Clam and freshwater dip.
 

Ok I got a clam today, nice golden maxima, and I am aclimating it now.. I have seen flat worms in the water that I am aclimating it in so my question is can a clam with stand a fresh water dip of a couple seconds or is there a better way to do it?

Steve

I would imagine that is risky business. It might be ok for a really quick dip, but I wouldn't recommend it. I would take it back to Kora or whoever you bought it from. Then order some flatworm exit.. Then dip the clam in a seperate container with some FW exit..

It would have to be an extremely quick dip. If the clam opens its mantle there is huge possibility for osmotic pressure changes (ie cells uptake the freshwater due to the osmotic pressure, causing rupture of cells) and could kill the clam. Can you not just either scrub the flatworms off with a toothbrush with the clam out of water or pick them off with tweezers or something??

Christy :)

PS all that osmotic pressure change stuff may possibly be BS :rolleyes: IMO I wouldn't risk it though.

I wouldn't risk that either. I think it would kill them.

That said, a long time clam keeper told me early on how to take them out of the water, make sure they were tightly closed, hold them upside down, and run fw over them, while toothbrushing them all over.

It worked for me... :confused:

Hmm ok, sence no one answered me fast enuf :lol: I did some reading on ReefCentral. Aparently a 30 min fresh water dip is one of the fixes for a pinched mantle. and I saw various other types of fresh water dips used on clams also.

So what I did was shake the clam upside down for about 10 seconds, then back to new salt water.. I repeted this a few times till I was sure there were no more flat worms.

here he is 10 min later.

http://members.shaw.ca/stircrazy/clam05.jpg

Steve

let's see another pic 10 days later... see how he looks then! :eek: :razz: :lol:

well how about one today. aparently he likes whare he is and attched this morning (after I put him back on his rock) I never thought they would attach so fast.. it was about 5 min from the time I replaced him till I checked again. :eek: The first pic shows the foot better, the second shows the clam better.

http://members.shaw.ca/stircrazy/attached.jpg

http://members.shaw.ca/stircrazy/attached_open.jpg

Steve

Hey Steve.
When you said a "pinched mantle" what does this look like exactlly?
My large Dersa has a pinced mantle, I think :confused: .
It's been like this for about 2 to 3 months.
clam is doing well and showing growth but it doesent extend it's mantle all the way.

I am not sure as I was skimming and not looking at pics. just do a serch on "pinched mantle" I am sure it will be simple.

Steve

Ok after watching him some more, that is indeed his foot and not the byassel threads, so he is still trying to decide whare to grab hehe..

Steve