Clam trapped my filefish

[BornHandy]

So I never had this happen before. I added a maxima clam earlier this week. I don’t know if the filefish was nipping at the clam or what, but the clam closed on the filefish leaving the filefish stuck. I tried gently pulling the fish out of the clam with no luck. The clam has the filefish really good.

Is there a trick to make the clam open without hurting it? Or do I just let this play out and see what happens?

WOW! Sorry to see that... My heart goes out to that poor fish.

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

Keep updated! I hope it let's go

 

[MarsWulf5]

Why couldn't the clam make new friends?

---It wasn't because he was too shellfish, he just never really opened up.

What did the girl name her pet clam?
---Michelle

Hope that cheered you up

 

[Bryce M.]

I really hope no one dies because if it's harmless this will be hilarious (dif story if it ends with live stock dying)

 

[Terri Caton]

What happened?!!!

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Thank you for taking a picture. What was the outcome?

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Thank you for taking a picture. What was the outcome?

 

[Reef Dude]

I’m getting ready to head out for work, but I wanted to share a quick update.

At some point overnight, the clam released the file fish. The file fish is alive and swimming around!

The lights are off in the tank, so I’ll know more later today once the lights come back on - this will allow me to see the file fish better, and it will give me a better idea if any damage was done to the clam.

I know that I’m not out of the woods yet, as even though the clam and fish are alive, I’m not sure if any permanant damage was done, which could result in a gradual decline.

But at this point, I am really excited and surprised to see the file fish alive and swimming. I’ll feel even better if the file fish will eat food later today, as I’m worried about any damage that could have been done to his mouth.

I’ll provide an update once I get home from meetings this morning.

Also, I wanted to give a big THANK YOU to all of you that have taken the time to share your experience to help me out, provided ideas, or generally just wished me well through this ordeal.

This was the first time that I had an issue in the tank that I couldn’t find an answer to on my own by searching, and I’m blown away by the support you all provided me in real time as I tried to figure this out.

 

[SMSREEF]

I’m so glad the clam let go and that the filefish is swimming this morning.
I hope there is no lasting injury.

 

[Sidvicious]

I must say in the twenty plus years of fish keeping I’ve never seen anything quite like this. Glad to see the outcome is good and hope everything works out in the long run.

 

[Sea MunnKey]

Now that the Filefish has learnt his lesson .... don't go messing around with a clam! Glad to hear that all is good and no damage done.

 

[Reef Dude]

I just got a chance to assess the situation with the lights on.

The file fish is hanging out under a ledge, and I couldn’t get a good photo. He looks totally normal, and he is showing no obvious signs of stress. However, he is not eating. I assume he is still shaken up, and I am hopeful that he will start eating again at some point.

The clam looks pretty good, all things considered. See the photo - sorry about low quality photo, but it is really tough to get a cell phone pic because the blue on the clam really blows out the photo. The clam’s mantle is a little torn (circled) and slightly pinched in the area where the fish was being held. Otherwise, the clam looks normal with no obvious signs of stress such as gaping.

 

[DSC reef]

That can definitely heal, sounds like a good outcome so far.

 

[Reef Dude]

That can definitely heal, sounds like a good outcome so far.

Good to hear that you think the clam can heal. And thanks again for all your help!

 

[DSC reef]

Good to hear that you think the clam can heal. And thanks again for all your help!

Your welcome, keep us updated.

 

[P-Dub]

I'll bet the filefish will not be bothering the clam in the future. As small of a brain as our fish seem to have, they have a remarkable memory and ability to adapt. My fish will eat out of my hand, come into the room with the nets that I used to collect them and you'd swear I do not have any fish in my tank as they all are hidden away. Happy that all is well in your little reef. Keep us posted as time goes on.

 

[Terri Caton]

That's a beautiful clam! Hope they both make it.

 

[Breadman03]

I had a post composed last night but forgot to send it, but came back today to see how things went. I’m glad everything looks (cautiously) good today.

 

[Reef Dude]

I'll bet the filefish will not be bothering the clam in the future. As small of a brain as our fish seem to have, they have a remarkable memory and ability to adapt. My fish will eat out of my hand, come into the room with the nets that I used to collect them and you'd swear I do not have any fish in my tank as they all are hidden away. Happy that all is well in your little reef. Keep us posted as time goes on.

Haha, that is so true about the food and the net! I hadn’t seen the filefish anywhere near the clam since introducing this clam into the tank, so I’m not sure if it was a curious nip or if he was chasing a piece of food that landed on the clam or what. Thanks for the kinds words.

 

[Reef Dude]

That's a beautiful clam! Hope they both make it.

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement!