What is the jelly blob underneath my Clams?

[Acroholic]

Two of my three clams produce a clear jelly like blob underneath them. I keep removing this mass when it gets the size of a golf ball. What is this stuff and why do clams produce this? They all seem extremely healthy and exibit exceptional color, great mantle extension and substantial growth.

[mg]

These are byssal threads. Clams have a byssal gland and a foot that they use to attach to rocky substrate. All clams have this when small and clams that prefer to be on rock such as croceas and maximas will retain this throughout their life. Be very careful removing a clam that has attached to something. Tearing or damaging the foot often leads to the demise of the clam. Some of the larger clams such as derasa and squamosa may lose this and not try attaching to a substrate. Really large clams like gigas will esentially have no byssal gland and rely on their enourmous mass to hold them in place.

What type of clams do you have? If one of the rock dwelling species, you should try to place a small rock under them for them to attach to.

[Acroholic]

Thanks for the reply mg, but what I am trying to describe is not the byssal threads.
More like a clear mucous/jelly like substance.
The clams in question are T. Crocea.

[mg]

What I am describing is the same thing. The byssal threads especially on a T. Crocea if placed in the sand will be a big clear to opaque jelly like glob under the clam where the byssal opening is. It will build up this mass as it continues to try to find something to hold on to. I would place a small rock under it for it to attach.

I use to get the exact same thing under my derasa when it was smaller. After about a week there would be a glob about the size of a golf ball under the clam. If I wiggled the clam it would fall off.

[tabwyo]

Crocea are rock dwellers and they release an acid that disolves limestone to allow them to burrow into rock for protection. Sounds like your critters are tryin to make a nest.