I have a squamosa that just today i noticed is fully open, and hes not responding to light intensity at all. He looks very bad. I am thinking its because i have had a recent break out of flatworms, which i heard were parasitic to clams. There are also not any parasitic snails on him. All water paramaters are normal and calcium is 550. anyone have any suggestions?
Squamosa dying.
- Thread starter reefNewbie
- Start date
Tony,
Your picture shows a Maxima clam (less likely Squamosa) that is in very poor shape. I don't think he is going to make it. He looks like he had recent growth.
I don't think that a Ca level of 550 cause this problem.
You did not give me much information so I cannot tell you very much other than the above. Regardless, I don't think your clam will make it. Often, by the time the clam looks bad, there is nothing you can do for him. I am sorry.
You mention recent flatworm out break but I see no flatworm in the picture. How did you get rid of the flatworm?
How long did you have the clam? How big is your tank and how do you light it? What is the rest of the water parameters?
Do you have any other clams in your tank? Is there any fish that bother the clam?
If you give all of these information’s, maybe I can try to tell you what may be wrong so that you have less chance of loosing another clam.
Sorry,
Minh
Your picture shows a Maxima clam (less likely Squamosa) that is in very poor shape. I don't think he is going to make it. He looks like he had recent growth.
I don't think that a Ca level of 550 cause this problem.
You did not give me much information so I cannot tell you very much other than the above. Regardless, I don't think your clam will make it. Often, by the time the clam looks bad, there is nothing you can do for him. I am sorry.
You mention recent flatworm out break but I see no flatworm in the picture. How did you get rid of the flatworm?
How long did you have the clam? How big is your tank and how do you light it? What is the rest of the water parameters?
Do you have any other clams in your tank? Is there any fish that bother the clam?
If you give all of these information’s, maybe I can try to tell you what may be wrong so that you have less chance of loosing another clam.
Sorry,
Minh
I agree with Mihn it seems to be too late, you may consider romoving the clam from the tank soon to prevent fouling the water and worse. It will probably slide right out of its shell soon. It might have been a byssal injury as you can see right through the clam now.
It could have been caused when the clam was romoved from the holding tank when you bought it. Where did you get it?
It could have been caused when the clam was romoved from the holding tank when you bought it. Where did you get it?
you can actually see some flatworms over him if you look closely enough. I ordered this clam from marine depot about 5 weeks ago. They claimed it was a squamosa. My tank is a 90gal. It has dual 175w mh and dual 110w vho actinics. Paramaters are all normal (close to 0). There are no other clams or fish that bother him.
Ben raises a good point, I didn recenty move him a bit because he keeps turning flat, so that hes not facing upwards. I didnt feel any resistance when i was moving him though i was wondering if I should be moving him or not due to the byssal foot. thanks for your help.
Ben raises a good point, I didn recenty move him a bit because he keeps turning flat, so that hes not facing upwards. I didnt feel any resistance when i was moving him though i was wondering if I should be moving him or not due to the byssal foot. thanks for your help.
Tony,
The prominent roll of spots at the edge of the mantel is what makes it most likely a Maxima. It is one of the characteristics of Maxima. Squamosa does not have the same spots. Here is a picture of one:
Sometime, the clam can be keep at the dealer for so long at sup optimal condition that he used up his reserved and the stress of the shipping kills him.
The flat worm that you have is not a parasitic flat worm. They should not bother the clam. It is possible that your tank is (?)new and not as stable as it should to keep clam yet, another 3 months or so may be better. I see no obvious cause for your clam demise from the information you gave me.
Minh
The prominent roll of spots at the edge of the mantel is what makes it most likely a Maxima. It is one of the characteristics of Maxima. Squamosa does not have the same spots. Here is a picture of one:
Sometime, the clam can be keep at the dealer for so long at sup optimal condition that he used up his reserved and the stress of the shipping kills him.
The flat worm that you have is not a parasitic flat worm. They should not bother the clam. It is possible that your tank is (?)new and not as stable as it should to keep clam yet, another 3 months or so may be better. I see no obvious cause for your clam demise from the information you gave me.
Minh
I disagree with Mihn about that. If the clam was attached and the byssal was torn during moving this can set infection and will definatly stress the clam. I would think that could stress the clam very badly as well. Its more likely that the dealer tore the byssal when shipping and it was already pulled off when you recieved it. You might want to ask Barry over on his www.clamsdirect.com forus. FWIW any future clams you get get them from Barry he IS awsome with pricing and customer support with his clams. You may know him from here as TopTank.
You'll never see a maxima clam with the deep indentations of the shell or the large scutes that are displayed on this clam. It's distinctively squamosa. Most maxima clams are generally "straight" along the length of the shell or bulge in the middle. The shape and pattern of the mantle is also indicative of squamosa, but that's a secondary indication.
Here's a pic of a squamosa clam.
Greg
Here's a pic of a squamosa clam.
Greg
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