Emergency: Clam fell of rock and into nem bed

[JoJosReef]

Came in and found no clam on its rock, just what I assume is part of its foot:

Found it far away in the bed of RFAs:

I have no idea how it got there. The red RFA next to it was almost completely covering the clam until I pushed it over a bit.

Now, there is another problem. The clam has attached itself firmly to the other rock next to it:

What do I do? I don't want to start writing its eulogy yet. I have no idea how this happened.

 

[Martingale]

If it all happened recently then there isn’t likely to be many threads deeply attached to the rock, so you should be able to wiggle the clam gently to get access to the threads and cut them. If you do it gently, and cut as close to the rock as possible, you should be able to free the clam. You could use a razor blade to do this.

I wouldn’t put it back in that spot without changing anything as it didn’t seem to want to stay there and would likely do this again.

 

[JoJosReef]

If it all happened recently then there isn’t likely to be many threads deeply attached to the rock, so you should be able to wiggle the clam gently to get access to the threads and cut them. If you do it gently, and cut as close to the rock as possible, you should be able to free the clam. You could use a razor blade to do this.

I wouldn’t put it back in that spot without changing anything as it didn’t seem to want to stay there and would likely do this again.

Thanks, so you would try to take a razor to the threads or push them free with forceps?

 

[Martingale]

Thanks, so you would try to take a razor to the threads or push them free with forceps?

I wouldn’t push or pull except to adjust the clam so you can cut the threads. Trying to pull or push the clam off will just hurt/kill it. As long as you can get a razor blade under it you should be able to cut the threads off.

I can’t really see details of the rock it’s attached to, but you could also just try to chip that portion of the rock off. That would probably be harder than just cutting the byssal threads, though.

 

[JoJosReef]

I wouldn’t push or pull except to adjust the clam so you can cut the threads. Trying to pull or push the clam off will just hurt/kill it. As long as you can get a razor blade under it you should be able to cut the threads off.

I can’t really see details of the rock it’s attached to, but you could also just try to chip that portion of the rock off. That would probably be harder than just cutting the byssal threads, though.

I actually got him off by prodding a bit with the forceps. Must be recent, because it came off without much work. Put him up top where I have the SPS/high light macro space.

It isn't fully extending its mantle, but it's not fully closed either unless I shade it with my hand.

Position-wise, I cut back the Galaxaura more to make space for the clam and set it on top of the rock. Maybe it will have better flow there... Light should still be good since this is my "SPS area". There is still some negative space between the clam and the rock though, so we'll see if it repositions.

Thanks for the quick advice. I have no idea if this is something that the clam will pull through on or not. Hopefully not too much damage done to the byssal threads. Do they regrow new threads?

 

[Martingale]

The threads will regrow no problem. The actual base/foot that the threads are produced from is what you want to be careful over damaging.

As long as it was removed gently I think your only concerns will be if it was stung by the rock flower and what made it decide to eject from its original spot. The adjustments you said you made should be a good start at least, just keep an eye on it until it looks like it’s going to stay there.

You could also consider getting some sort of movable clam holder/rock/hammock for it to attach to so it’s easier to adjust it around. Being high up on the rocks and falling could lead to the shell cracking.

 

[JoJosReef]

The threads will regrow no problem. The actual base/foot that the threads are produced from is what you want to be careful over damaging.

As long as it was removed gently I think your only concerns will be if it was stung by the rock flower and what made it decide to eject from its original spot. The adjustments you said you made should be a good start at least, just keep an eye on it until it looks like it’s going to stay there.

You could also consider getting some sort of movable clam holder/rock/hammock for it to attach to so it’s easier to adjust it around. Being high up on the rocks and falling could lead to the shell cracking.

Thanks, this has been great advice.

I originally made a cradle out of two part reef putty and let it harden in the spot I originally chose, but the clam didn't fit so nicely on the cradle, so I took a piece of live rock rubble, added a ball of putty below it and smashed it on top of the cradle to make a "perch" for the clam, and it attached to that rock (first picture in the original post, with the byssal thread tissue still attached). I also added a wedged piece of rubble between the rock and the barnacles to "catch" the clam if it fell over. I found that rock in the sand bed this morning--it fell off as well. My best guess is that the clam tried to reposition in the early AM, maybe tried attaching to the extra piece of rubble, which knocked the rubble over and carried the clam with it.

That piece of rubble is in the RFA bed, and the RFAs have already decided they want to attach to the rubble, so it's staying there I guess.

Where the clam currently is, if it moves backwards, it won't fall to the sand bed since it will run into the back wall. If it moves forwards, could fall again, but this time there are some things in the way (the cut piece of Galaxaura is now where the clam used to be).

I'll keep an eye on it throughout the day. Mantle is extending a bit more. At least it was sitting next to my "gentle" RFA, which hasn't seemed to be too stingy--had a big green one that stung everything and was moved to a different tank.

Thanks!!