new maxima sure to die

salt newbie01 · Sep 1, 2008

I got a nice golden tear drop maxima a couple weeks ago. The mantle looked great, it had good reaction to light. The foot was in good shape. It almost looked like it had rubble attached to it? It is probably 5 inches long. I checked a few days ago and the clam had attached to the rock it has been sitting on. I thought I was in the clear until this morning. I noticed the clam had fallen forward a few inches. I reached in to see if it had detached and it had. When I picked it up I looked under it and the foot was gone! The foot was still attached to the rock! I don't see any pyramid snails I don't see anything wrong. Except the foot being seperated from the clam!

Anyone have any idea what might have caused this?? I really like the golden tear drops but I hate to lose them.

Thanks for looking
Patrick

Garth Schafluetzel · Sep 1, 2008

that sucks man i want a clam in the new tank and i hope i have good luck with them i keep hearing allot of stories but at the same time see so many thrive. i hope everything works out.

gflat65 · Sep 1, 2008

Hmmm. I've been wanting to ask how it was doing for you... You said a couple of weeks was the time frame for you. I've had a crocea lose its foot before and be fine (it fell from a rock, too, but kept moving around and ended up being fine). How does the 'mouth' look? Is it somewhat tight, or loose? How does the base look where the foot is? The other clams I've got (still have all that I had at the swap, unfortunately...) don't have a mass where the foot is, just a 'lining' that they send out filaments for sticking to things. I've got them on a glass bottom so when I move them, they have to be pryed off the glass (or other clam shells, if they fall over near another clam). When I pull them apart, they leave behind the white filaments they used to hold themselves in place.

Is the foot a big mass of stringy, or is it just strings? If it still reacts to light and the base where the foot should be isn't gaping, I'd give it time. I can't keep one of mine on the rocks (crocea). It keeps moving around, ripping off foot filaments, but I keep putting it back in the rocks and it reattaches, only to fall again... The tearddrop I've got in my display is in the sand, so I haven't had a chance to look at the foot.

Keep us posted, Patrick. I wish I could be of more help...

bluegrass · Sep 1, 2008

Good luck with it Patrick. See ya later this week!

Azurel · Sep 1, 2008

I have had many Maximas do that back when I had clams.....All of them survived and did fine. They will do that if they want or have to move due to a bad spot Maximas in the wild arn't always in and on the rocks, in deeper waters they will actually settle on the sand and once big enough they will no longer attach but the weight of the clam itself will hold it in place.....As long as it is opening, and the mantle is stretching out and shows no signs of stress I think you will be fine. It will just regrow what ever it left behind...

Candycane · Sep 1, 2008

Does it look like this? I took this picture a few months ago when I could get a 3-4 inch clam to release. If it looks like this, the clam should be fine. They release them all the time when they decide to move. Neither of the below are the foot. The foot is held into the shell cavity by 4 muscles.

You just NEVER want to pull a clam if it is attached. It would rather have it's byssal organ ripped out then let go of the byssal plug.

salt newbie01 · Sep 2, 2008

Thanks for the info everyone. Unfortunately the clam died. It looked like the byssal threads and a part of the plug. The flesh of the clam never extended again after the separation. I don't understand it...it looked good reacted to light, good mantle extension, good edges (no pinched mantle). I just really hate if something dies and I have no reason why. If I know why I can try to correct the problem and try again. If I don't know why it makes me hesitant to try again.

Thanks again for the info everyone,
Patrick

Candycane - welcome to R2R!! You have some amazing clams. Maybe one day one of them will find their way into mu tank!!!

Azurel · Sep 2, 2008

Sorry to hear that.....

Hypertek99 · Sep 2, 2008

RIP clamy.

Garth Schafluetzel · Sep 2, 2008

yeah i hate to here you lost the clam man guess it just wasent ment to be or just wasent your time yet.hope my frag is coloring up for you

scouncil · Sep 4, 2008

I'm so sorry. I haven't had any luck with clams (ever- their track record is even WORSE than the powder blue tangs), so I don't buy them anymore (though I've never had good lighting).

I'll have to try one of GFlats rude clams the next time I see him. They might be more tenacious (demonstrating fornication in a church is pretty bold!). I'll have to wait for the new lights, soon to come.
Susan