Clam not doing well after tank broadcast feeding

maroun.c · Nov 25, 2018

A friend had this clams since 10 months and was doing great. He fed tank with reefroids few days back and it's been closed since then. I know food can get stuck to their gills sometimes, anything he can do to relieve it?

DSC reef · Nov 25, 2018

That's unfortunate. Typically broadcast feeding isn't bad but direct feeding can cause havoc. I wonder if by chance a large mass of reef roids got sucked in to the incurrent siphon? I'd try to turn the clam towards flow so that its facing the incurrent siphon and maybe it will help clear it out if the clam opens. No reports of nipping fish, etc? Just want to rule out coincidence

jda · Nov 25, 2018

It is probably just coincidence. Clams are capable of rejecting stuff that they do not want, or forcing them back out. I have seen NLS pellets go into the mouth of my clams with no issues - they "cough" them back out.

Force feeding CAN be a problem and is not recommended.

I don't see much significant new shell growth there, so the clam is probably not super healthy. New shell growth is the only true positive of clam health since they can look great for months and months while slowly starving to death... they go from looking good to nothing in just a few days. After 10 months, the clams should have a least one new row of scutes if it was growing.

maroun.c · Nov 26, 2018

Thanks for the replies.
@jda re growth I do see coupke growth ridges one of which is very new. Can u elaborate on the lack of scutes would you expect more aggressive growth?

reef lover · Nov 26, 2018

How are the other 2 doing?

maroun.c · Nov 26, 2018

All were doing well till the feeding, after feeding 2 clams are not opened yet.

DSC reef · Nov 26, 2018

maroun.c said:
All were doing well till the feeding, after feeding 2 clams are not opened yet.

Since they are not opening maybe give them a turn upside down like burping them. Hoping they turn around, they are beautiful. I would still check for typical things like pyramids though.

maroun.c · Nov 26, 2018

He has a Lennardi wrass so doubt he will let any Pyramid snails and don't recall he added any clams or snails recently. Will definitely have him check them and possibly burp them and place against flow as suggested.
Thanks.

DSC reef · Dec 16, 2018

Any update on the clams and how they are doing?

maroun.c · Dec 16, 2018

Sorry for lack of update, all three clams he has in the tank looked worse in following couple days he decided to move them to his frag tank (separate system). Few min later all clams were normally open.
He possibly relates it to a reeflux treatment he ran 10 days earlier (havent found any info on clams affected by Reflux). They're still doing great in his frag tank and he will return them in coming few days to DT.