Bristle Worms

[Anonymous]

when I was feeding my fish last night I saw the biggest bristle worm come out,I knew I had them but I never new they got that big.It was about 5" long and 1/2 " wide.Then when I woke up this morning my 2" clam was dead.Could a turbo snail kill a clam.

 

[AngelMaster]

Is the bristleworm related to the question or just an unrelated observation?

Don't see how a snail could kill a clam

 

[Anonymous]

No, neither a turbo snail nor a bristleworm will kill clams. IIRC there are other pests that can. Your best bet for the best clam information here is to get in touch with Minh Nguyen (sp. of last name..?). He really knows his stuff and is INCREDIBLY successful in the husbandry of clams.

 

[Anonymous]

Yesterday the turbo was on the clam and the clam looked ok.So maybe I thought it could be the turbo or the bristle.The clam has been doing awsome. Except for today.LOL

 

[Unarce]

Sorry to hear about the clam. All too often, you hear about clams looking perfectly healthy one day, only to be dead the next. Sometimes, deterioration may be occuring within the clam and there's no real indication of the clams health until it is too late. We may think that crabs or worms may have contributed to the demise, but they're really just attracted by the dead or dying tissue. Just check for parasites like rice snails or boring types of algae and sponges. Plus, young clams are difficult to raise. They have trouble competing with larger clams for nutrients. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed with my Maxima which started out at 1/2". It's now almost 2".

 

[Anonymous]

How old is your clam.I had a 5" for about 6 mnths.Then lost it.I am moving my tank in about a month.Not looking forward to it.I may just pay a maint company to do it.here is my web page take a look

www.robreneasreef.com

 

[Unarce]

I read about your move. Good luck with that. After taking a glance at your site, it seems you have mostly soft corals. Calcium and Alkalinity are two very important elements when keeping clams and hard corals. It's just as important as lighting. Your lagoon theme reef does not require the maintenance of these elements, but you will have to if you want to try clams again. My Maxima is probably about a year and half old, but I worry because it's right next to my 5" Crocea and may not be getting all the nutrients it needs.

 

[Anonymous]

All my water tests are great.My calcium is at about 495. I probably will wait on another clam until after I move.I think I will put it in another location in the tank.

 

[Unarce]

The calcium is perfect. Do you know the dkh of your alkalinity? It was a young clam. If it's predation, letting it attach to a rock gives it some protection. Good luck.

 

[Anonymous]

actually I had the clam on the sand.I was told they usually do best there?

 

[dtiedke]

My clams are digging the rock I placed them on. FWIW


Dave

 

[Unarce]

Depends on the species. Derasa, Squamosa, and Gigas have lower light requirements and small byssal openings so they can be placed on sand or rubble. Maxima and Crocea will do best when attached to a rock.