Clam?

[BryanM]

I thought this was something else because it has so much growing in its shell, but I'm pretty sure its a clam.

 

[shakacuz]

very difficult to tell what you’re referencing to but it could be an abalone based on the shape. has it moved at all?

 

[twentyleagues]

Its a bivalve of some sort. Its not an abalone it has two halves of shell. Clam, oyster that is probable. LR from ocean?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Yeah, definitely a bivalve - if that stuff growing on it is part of the shell, then it may be a Jewel Box Clam (taxonomic family Chamidae) of some kind or possibly a Spondylus species (Thorny Oyster), but it's a harmless filter-feeder regardless.

 

[BryanM]

Its a bivalve of some sort. Its not an abalone it has two halves of shell. Clam, oyster that is probable. LR from ocean?

Live rock from Gulfliverock.com, yes.

 

[BryanM]

So it looks to me like he's detached from the top of his shell....

Is there anything I can do to help?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I thought this was something else because it has so much growing in its shell, but I'm pretty sure its a clam.

This is known as a bivalve and often confused as a clam and is a member of the oyster group and is a filter feeder. Often not long lived

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

So it looks to me like he's detached from the top of his shell....

Is there anything I can do to help?

For clarification here, are you saying the bivalve is stuck open or like the flesh isn't connecting the top and bottom halves of the shell?

If it's not connected, I'd assume it's on its way out (dying); if it's stuck open, that'd be odd, but we could potentially troubleshoot why.

Have you been feeding the tank any phytoplankton? If not, that could potentially help:

Bivalves are harmless filter feeders; some do well in our tanks, but others tend to starve. If you want to try and help yours do well, you can feed phytoplankton like Isochrysis (Isochrysis galbana [T-Iso]), Chaetoceros (Chaetoceros sp./spp.), and Thalassiosira (Thalassiosira sp./spp.) or a blend containing one or more of those.

Also, to clarify here - the term Bivalve refers to mollusks with two halves to their shells (two valves); Bivalves are any critters included in the taxonomic Class Bivalvia.

Clams, Oysters, Scallops, Mussels, etc. are all examples/kinds of Bivalves; so all clams and oysters are bivalves, but not all bivalves are clams or oysters.

 

[BryanM]

For clarification here, are you saying the bivalve is stuck open or like the flesh isn't connecting the top and bottom halves of the shell?

If it's not connected, I'd assume it's on its way out (dying); if it's stuck open, that'd be odd, but we could potentially troubleshoot why.

Have you been feeding the tank any phytoplankton? If not, that could potentially help:

Also, to clarify here - the term Bivalve refers to mollusks with two halves to their shells (two valves); Bivalves are any critters included in the taxonomic Class Bivalvia.

Clams, Oysters, Scallops, Mussels, etc. are all examples/kinds of Bivalves; so all clams and oysters are bivalves, but not all bivalves are clams or oysters.

I have not been feeding the tank, as it has just been set up. This, and a few other critters were attached to the live rock when it arrived.

The flesh is not attached to the top shell.

 

[twentyleagues]

Looked to be open quite wide in the first pic. My guess is it is dead or dying. Their muscles are used to keep the shell closed so it is weak or no longer in control.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I have not been feeding the tank, as it has just been set up. This, and a few other critters were attached to the live rock when it arrived.

The flesh is not attached to the top shell.

Does it still open/close? If not, then yeah, it's dead/dying, and I doubt you can save it.

 

[BryanM]

Does it still open/close? If not, then yeah, it's dead/dying, and I doubt you can save it.

It can't because its not attached to the top of the shell.

That's too bad, but I understand there will be dieoff issues when shipping live rock.

 

[F i s h y]

Does it still open/close? If not, then yeah, it's dead/dying, and I doubt you can save it.

Alternative idea. Could this be a type of sponge that has grown in between the shell of a deceased bivalve? A top down pic might help. It's just to big and "fleshy" for me to consider it a normal oyster, clam, or otherwise.

 

[BryanM]

Alternative idea. Could this be a type of sponge that has grown in between the shell of a deceased bivalve? A top down pic might help. It's just to big and "fleshy" for me to consider it a normal oyster, clam, or otherwise.

Here's a top down, and side pic again.

I'm inclined to pluck the muscle out, as it looks like it is detaching from the bottom shell now to, and like others said, is dying.

 

[F i s h y]

Here's a top down, and side pic again.

I'm inclined to pluck the muscle out, as it looks like it is detaching from the bottom shell now to, and like others said, is dying.

I do not believe what you are seeing is the clam itself. I believe it is a sponge.

 

[F i s h y]

Spiny oysters have actual spines on the shell hence the name. There are no other Atlantic or Caribbean bivalves that have nearly that much "body".

 

[BryanM]

Spiny oysters have actual spines on the shell hence the name. There are no other Atlantic or Caribbean bivalves that have nearly that much "body".

Visually i thought it was more flowery/soft, but I just stuck my hand in there, and everything on the top of the shell is quite firm.

Still, that white "muscle" now is almost completely detached from the bottom too....

 

[F i s h y]

Visually i thought it was more flowery/soft, but I just stuck my hand in there, and everything on the top of the shell is quite firm.

Still, that white "muscle" now is almost completely detached from the bottom too....

I've been wrong before and I do not disagree with you that there is a brighter white patch in your pics that looks like clam or oyster flesh. It's a strange case indeed. I would monitor amononia levels and just be ready to remove and do a water change if needed. May be a strange coincidence of it being a dying clam and a sponge

 

[BryanM]

I've been wrong before and I do not disagree with you that there is a brighter white patch in your pics that looks like clam or oyster flesh. It's a strange case indeed. I would monitor amononia levels and just be ready to remove and do a water change if needed. May be a strange coincidence of it being a dying clam and a sponge

Fair. i'll learn, but this is all new to me.

I'm sure live rock was "the right way to go" .... But it comes with a steep learning curve that's not exactly simple or road map-able

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Alternative idea. Could this be a type of sponge that has grown in between the shell of a deceased bivalve? A top down pic might help. It's just to big and "fleshy" for me to consider it a normal oyster, clam, or otherwise.

Yeah, this thing is very unusually large; the only species I'm aware of that I've seen even close to this size (and it's still smaller) with the spines is Spondylus rotundatus, which is extinct. Because of that, I'm assuming (if the top part is in fact part of the shell and not something else like a foraminferan, coral, hydrocoral, etc.) it's one of the other Spondylus species that I'm not familiar with (there are several dozen species and I'm only familiar with a handful at this point), but I could very well be wrong.

It's definitely an oddball critter, and I'm sorry it seems to be on death's door.