Clam with pinched mantle

mg · 11-17-2006, 09:48 AM

I had posted a while back about a squamosa clam that had pinched mantle. Here is the origional thread.
http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=83905

I did one 30 minute freshwater dip based on some articles I had read. It looked great a few hours after the dip but a week later the mantle still looked like it wasn't fully extended so I did another 15 minute dip. I shortened it because of another hobbyist in my area who did a 15 minute dip at the same time I was doing mine and lost some clams. Anyway I am about 4-6 weeks after the second treatment and am seeing signs again. The clam looked perfectly healthy during those 4-6 weeks inbetween the second dip and now. Is this common or should I leave it and see if it could be something else? There are 4 other clams in the system and none of them have ever shown any signs of stress.

Wiskey · 11-17-2006, 11:00 AM

My experiance with Pinced Mantle is limited, so be sure to research everything I say here.

From what I have experianced the clam that really gets effected by this is Maxima, but other clams can appear to have it for whatever reason. One day, I came home and my derassa looked like this:

At the time I wasn't really a member here so I started looking for answers on RC. Most people simply told me that Derasa's don't get pinched mantle, this answer baffled me, especially since I had posted a picture of one with it. I think they ment that they don't get a perticular desease that causes it in Maxima, but never really found out for sure.

Well what ended up happinging, is while I was trying to find out what to do I left it alone, about 4 days later I realized the alk in that tank had dropped to about 5 Dkh due to a reactor failure. Ca was low too, but I don't remember a number off the top of my head.

I fixed the low Alk and Ca, and in a few days the clam went back to normal.

I told you that to tell you this

It has been my experiance that pinched mantle is often caused simply by stress, start looking for something wrong with your system, Alk, Ca, I have had it caused by a nipping fish, if you give a lower light clam way too much light, it will not extend it's mantle all the way and give the appearince of pinched mantle too.

HTH,
Whiskey

mg · 11-17-2006, 11:12 AM

Whiskey thanks.

The clam is on the sandbed in a 125g under DE 250's. My maxima, crocea's, and derasa are all unaffected similar to what you saw. I test Alk, calcium, salinity weekly to biweekly and are consistently in the range of
alk 9-10DKH
calcium 400-450ppm
salinity 1.025
I have a pH monitor so that and temp are daily.
temp 79-82
pH 8.2-8.4 (lights off, lights on)
I just started to monitor Magnesium as well and it is at 1275ppm.

All tests are with salifert kits.
I use RO/DI water and IO salt

That's about all I can think of for info.

I don't think any fish are to blame, I have never seen any pick at any clams. I have 4 fairy wrasses (laboutei, lineatus, scotts, and red margin), a school of lyretail anthias, a sailfin tang, and an occilaris clown.

Wiskey · 11-17-2006, 12:01 PM

Ok, I'll let someone else with more experience than me with pinched mantle, because everything you listed looks in check.

But do keep an eye on those fish. Here is a picture of my clown hosting in a clam, it's a false perc.

Don't rule that sailfin out either, mine does nip at my clams, very rarely though, it seems every few weeks he has to check and see if he likes the taste of mantle. He keeps finding out it's disgusting.

One other thing, how is your flow by the clam?

Whiskey

mg · 11-17-2006, 12:27 PM

I would say low-moderate flow. Not enough that it blows the mantle around. There is a Tunze 6100 about 12" away that is at the top of the tank. My sailfin does pick at the shells all of the time as he does with the rocks and anything else that grows algae on it but I have.tseen him nip at the mantle.

In your opinion should I wait it out or do another dip?

Wiskey · 11-17-2006, 12:51 PM

Quote:

In your opinion should I wait it out or do another dip?

In my Opinion eh?

Well, if it was me I would shade the clam slightly (put it in a little lower light) for a few days and see how it acts before I dip it.

Whiskey

mg · 11-17-2006, 02:53 PM

I will see if that helps. I just get nervous waiting as timing seems to be critical for success in treating pinched mantle if that is indead what this is.

Wiskey · 11-17-2006, 03:31 PM

Like I said I don't have allot of experience with Pinched mantle, so definitely take other opinions,.... but personally I am more nervous about a FW dip, as that can be very hard on the clam.

Whiskey

gwaco · 11-17-2006, 05:43 PM

i say dip it ! i have lost four clams to p.m.d . with two others showing the signs . and as whisk pointed out , yes they affect derasa's also . i lost two derasa's and a maxima , and a crocea .on the two that were still alive ,it took two tries on the large maxima and three tries on the smaller maxima before they were o.k. . i kept all dips to 15 minutes .