mzoo Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Hi, Have enjoyed this forum for 2 years. First post. Have sadly discovered that my hermit crabs love clam. Have had 4 beautiful clams in my mature reef tank, two of them for almost 2 years. Mature tank, good PH, temp at 79, skimmer, good filter, calc at 450, halide and T5s, etc. etc. Beautiful clams, healthy and growing. BUT when I went on vacation last week my BF put a bad hermit crab back in display tank (he had been banished for fighting). He did not tell me. He did call to say that one of my maximas had died, apparently eaten. Well I was sad, but did not have all the facts, so what could I do. Came home, tank & 3 remaining clams just fine. BUT when I was at work yesterday, first day back, he woke up to find the bad crab chewing on the mantle of my favorite ultra blue maxima, AKA " prizewinner". Prizewinner still alive, but mantle ripped up pretty bad. Two things: hermits eat healthy clams!!!! also bristleworms...had another tiny, healthy maxima eaten by one in an hour while we were out to lunch...that was last year. AND, has anyone had experience with a clam with a damaged mantle?? Can they regrow their mantles? Is there any hope for Prizewinner? Link to comment
Bill Nye Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 This is very strange. My first instinct is to say that there must have been something wrong with the clam or it was very small and unable to defend itself. My hermit used to pick around near the clam and generally piss it off by standing on its shell but I never saw him try to eat the clam. Also bristle worms dont have any hard mouth parts so Id image itd have to be a huge one to eat a healthy clam. I had a huge bobbit worm (which look similar to bristles sort of) who would come out every once in a while and nibble on my clam, perhaps that is the culprit? Link to comment
mzoo Posted July 28, 2011 Author Share Posted July 28, 2011 This is very strange. My first instinct is to say that there must have been something wrong with the clam or it was very small and unable to defend itself. My hermit used to pick around near the clam and generally piss it off by standing on its shell but I never saw him try to eat the clam. Also bristle worms dont have any hard mouth parts so Id image itd have to be a huge one to eat a healthy clam. I had a huge bobbit worm (which look similar to bristles sort of) who would come out every once in a while and nibble on my clam, perhaps that is the culprit? Yes I know it sounds strange, but I assure you the tiny clam (1.5 inches at most) was quite vibrant and totally healthy to the end (I know what ailing clams look and act like) and it was a sizeable worm that lived in the rock below the clam and one day it got hungry and we found it just going to town in the clam's guts. Tiny clams are not totally closed on the bottom and so it was very easy for him to chew right thru. This was the first clam I placed directly in the rocks, the others had been on shells (and still are). I agree, he was small and could not defend himself but he was definitely healthy before the worm. As for the crabs, this bad crab was big, with big pinchers, and had already been removed for being aggressive. First clam that died no one saw but second clam to be attacked, Prizewinner, again is almost 2 years in my tank and the picture of health and the large crab was witnessed tearing apart his mantle while smaller crabs watched. Can't explain why he did not close except maybe he was used to them crawling on him in general as crabs do and then they wedged in to eat him. In my experience, anything with a taste for meat may try to eat your clams! Prizewinner IS still alive. He has some mantle left. His inhalant siphon is intact, as are his guts, he still closes and opens and expels water (he squirted me last night), not gaping, and he acted a little happier when I gave him some phyto. So what I would really love to know is can clams with damaged mantles regenerate mantle tissue? Link to comment
hamiltonra25 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 not really a clam discussion but related to hermits. i had 3 hermits. i just found 2 hermits heads and legs in my powerhead. no they arent molts. 1 hermit is just strolling around like nothing happened, when i actually seen him attack another hermit. they are worthless imo Link to comment
mzoo Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 not really a clam discussion but related to hermits. ummmmm...how not a clam discussion?? Hermits ate two of my otherwise healthy clams. I could give a $*%! about the crabs, they were evicted last week...wanna know, from other clam fanciers, if a damaged clam has come back and how long it took. And, I want other clam keepers to know, creatures that eat meat may try to eat your healthy clams. In my experience this is bristleworms and hermits. Despite what we are told about only dying clams being eaten. Link to comment
mzoo Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 hamiltonra25, sorry I misunderstood your post. Yes, your comments pertain to crabs, not clams per se...but they are very relevant. My experience is also that hermits are aggressive, definitely with each other, and so IMO, I agree, really do not belong in a reef tank with corals and clams. The hermit that ate 1.5 clams had been expelled for fighting with his brothers but then I guess my boyfriend felt sorry for him and put him back in main tank. He ate both clams within 1 week. Jerk. Link to comment
dferrari13 Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 This is why I only buy dwarf zebra hermits...very tiny...can't do damage Link to comment
Simulated Fish Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 This is why I only buy dwarf zebra hermits...very tiny...can't do damage Are you a necromancer? Lol Link to comment
IronChefItaly Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 Crabs are opportunistic. Like angelfish, some with just develop a tendency to eat coral or even clams. Keep an eye on them and if one seems to always "hang out" around a colony give him away to someone with a fowlr and buy a new one for $2. Link to comment
mystersyster Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 I found one of my crabs on top of my derasa picking at it during the middle of the night. I'm not sure if he was looking for algae, but there wasn't new algae at the top the of the clam. To be safe, he was banished to the sump. I have another crab (same species) that doesn't give my clam a second thought. Link to comment
IronChefItaly Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 I found one of my crabs on top of my derasa picking at it during the middle of the night. I'm not sure if he was looking for algae, but there wasn't new algae at the top the of the clam. To be safe, he was banished to the sump. I have another crab (same species) that doesn't give my clam a second thought. Especially more mature clams have a great surface for algae growth so its not uncommon to find hermits hanging around them. Just watch very closely to see exactly what the crabs are doing. If they're solely picking at the shell with an occasional step on the mantle then you're likely fine. If they start getting a bit more curious and constantly poking around the mantle then give it away. Link to comment
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