separating mantle???????????????

mie

mie

Active Member
I noticed over the past few days my deasa clam was not opening all the way, and today it looks like its mantle is peeling away from its shell. The only thing different is the addition of a lawnmower blenny that likes to rest on the clam. Would this cause it to do this? Water conditions are fine all peramiters in check like normal, clam is over two years old.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Yes the blenny resting on it could be causing the irritation. IMO the clam will probably be dead in a day or two if the mantle is peeling away from the shell. I do not know a way to reverse this either. Let's see what others saya.
 
mie

mie

Active Member
Found this to be promising, Maybe I should give it a try? What do I have to lose?
Treatment: fresh water dips
Place the clam in RO water that the temperature is the same as your tank and (ideally) adjust the pH to match that of the aquarium. Move the clam from side to side in the water, and this will help get some of the RO water in between the mantle and shell where the parasite seems to be present.


A specimen of Tridacna maxima 48 hours after an RO dip; © Clams Direct
Try to place you fresh water dip container under some lights to encourage the clam to open a little. Take a turkey baster and shoot water at wherever the pinch it. You can leave the clam in there for 20-30 minutes. Tridacna crocea may be exposed to even longer periods of immersion, as we found that they tolerate RO dips better than T. maxima. The clam can then be returned to the aquarium.
You may find that this process will have to be repeated several times, but we would suggest waiting a day or so between dips so that the clam can recover from the process.
Other things to consider
The protozoan can be dormant when the clam is happy and healthy, only for signs of Pinched Mantle Syndrome becoming visible when the clam is stressed. Stress can be triggered by many things, including shipping, poor acclimation, poor water quality, the wrong lighting, and bad choices of tankmates.
 
mie

mie

Active Member
If it does die I would like to replace it. Will the blenny likely do this again? I have had this same clam with another blenny a while back without this happening obviously. Are there clams more tolearable to fish like the blenny, resting on it?
 
mie

mie

Active Member
He will lay right on top of the clam, not for long periods of time , just little stints here and there. I put the clam in a bucket of saltwater with a small pump because the hermit crabs were starting to eat its mantle, and if it is dying I dont want it doing so in my tank, it is to big and would be a mess.
 
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