Clam Help!

[Dentoid]

I awoke this morning to find that Spotty my BSJF had moved burrows and half buried my Maxima clam. I guess in the clams effort to get out from under the sand it bailed on its byssal apparatus. When I got this clam back in Sept '07 it was attached to a man made plaster disk. During the months that I have had it, the clam has cracked the plaster disk in half. Now the clam is sitting on the substrate it's still open and responding to shadows, it doesn't look sick. My gut is to observe. Any suggestions on what to do?

Here are some pictures of the byssal apparatus.

 

[sasquatch]

think its fine Scott, its a natural thing, when they are ripped off the substrate by force it usually kills them in a day, prop him up like a drunken sailor and wait it out.

 

[dobejazz]

I put in a page to Dr. Whiskey for ya

 

[Dentoid]

think its fine Scott, its a natural thing, when they are ripped off the substrate by force it usually kills them in a day, prop him up like a drunken sailor and wait it out.

:laughroll Thanks Steve. You always know how to make a reefer feel good!

Thanks Kelli. So far so good. I'm interested in what The Whiskey man has to say!

 

[lcstorc]

I'm with Steve on this one. As long as it detached on it's own I think it will be fine. I know if you tear it off there are problems but they do release if they want to move which I believe it what happened here.
Let it re-attach to something new and you should be good.

 

[goldenmean]

I dont think you have a worry about the clam releasing its byssal threads. They can do that when they want to move.

I would think that the concern would be if there is still sand in the clam.
That could be problematic.

 

[sasquatch]

I dont think you have a worry about the clam releasing its byssal threads. They can do that when they want to move.

I would think that the concern would be if there is still sand in the clam.
That could be problematic.

Good point! they get very upset about air inside, might want to do an Immelmann on him

 

[Dentoid]

I don't think there is any air inside. It hasn't been removed from the water. However, it is sitting on the sand bed at this point.

 

[Whiskey]

They can drop their byassal threads like that,.. I wouldn't be too worried about it, my maxima has done it four or five times.

I would however remove him from the sand and place him somewhere in the rockwork, maximas seem to be less tolerant to sucking in sand, and happier when they can be somewhere they can anchor down.

Whiskey

 

[Dentoid]

Thanks Whiskey, I'll do that!

 

[Dentoid]

I went to my office and made this plaster disk with an indentation for the clam to sit in. He's a little POd right now from moving him, but I trust that he will open up.

Spotty is checking it out! He's the inspector general.:laughroll

 

[lcstorc]

Cool new invention. You could probably sell them as clam disks for people to attach their clams instead of a rock.

 

[Dentoid]

Unfortunately it wasn't my idea. These clams were attached to plaster disks when I bought them at MACNA last year. Although, mine is neater!

 

[lcstorc]

 

[goldenmean]

Is that the stuff you use to make impressions of your clients teeth?

 

[Dentoid]

No, it's plaster that we use to make stone models of patients teeth! It's a really hard plaster of Paris. It's a gypsum product or calcium sulfate.

 

[dobejazz]

How is clammy doing?