Clam Problems. What Went Wrong?

[mrw64]

I have had a 3" crocea clam for a few months and it was doing fine. Last week I bought a 5" teardrop maxima and put it in the tank next to the crocea. The next morning the maxima was covered with red leg crabs and peppermint shrimp. I brushed off all the crabs but some were even inside it and it was pretty much dead. Could the crabs have killed it? It looked fine the night before.
The worse part is that later that day they were attacking the crocea clam. I took it out and put it in my refugium. It has been there for 5 days and looked pretty good but had some damage near the large opening where the crabs were. last night I decided it was time to put it back into the main tank, no matter what happens. When I picked it up the foot looked loose and shrunken. When I put it into the tank instantly dozens of nassarious snails came out of the sand and attached it. The clam was moving but pretty much open and the snails were crawling in and out of it. This morning it is all retracted into the shell with crabs and snails in the shell. I'm sure it is a goner. What could have gone wrong. I now have no more clams. Water parameters are perfect and everything else is thriving.

 

[JustDavidP]

Sounds to me like the clams were both dying. The crabs and snails sense that and move in to finish the deal. They most likely did NOT cause the problem, but took advantage of it thereafter.

Did the maxi look good after aclimation? Did it ever look fully epanded and happy to be in your system? Did you buy it at an LFS and see it healthy or was it a mail order? There's a good chance that your new clam had "issues", whether parasitic or viral etc. It may have been dying before you even knew it. When placed in the tank, under the stress of acclimation, coupled with any parasite or disease it had, it started to pass on. The scavengers sensed this, most likely chemically, and moved in on it.

If it was a parasite, virus or bacteria, it was probably passed to the crocea. It, in turn, got ill, and the clean up crew took advantage of it's distress as well. If it was injured only near the inhalant siphon, there should be no sign of disease/distress in the foot/byssus area. That sounds more like disease.

I feel for you... I lost three clams and lots o' coral in one fell swoop this year to a similar sounding situation. I got clams that were not happy and I broke the #1 rule... QT!! It spread, took the new clams and a buddy o' mine; my squamosa that was in my 20 G nano and 75G for three + years. Good luck. Let me/us know if you find anthing else that may shed some light....

Dave

 

[mrw64]

I got the maxima from Sea Creatures in Prov. RI. John said he had it for about a month. It looked good there. I floated the bag for 20 min. when I got home and drip acclimated it for 40 min. It looked fine at 9 PM when the lights went out. In the morning it was all over.

 

[Clam Man]

this sounds like a fish problem "angel"or a pepermint shrimp but a clam predator no less

 

[NateHanson]

Peppermint shrimp? I didn't realize they could be clam predators! <gulp>

 

[JustDavidP]

I had a lysmata A. pick on my first clam. He ended up skewered!

I'm sure it was not the source of your clam. Probably some other issue.

Dave