Gigas - Green Striped Mushroom Devil

[Anonymous]

I have noticed that my T. Gigas hasn't looked quite right for the last couple of weeks. Figured it was because I haven't been keeping up with the 75G tank while I have been building the 300G. Today I did a water change and later today I noticed a friggin green striped mushroom inside my T. Gigas's inhalant siphon. I knew that this would be the end of the Gigas if I didn't somehow get the mushroom out of him. Upon further review, the mushroom was attached on the bottom of his shell, and then it poked though the bottom of the clam and was getting it's light though the siphon.

So I got the wife to hold the clam at the top of tank and I cut the shroom off. My past experience with shrooms was that if you cut one off, you get 10 in return. I had to kill this shroom or the Gigas was a goner for sure. So after I cut off as much shroom as I could, I put kalk powder directly on the remaining flesh. Let it sit for 30 seconds then used a pipette to blast the kalk away from the clam.

I have no idea if the clam will make it or not, but I don't know what else I could do. I was just glad that I spotted the shroom before it killed the clam. Now at least it may have a chance.

Here are some pics.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

8O Wow, that's got to be a first. Hope the clam is okay Louey!

 

[Anonymous]

I'm glad you caught it!

I've found if I bury the part of the rock (or clam in your case) in the sand for a few days when I cut a shroom off, it doesn't grow back.

B

 

[Anonymous]

I won't use kalk so close to a live clam, but that's MHO. Usually, if you can get to the 'shroom, you can get rid of it easily with brush alone.

 

[Oceans Ferevh]

Yikes 8O I didn't know mushrooms could do that!