Yellow Tang Is Eating T. derasa Clam!!!!!!

[NaH2Ofreak]

Well......not exactly eating....I dont think anyways. I think he is actually after algae on the shell but with the way he's been doing it lately, I'm not too sure.

I have had the clam for about 6 months and the tang for about 3 years. For a while, the tang never bothered the clam. There actually are two clams, both T. Deresa, but the tang only bothers one of them. When this first started the tang was just nipping at the algae on the top edge of the clam, causing the clam to withdrawl its mantle. Recently however, the clam has had it's mantle pulled way down into it's shell and the tang is actually sticking its mouth in and nipping at the mantle

!! I dont see any algae on the INSIDE of the clams shell that the tang could be trying to get. Now the clam stays partially closed with it's mantle FULLY withdrawn into it's shell. This is not good. The clam is DEFINITLY stressed

!!!!

Does anyone have any last minute ideas? I am going to need to act soon. I have racked my brain to try to find SOME sort of solution to no avail. What Im going to have to do is get rid of the clam and hope the tang dosent start in on the other one. There is NO WAY to catch the tang and relocate it otherwise I definitly would! By the way, the clam is about 5" big.]

Thanks a lot!!!!

Dennis

[ December 12, 2001: Message edited by: NaH2Ofreak ]</p>

 

[phoenix1]

Try giving the Tang another food source - I would suggest sheets of algae or nori in several sites in the tank. Another alternative would be to use live rock or egg crate to separate the clam from the tang for a while. Good luck

 

[NaH2Ofreak]

Ok..I do feed nori daily. I have not placed it in "several" places. The tang CONSTANTLY picks at the clam. If I scare it, it swims off then returns w/i seconds and is right back at the clam!! I think this tang could probably polish off a whole freakin' sheet of nori in NO TIME!!!!! IT IS AN ABSOLUTE PIG!!!!!!!!! You know, fish that dont cooperate can really ruin your reefing experience. I went thru a simular thing with some sgt. damsals in my old tank.

THIS SUCKS!
Dennis

 

[naesco]

How large is your tank?
Tangs like grazing on algae all day but bugging a clam to that extent is not common IMO. I agree with Phoenix to try and protect the clam. Trying tying some nori to a stone and drop it in with some of the nori underneath and place it away from the clam.

 

[ReefMon]

FWIW

I had a beautiful 8" sarcophyton (gold crown) and for about 3 months I couldn't figure out why it was looking so bad, Then one day I walked up to the tank to see my Powder Blue Tang was eating in to it big time!

By the time i finally found out what was going on he had eaten it down to a 3" stub... I know they are toxic, and you know they are, someone needs to tell Mr PBT!

So seeing a tang going for a clam would not surprise me, the guy is just doing what his instincts tell him!

Happy Reefing!
Glenn R

 

[cvarcher]

Nah20freak, First and foremost hang one of those compartment boxes with the holes in it for water flow and place your clam in there where its safe---Imediately.Now I would try feeding protein like black worms to your fish every day.This may relieve the urge to tast and eat other proteins like your inverts.Give the clam a 2 week rest to recoup and feed it phtoplex or dt phto.

 

[danmhippo]

Clip a piece of raw shrimp/fish to the algae clip may draw the tangs over from the clam. I do agree that if you can put a clear acrylic box over the clam would definitly help it recover....Or place the clam high up to the top of the LR where tangs usually don't like to hover.

HTH

 

[NaH2Ofreak]

Hippo,

Since it is a deresa clam, wouldnt it try and "flip" itself off the rocks to try and get back down to sandbed?

DEnnis

 

[danmhippo]

I wedged my deresa between rocks......for precise placement.

 

[danmhippo]

I take it back.....How big your tank was? if it's 120G or smaller, a 5" deresa perched on top of rocks would look kinda funny, though....

 

[KenH]

My yellow tang went through a phase where it was pulling strips of shell off at the margin of the shell of my large Derasas. It actually pulled strands that looked very fibrous off and appeared to eat it. There was no obvious algae growth and it did not actually pick at the mantle itself. It stopped this behavior on its own after a while.

--- Ken

 

[Joe Kelley]

I had a purple that ate a small hammer coral.
Who who knew?
I'd get that clam out of there,
Joe

 

[davelin315]

I think it's kind of like Pringles, once you pop you can't stop. Once your tang got the itch, it's going to continue to scratch it, and probably go to the other clam once this one dies. I would remove the tang or remove the clams. Just my opinion. By the way, if you remove the clams, feel free to send them to me and I'll provide them with a nice home....

 

[NaH2Ofreak]

Thankyou all for the responses. I am going to try the "constant" supply of nori, rubberbanded to a rock. Hopefully this will distract him!!!!

Dennis