Is my clam ok?

Sweet clam...

 

Thanks for the responses.

It is about 2" & we have it on a very large piece of rock.

Should we place it on a small rock - maybe 3" - 4" & then place it on the larger rock?

BTW, how do they attach themselves & how long does it take?

Thanks!
julie

 

I find it easier to attach my clams on a fairly large rock. I also look around to make sure there are no holes around that rock that it can fall into...cause if it falls into that hole then you will be tearing out your rock work to find it.....Plus by placing it on a big rock you can help prevent it from falling and possibly damaging itself if it moves.

They have a "foot" on the bottom that has ligaments that come out and attach. If you look at the bottom of a clam you will see a whitish oval thing and that is the foot. They will only attach if they are "happy" with the location.

Once it attaches do not try to move it....you will damage its foot and it might get an infection and it will die.

I have 6 clams right now and they have all attached to the rocks that I placed them on with the exception of one...I have a golden teardrop that has released its footing and fell to the bottom of the tank after several months. I have tried to place it back on the rocks but each time I have it kicks itself off and right now is happy on the sand. So I am going to try to place it on a small rock on the sand and see if it reattaches and if so then I will move the rock and clam to another spot higher up in the tank.

Be careful when moving the clam...the mantle and the shell itself can be damaged. Wave your hand over the clam and have the clam close before you pick it up and move it.

 

I have also heard it is a good idea to cover the base rock with some apoxy. That way bristle worms cant get into the base of the clam and eat it from the inside out without you knowing!

 

Croceas will actually burrow into the rock a little bit. You will see it close suddenly, then open and close suddenly again. It secretes an acid that break the rock down. It doesn't take long at all for it to attach itself. I had it on a seashell in the sand and it attached itself within a day or two, I then moved it by cutting the fibers by the foot, a risky procedure, but it needed more light. I now have it on a large rock.

 

a 2" clam isnt totally photosynthetic yet either, that isnt until between 3-3.5" you need to be feeding it phyto as well at that size

 

Thank you all for your advice/suggestions - much appreciated!

I've put the little guy on a medium-size rock, about 6"-7" from the water's surface. I hope he likes it!

I have some phyco-plus (sp?) & have & will be feeding every other day.

Thanks again!
julie

K+

 

I would cut the bottom off a 2 liter soda bottle, then put that end in the water so the bottle surrounds the clam. It will also stop waterflow going to it. With this scenario, get a target feeder and target feed phytoplankton to it. Let it filter out all the food it needs on its own before removing the soda bottle. Make sure the bottle is thoroughly clean on the inside and outside. Make sure all the adhesive is gone from the label. Since your clam is so small, it relies on plankton for food since it's internal photosynthetic algae hasn't matured yet.
Aquarium Fish Feeding & Feeders: Kent Marine SeaSquirt Feeder

 

Thanks for the suggestion Tigermike - I'll give it a try