Pyramid butterfly fish and clams?

[HewFoE]

So, I have had a beautiful 3" ultra blue maxima on my tank for the last 2 months with no issues. It was thriving, opening and closing with shadows, filter feeding, mantle looked great, etc.

To my horror, I went to do my daily look at my tank and it was flipped on its side, and hollow with a small bit of muscle left inside (just enough for it to close itself on my dang fingers which ticked me off but also made me feel horrible).

Recently, I added a Ruby fairy wrasse, hippo and pyramid triangle fish (over the weekend). From what I understood, pyramids were reef/clam safe. Is this one of those "with cautions" and "few exceptions" with fish personalities?

Or should I search for other culprits? Since it was so sudden and the clam showed no signs of stress or I jury, I don't think it was any of my clean up crew.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Dont do it. Although theyre very well natured, they cannot resist clams

 

[HewFoE]

Dont do it. Although theyre very well natured, they cannot resist clams

I already did it, wish info I read was more clear.

Beautiful $120 ultra, gone. (On sale too)

 

[BackToTheReef]

Tell me it ain't so! This was one of the fish on my must have b/c everything I have read was that they were reef/clam safe!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Unfortunately. . . . This is accurate data:

The tank should also have plenty of open space for swimming, along with plenty of live rocks that can encourages the growth of natural algae. It is very necessary to feed the Yellow Pyramid Butterfly at regular intervals, several times daily, or it will occasionally pick at Xenia or other soft corals, but does not bother sessile inverts. They should be fed an omnivore diet, and should include frozen and freeze-dried foods containing algae that can even supplemented with dried Algae and vitamin enriched Brine and Mysis shrimp, finely chopped Crustacean or Mollusk meat, and frozen formulas

this would or may include clam, mussel and similar

 

[HewFoE]

Tell me it ain't so! This was one of the fish on my must have b/c everything I have read was that they were reef/clam safe!

That's exactly what I thought. It's the only fish that was added that could possibly be the culprit other fish in the tank:

Clowns
Mandarin
Leopard wrasse
Yellow Tang

 

[ca1ore]

I suppose all fish are individuals, but none of my pyramid/zoster butterfly ever bothered my clams. Cannot say the same for my angels however. Pyramids did clear my tank of all Xenia, but touched nothing else. Frankly, I’d wager that the clam just died and got scavenged. Clams are notorious for looking fine right up to the point that they are dead. Was your clam showing a white growth edge on the shell?

 

[HewFoE]

I suppose all fish are individuals, but none of my pyramid/zoster butterfly ever bothered my clams. Cannot say the same for my angels however. Pyramids did clear my tank of all Xenia, but touched nothing else. Frankly, I’d wager that the clam just died and got scavenged. Clams are notorious for looking fine right up to the point that they are dead. Was your clam showing a white growth edge on the shell?

No. And it's mantle was completely opening, bright and vibrant

 

[ca1ore]

There is no way to know for sure, but the lack of a white growth edge on a clam over two months certainly suggests it was ailing. For those of us who have kept clams for decades, the lack of a white edge is perhaps the #1 worrisome sign. Back in February, I bought a pair of Gigas clams. One immediately started to show the growth edge, the other did not. Even though the latter looked perfectly healthy, sure enough one morning I came down to an empty/picked clean shell.

I am curious though, how do you 'know' the clam was filter feeding?