Did my clams foot rip off?

bo0sted2g · Jul 3, 2018

When I was researching into buying a clam I read that if you damage the clams foot it will die. Yesterday night my girlfriend said there was a snail on the clam and she had to knock him off..... that was red flag number one.

Fast forward to today I find a large fleshy bundle of fibers (the same ones that used to anchor the clam to the ground.) Now the clam is no longer attached to the fibers but the bundle of fibers is still connected to the bottom of my tank. Is this his foot? Will it die without it? I'm just confused because the clam is fully open and seems happy....

If his foot wasn't detached and separated from its body I wouldn't even be worried.

BigCitySmallReef · Jul 3, 2018

Hopefully not! I had flame scallops once that would leave a stringy filament behind that was just used to adhere to rocks and substrate. Hopefully that's all this is.

john90009 · Jul 3, 2018

most likely it is its byssal threads i believe. hes gonna be on the move.

TheSchwenkster · Jul 3, 2018

john90009 said:
most likely it is its byssal threads i believe. hes gonna be on the move.

Agreed. Released to move about.

campaign000 · Jul 4, 2018

It's the byssal and quite normal when clam wants to replace it. It will be fine.

bo0sted2g · Jul 4, 2018

TheSchwenkster said:
Agreed. Released to move about.

Thanks, I was just paranoid and it was just a coincidence that my girlfriend hit a snail off it with a 3/4in PVC pipe and it decided it was going to go for a stroll haha

It moved Into a cove out of the flow a bit and has re anchored. Thanks for the responses everyone!

Joshky · Jul 4, 2018

Why was your girlfriend knocking the snail off in the first place? Little unnecessary, the snail isn't going to harm the clam unless it's a pyramid snail, in which case removing them is the only cure.

bo0sted2g · Jul 4, 2018

Joshky said:
Why was your girlfriend knocking the snail off in the first place? Little unnecessary, the snail isn't going to harm the clam unless it's a pyramid snail, in which case removing them is the only cure.

Oh believe me I told her haha. She is usually the last one interested in anything that has to do with the tank. I let her know that the snail was only cleaning its shell off and was nothing to panic about

Joshky · Jul 5, 2018

bo0sted2g said:
Oh believe me I told her haha. She is usually the last one interested in anything that has to do with the tank. I let her know that the snail was only cleaning its shell off and was nothing to panic about

Hey, anything you can do to get her interested will only help in the long run! The fact that she's somewhat paying attention is a good thing. I hope your clam finds a good spot and settles in for you.

jda · Jul 5, 2018

Be on the lookout for it trying to move around and getting tipped over - you might need to stand it back up. This might be a sign that it is wanting more light... it is getting a bunch where it is?

bo0sted2g · Jul 20, 2018

jda said:
Be on the lookout for it trying to move around and getting tipped over - you might need to stand it back up. This might be a sign that it is wanting more light... it is getting a bunch where it is?

Yeah it is getting a good amount of light, I think it was just trying to move out of the flow a little bit. Its original spot was right up against the glass and the flow was pretty strong through there. it has now moved about 4-5 inches back into a little cove that blocks some of the current. It is now reattached and happy as ever.

cracker · Jul 20, 2018

This is interesting to know. I would have freaked out.
Speaking of clams, How much light do clams need? 100, 200par,3oo maybe?
Generally speaking of course I'm sure one type likes more than another
Thanks

bo0sted2g · Jul 22, 2018

cracker said:
This is interesting to know. I would have freaked out.
Speaking of clams, How much light do clams need? 100, 200par,3oo maybe?
Generally speaking of course I'm sure one type likes more than another
Thanks

Not sure on the exact par requirement, but my derasa is under an Ocean Revive T247 led and 2 T5's. They like higher light.
Derasas don't need as intense light as the maximas though from what ive been told.

Here is the new growth I got in the first 2 months!

TheSchwenkster · Jul 22, 2018

Wow, that's some awesome growth!

mikedgrok · Jan 26, 2022

cracker said:
This is interesting to know. I would have freaked out.
Speaking of clams, How much light do clams need? 100, 200par,3oo maybe?
Generally speaking of course I'm sure one type likes more than another
Thanks

Well this just happened for me and I am freaking out. 3.5 years later. Thanks to all on this thread helping me to relax, not rush to do or touch anything, to let the clam do its thing, and to keep my fingers crossed !!