corcea clam concern

[kies1]

Bought a clam on the weekend and put it up in my rockwork and came home yesterday to find it laying upside down in the sand with my seaweed blenny burrowing around it. Rescued the clam but to my alarm could not see it's foot(retracted) if they can do this. Not sure if my seaweed blenny made a snack out of it or not. Anyways I placed a flat rock under the sand and placed the clam there last night. Since this the clam has not fully opened up. It is reacting to shade etc by retracting what little of it's mantle is out in. I think this is a good sign. What concerns me is I came home today and the clam was in a totally new position in the sand bed(facing right side up) so I moved it over to where i buried the flat rock and had a quick look and still see no foot out. Anyways just looking for suggestions or advise if this clam will survive or not. Thanks in advance

[whatcaneyedo]

I used to have two crocea. They did well for 5 years until something killed all of my clams last year... One of them would readily attach to any surface under it or push itself off it it wasn't happy. The other one which was slightly larger never attached to anything and never fell either. Here is the underside of the one that never bothered to attach. If yours looks significantly different there might be a problem. The other picture is a little devise I made out of PVC pipe to keep clumsy clams from falling over.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh109/whatcaneyedo/Picture728.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh109/whatcaneyedo/Picture731.jpg

[kies1]

Yes that is what it looked like prior to falling, now that flesh is gone and there just seems to be a hole. I think it's foot is totally gone.:redface:

[TimT]

I suspect the clams mantle may have been injured in the fall and that is why it is not fully extending.

Clams can retract almost all the flesh that is visible in the picture. The fact that the clam is moving around suggests that the foot is most likely fine. Don't keep moving it back to the same spot if it keeps moving away. Never press a clam into the sand either as this can damage it. I would place the clam on a small piece of live rock with rocks around it to support it so it doesnt fall over. Crocea's like to be on rock so they can burrow in to it.

[kies1]

Well moved the calm out of the sand and put him in a differant place in my live rock, in a little wedge so hoefully it stays put. I do think his fott etc was retracted because this morning there was less of a gap on the bottom opening where the flesh should be. Hopefully he will be ok and stay put in the rock this time. It is extending his matle but not openining near as much as before the fall. See what happens. Thanks for the advice every one!