Pinched mantle

pickupman66 · Sep 5, 2015

So I had a bta park next to my clam and made the clam unhappy. It attached to the clam at one point so I had to use a small power head to get it to movenoff. It has been gone for a day or so now and my clam looks like this. Do i need to dip it?

Myka · Sep 5, 2015

It appears that maybe it got stung, not pinched mantle. I wouldn't dip it as that might stress it more. I'd watch it closely and expect to see it improving.

evolved · Sep 10, 2015

Looks like PM to me; I'd dip.

cloak · Sep 10, 2015

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/jf/index.php

HTH.

Myka · Sep 11, 2015

How is the clam doing now?

pickupman66 · Sep 13, 2015

Still about the same. Part of it looks great, bit most is still all curled up

pickupman66 · Sep 13, 2015

Here is our clam 5 hours after a 30 minute freshwater dip.

Myka · Sep 15, 2015

Seeing as it hasn't improved yet as it should have if it was from the anemone stinging it, I'd continue to treat it for pinched mantle.

WetWhistle · Sep 15, 2015

The problem is it will not recover from the sting unless you leave it alone. You can't be moving it around and start dipping it in fresh water and expect it to heal right away. It doesn't heal magically within a few hrs or overnight from a full sting like it received, it can take over a week to heal properly. Clams don't like being moved and messed with so unless it gets worse leave it alone and give it time to heal. By jumping to conclusions that it is this or that will cause more issues on top of the sting. We already know the BTA attached to the clam so we know the cause...

If it was Pinched Mantle Disease it would have showed up before it got stung and not right after unless the sting caused PM from the damage, in my experienced after a sting it has not. Was it pinching before it got stung or just after? If it was PM the freshwater dip would have helped within a day or two so give it time to heal and see if it does recover.

At this point if you have done a 30 min freshwater dip and it has not recovered yet I would give it time. Dipping in fresh water is very stressful to clams and if it is to compromised it can kill it. Messing around will just weaken the clam more and can cause death very quickly. Give it a few more days and see what happens. Unless it gets worse at least you can see what your next step to do is. any time I have seen people mess around with clams unnecessarily the clams die. Just sain.

Myka · Sep 15, 2015

I was on the same boat as you WetWhistle, but the last pics were posted after 8 days, and it doesn't look like it's improved at all in that time. He already dipped it. I wouldn't be dipping it again anytime soon though.

WetWhistle · Sep 15, 2015

I had one that took almost a month to heal after it got stung by my elegance coral. If it is pinched mantle he could try the medication metronidazole. That will kill the color temporary but it should color back up. It would have to be set up in a quarantine tank to do this. But that is a last resort. Assuming it is PM he should know soon as it is normally fatal within two weeks. Unless it is getting worse I would still leave it alone.

pickupman66 · Sep 15, 2015

Gents. I did think I saw some pm before the anemonees got there. In addition the anemonees was on the end closest to the mantle that looked the best the entire time so I do believe pm. After the dip, as you can see, the improvement to the mantle was noticeable within hours. I believe this was my issue as opposed to the nem. I'll post a few pics over time that show this.

pickupman66 · Sep 15, 2015

When I first got it in may.

When anemone moved in.

Major pm

After dip

pickupman66 · Sep 15, 2015

I have been traveling so I'll observe it and photograph tonight.

WetWhistle · Sep 15, 2015

If you seen it before and just realized it that definitely changes things. How often have you fresh water dipped? Normally after one treatment PM gets cured. When you dipped did you gently swish the clam through the water so it distributes throughout the clam? So you don't miss any spots.