Clam help!!!!

[nu2reef-n]

Help me, help my clam.
One week ago my six" Crocea calm lost it's byssal thread/foot, the whole clump of tissue was laying on the rock the clam was attached to. The clam was totally unattached and sitting further back on the flat piece of rock that it sits on.
I inspected it, and there was no byssal foot, just a gap in the shell where it pulled out of.
About an hour or two after this the clam goes into a full bore spawning event, quite a mess. Clam sperm everywhere.
The next day this same clam released a ton of eggs into the aquarium, which triggered another Crocea to start ejecting sperm, even a bigger mess.
Anyway, long story short my byssal less Crocea is in distress. He is gaping and the bottom of his shell at the byssal end is separated with no tissue holding it together.
I'm getting ready to tie some string around the shell to hold it together and allow him to heal. I won't tie it tightly, I'm going to leave about 1/8" to 1/4" gap so it can breathe.
I'm open to any input of any kind, thanks in advance.

[Matt Rogers]

Oh man. I did the same thing once. Due to my experience, I'd say it is probably going to die. Mine held on for a few days as I recall, but it never recovered. I have not heard of a way to turn them around once this happened. Sorry to hear about this.

[coral reefer]

If its byssal threads have been severed to close to the Clam, it will surely die!!! Sorry! How did it happen? Did you try to move the Clam?

[inwall75]

I've never had luck under this circumstance. However, I would PM chrisANDbarb. They have been working with Barry Neigut for ages. They might be able to help.

[chrisANDbarb]

clam sometime let go of there byssal threads. if whats left behind looks like stringy fibers then its just the treads, if there is a pearly white oval mass at the top then the gland came out also. clams dont expel there gland, they have to be riped out.

the hole you see is the byssal opening, they can pull there gland/foot inside and to us it looks like the gland is missing. this opening go's almost always to the end of the shell but is held closed most of the time.

i would not tie the clam closed, just leave it be for now.

most of the time when clams drop there threads and/or spawn there under a lot of stress. have you made any adjustments in Alk? have you done a large water change? have you changed lighting? has your temp fluctuated lately?

[coral reefer]

Thanks chrisANDbarb for that interesting fact!!! I didn't know that Clams sometimes let go of their Byssal threads!!! Thankyou! KARMA!

[nu2reef-n]

I had to clean pyram snails off of that clam, and another Crocea a few weeks back. The clam that's in distress now was partially out of the water for about 10 minutes. I burped it after it was replaced in the tank.
The byssal threads were cut with a new blade, as close to the rock as possible.
My water parmeters are fine, no changes.
I have four other clams in the same tank, Crocea, Gigas, Derasa, and a Hippopus they are all doing fine.
I untied the string and removed it, the clam didn't like it (wouldn't extend it's mantle at all).
I will post at a later date and keep you guys (and gals) updated.
Thanks for all the rapid replies.

[coral reefer]

Partially out of water???? Clams won't survive being out of water! I don't understand? Also tying of the clam won't be good either as it adds to their stress!
The Byssal threads being cut close to the rock as possible won't affect the clam, however the above will!
Burped?
The Pyram snails are not a good thing to have with Clams, or snails for that matter!!! They eat them!

[chrisANDbarb]

in the wild clams are often exposed to air at low tide, sometimes for more then a few hours in direct sun. alot of the clam farms will induce spawning of there breed stock by place them in the sun(in the air on the ground) for an afternoon.

burping is when you go to place them back into the water you rock them back and forth with the mantle up to expel any air trapped under the mantle

[bouraganes]

Here is a link that describes treatment and elimination of pyramid snails- I hope it helps.
Pests Invading the Reef Aquarium Hobby: Part 2 - Flatworms, Snails & Limpets