Anyone know if a clam is part if anyones food chain?

[exel170]

Ok hers goes, I just purchased a electric blue crocea clam and I acclimated it to my tank. I saw that it was toppled over from where I had placed it and when I picked it up I saw that there was a hole in one side of it. It must have been in the tank for less that 2 hours. Does anyone know if there is a predator of clam and if you do can you please let me know what. I have a large hermit crab (dont know the scientific name, its approximately 2 inches in shell length. It took home to a empty Mexicana Turbo snail shell. So this guy is of descent size.), It has very hairy legs and irredescent spots on it. I beleive he may be the culprit. But not quire sure. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys.

[jenniebutterfly]

Muricids are something i would guess could do the hole drilling, you will find a little bit of info here about halfway down the page where they are asking a question about a 2 inch long snail with a trunk, it is the second paragraph that describes it. http://www.reefs.org/hhfaq/pages/main_page...s/faq_rock2.htm

[exel170]

I dont beleie its that, I belive i it is this eating my clam.

http://www.nano-reef.com/gallery/showphoto...&cat=500&page=1

 

 

Anyone else have any ideas?

[Howf777]

are you talking about the shell or the clam itself? like its flesh?

[exel170]

The flesh, there was a hole in it that wasnt there when I had put it in my tank and I had seen this crab pushing over the clam, and it looked like he was eating it from the backside. Any clue. Do you know of this crab eating clams.

[Howf777]

well im def no clam expert, but just from what i know all clams have a hole in its flesh (mouth) is that what you are talking about? or another one now?

 

check out the link, you can c a hole in that pic on the lower of the clam

 

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Di...cfm?pCatId=1650

[hhasty79]

It is highly unlikely that your crab had anything to do with it. He'd probably only be interested in the clam if it were already dead. It's most likely that he was picking at algae and small dead organisms on the shell of the clam, so stop blaming him until you know for *sure*.

[hhasty79]

P.S. Yes, clams are part of someone's food chain. Mine.

 

Mmmm-mmm good deep fried!

[exel170]

Well I do know for sure cause I just researced it here @ Live Aquaria, thnak you all for your input.

 

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_di....cfm?pcatid=617

[exel170]

Also that wasnt the hole I saw, the hole I saw went straight through. I could see right through the clam. I hope he will make it. I have to remove the crab when I get home from work. I will bring t to LFS.

[hhasty79]

A crab drilled a hole straight through a clam? Still sounds a bit fishy to me. :

[SaltyDawg]

Clams are like pumps they have an inlet on the left and an outlet on the right. The inlet on the left you can see all the way through to the bottom of its shell with no obstructions. This is ok it is supposed to be this way. If there are THREE holes then thats one to many and there's a problem. Where is the hole located 1st of all? on the mantel or the inner structer near the inlet and outlet holes? The hermit will not eat your clam. He was more than likely pushing it over to get at algae on its bottom.

BTW I have the same clam. They are awsome!!!!!

[exel170]

Thanks dude that make me feel so much better, but I know the hermit crab is one that is not reef safe as you can see here:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_di....cfm?pcatid=617

 

I was ready to take him out today, and he is my favorite of all.

Check him out he's pretty awesome. Mine is huge, he looks like Arnold Swarzen hermit....... LOLOLOL

 

Thanks again bro.

[SaltyDawg]

SAys it will eat mollusks.....ditch it!!!!!!!!!!! it may decide your clam is a mollusk and start tearing at it one day.

 

BTW: So your clam only has TWO holes then right?

I hope so !!!!!!! one large hole on the left (inlet) and one skinny tube on the right (outlet) All epending on which way your clam is facing that is.

[exel170]

thats is correct, the big hole though goes through to the other side of the clam. You can see right through it. But it doesnt look like the other clams I've seen where it looks like a mouth with jagged edges. I hope you know what i mean. I hope I'm explaining it enough. Isnt a clam a mollusk? I though it was a mollusk but I may be wrong. Also he doesnt bother my feather dusters as the website says that it eats tube worms. Also I haver a flaming scallop which I though was also a mollusk but I may wrong with that as well. He doesnt bother my flaming scallop either. I hope he was just eating the algae though. I couldnt get him out last night as he ws behind a tremedous amount of LR.

Hope this explains it a little bit better.

Regards,

Raffaele

[exel170]

bump

[hhasty79]

Clams are molluscs but so are snails and limpets etc. A crab that will eat a snail that it can pick up and manhandle...er...crabhandle?....might not tackle a larger clam. They used a huge vague word mollusc; it doesn't mean your crab eats ALL animals belonging to that family.

 

I'm just saying, don't panic.

[loligo]

Yes there are cirtant snails and limpits that can drill into a clams shell i dont have the species name here at work but i can find out later. the only reason i would think the crab would be after the clam is if it is dead and dying for the flesh .. YUMMY Protien!! heh another preditor of clams are cirtant sea stars. let me know if this info helps you any! ill look up the names of the snails and limpits later when i get home.

[exel170]

thanks

[SaltyDawg]

exel170: The BIG hole is the INLET. All is well. No two clams look exactly alike thats why its INLET dosent lok like the others.

It will look sort of jagged I guess when it getts bigger. It also may just be acclimating.

[exel170]

Thanks SaltyDawg, I appreciate the help. Do you think I should ake IGOR The Arnold Swarezen Hermit out of the tank or do you think I can leave him in. He hasnt done anything since that night but then again I took my clam off the sand bed and onto the LR. Everything seems ok.

[BKtomodachi]

I'd take him out, just to be safe, if you want to make the tank a reef.

 

And just for safetys sake, look up pyramid snails and make sure you dont have any.

[SaltyDawg]

What he said.

[Kogut]

Yeah... A hermit drilling a hole through a clam is a bit :| sounding to me... My hermits don't go near my clam, really. My one peppermint shrimp has befriended the clam, though! He goes around it and picks pieces of debris or food that fall onto it or around it and cleans it off. The clam doesn't even close up or withdraw its mantle anymore! I love clams. I'd instantly go to town on anything that decided to mess w/ mine! Even my angel knows better than to touch the clown.

[ifynanceu]

if you can see through the clam all the way, that is gapping which is not good...they can do this for a prolonged period of time before they die off ( I had one do it for a month before it wound up dead)...Alot of LFS mishandle them of just get in bad clams to start and it just takes time...sounds like that is what you are describing (where you can see right through the clam and see your substrate beneath it?)...You may have just been unlucky like I was on my first clam...If it appears that the shell is separating, or has a very large gap between the 2 sides (much wider than normal), it won't be long for the unfortunate to occur...