here is a site I use for information on my own clam. I have one presently in my tank who is doing quite well and plan to add another 2-3 over the next 6-12 months as my tank is able to support them. They can be kept but there are some hoops you have to jump through depending on the type of clam you have.

 

http://www.clamsdirect.com/forum/

[magical26]

So my clam is gaping rite? Jus needed a confirmation. Anyway, the crocea clam in my LFS is also on the sand bed of the display tank, and its doing well. Anyone care to enlighten me on this case why crocea clams shd not be on the sand bed. Cos i rem reading somewhere that crocea can burrow itself in the sand to avoid predators such as starfish.

 

Btw, i am using 4xT5 24W tubes. 2x actinic and 2x daylight. The rest of my water params are in the acceptable range ( i checked ), but cant recall every one of it in detail.

 

Just to add, my clam has only been in my tank for abt 1 week. Could it still be stress from transportation and has yet to stabilised?

[121a]

mine always has it. and it is very happy and growing. also it is in the sand bed.

[barrman]

So my clam is gaping rite? Jus needed a confirmation. Anyway, the crocea clam in my LFS is also on the sand bed of the display tank, and its doing well. Anyone care to enlighten me on this case why crocea clams shd not be on the sand bed. Cos i rem reading somewhere that crocea can burrow itself in the sand to avoid predators such as starfish.

 

croceas are rock dwelling clams. ie; they come from rocky regions, and are almost always attached to a hard substrate. in fact, baby croceas can and will excrete a chemical from their byssal opening that disolves calcerous rock. over time, the chemical will eat away at the rock theyre on, and they'll actually burrow into the rock. this behavior seems to only occur in the wild, as captive croceas do not exhibit this rock burrowing. croceas are not meant to burrow in sand. period. like seahorsedreams stated, croceas do have very fine "gills". leaving them in the sand bed doesnt mean theyre guaranteed to die... but it is just increasing your chances that a sandstorm may kick up and clog the clam's gills.

[Urchinhead]

So my clam is gaping rite? Jus needed a confirmation. Anyway, the crocea clam in my LFS is also on the sand bed of the display tank, and its doing well. Anyone care to enlighten me on this case why crocea clams shd not be on the sand bed. Cos i rem reading somewhere that crocea can burrow itself in the sand to avoid predators such as starfish.

 

I am not enough of a clam expert to say definitively but it looks border line to me. Could be and could be not. Do an image search on google to get an idea of what a real big gape looks like. Its kind of like medical text books covering pathophysiology. You always get the worst possible looking photos of problem X but never the well it could be but might not be ones.

 

Corcea's are not sand dwelling clams. They have very fine gills that can get clogged by sand and their byssal openings are prone to getting sand stuck in them which irritates the clam. The part about burrowing refers to rock and not sand. They excrete a enzyme that allows them to dissolve rock and for lack of better term dig a hole for themselves. Generally though they simply attach to the rock.

 

As to the clam in your LFS it could be one of four things.

 

1. Its not a Corcea

2. Your LFS folks have a small piece of rock under the clam in the sand

3. Its a "one off" Corcea who is fine with it

4. It doesn't have anything irritating it at the moment so it doesn't care.

 

Btw, i am using 4xT5 24W tubes. 2x actinic and 2x daylight. The rest of my water params are in the acceptable range ( i checked ), but cant recall every one of it in detail.

 

T5's will be fine for it. You most likely need to move it up a bit if you have a deep to average tank and put it on a rock where it feels comfortable. Just do it at a time when you can check on it periodically as if it doesn't like where it is it will try to move itself and could end up upside down which will really piss it off. Odds are if it came from your LFS store's display tank and was on the sand they had MH lighting or a shallow tank and that's why it was down there.

 

Just to add, my clam has only been in my tank for abt 1 week. Could it still be stress from transportation and has yet to stabilised?

 

Could be but by now unlikely. It is most likely not keen on where you have it. Try moving it up or putting a rock under it and give it a few gentle and slow spot feedings (so it doesn't retract) of marine snow or oyster eggs and see if it perks up.

 

FH2

[Left Coast DJ]

Don't own a clam. But I've always heard/read that you can do a shadow test to see if a clam is healthy. Supposedly, when you run your hand under the lights (and over the clam) and cast a shadow over it, a healthy clam should instinctively retract. Again, I'm just regurgitating what I've read.

[ezcompany]

your clam is not gaping.

[Urchinhead]

your clam is not gaping.

 

This is the man to ask. If he says it isn't then it isn't so you should be ok.

 

FH2

[magical26]

Thanks a million for those who contributed. I understand better now, and will know what to do when its in distress. Btw, my tank's depth is only 18", about 17" or lesser if i include the sand. Its seems to be doing alright under my T5s for now. I shall only move it up if there are any signs that its not ok.

 

Thanx again!

 

ezcompany, thanx for your professional confirmation. LOL!!! Btw, you are sure that its not gaping rite? Just thought of double checking.

 

PS: I Appreciate all the effort taken to help me out.

[Urchinhead]

Thanks a million for those who contributed. I understand better now, and will know what to do when its in distress. Btw, my tank's depth is only 18", about 17" or lesser if i include the sand. Its seems to be doing alright under my T5s for now. I shall only move it up if there are any signs that its not ok.

 

Thanx again!

 

ezcompany, thanx for your professional confirmation. LOL!!! Btw, you are sure that its not gaping rite? Just thought of double checking.

 

PS: I Appreciate all the effort taken to help me out.

 

You are welcome. I would recommend you put a rock in the sand under it to attach to.

 

FH2