Did my gigas just blow an O-ring? Pix included.

Dudester · #1 12/13/2006, 09:25 AM

I've had a relatively small gigas in my tank for 5 months. For those of you who have read the stats of my tank below, don't worry, the clam will be moved to a 450g tank in about 6 weeks. At any rate, 2 nights ago when feeding my tank, I saw a small, conical disc of tissue fly out of the clam when it contracted. It always contracts when large food particles land on it, but this did not look like it was rejecting a piece of food. I let it go, but again, last night after adding the food, the gigas contracted and another disc of "tissue" was ejected from the clam.

First, here's the clam

And here's what the tissue looked like after I recovered it from the tank.

It may be difficult to tell in the photo, but it's definately shaped like a cone, and it's quite soft. I had to photograph it in a little bit of water, since it completely lost its shape when it was removed. The fish showed no interest in eating it as it moved around in the tank's current, and the clam looks no worse for losing it. What could it be? I'm pretty certain it's not a component of the food that I add to the tank.

jmaneyapanda · #2 12/13/2006, 12:27 PM

Ive never really seen anything like that before, but I would GUESS it's just a piece of unnatural material that was ejected from the clam. That is why clams "jet"- to expel material they dont want near or inside. It may have been in their a long while???!!!

Dudester · #3 12/13/2006, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jmaneyapanda
Ive never really seen anything like that before

That is not at all encouraging

. Again, the clam continues to look well, so I don't know how concerned I should be (probably not at all). I'll keep an eye on it, for sure, but if anyone else out there has any inclination as to what this "foreign body" could be, please let me (us) know. Thanks!

downset · #4 12/13/2006, 02:44 PM

LOL @ the thread name

melev · #5 12/13/2006, 04:22 PM

It's a baby Gigas.

J/k - maybe a used clam diaphram?

J/k again...

gkarshens · #6 12/13/2006, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev

maybe a used clam diaphram?

J/k again...

That is Hilarious! Sorry your question isn't getting answered Mike, but this is turning into a funny thread.

Sk8r · #7 12/13/2006, 05:54 PM

It looks uncommonly symmetrical.

a4twenty · #8 12/13/2006, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sk8r
It looks uncommonly symmetrical.

i thought so too, like part of an old suction cup.

sorry i can't actually be of any help but i've never seen or heard of anything like that.

Dudester · #9 12/13/2006, 06:25 PM

Oh well, at least the last 2 comments were constructive

. Regarding the thread title, I also considered "Where can I buy a new gasket for my gigas" and "Oooouuucchh, that's gonna leave a mark" and due to my fondness for alliteration I also considered "Responsible reefkeeping - clam contraception 101". But in the end, I chose a title that promised photos. That usually attracts some attention here on RC.

It does, indeed, resemble an old suction cup, although compared to the size of the penny it would be rather small, and the only suction cups in my tank are on a MJ and a temp probe, all of which remain intact on their respective appliances. The heaters, pH probe and temp probe in the sump are also held in place with suction cups, but again those are larger than the item in question, and all of them are intact as well.

Since this highly educated group of readers is unsure, can anyone recommend anywhere else I should go for the answer, like maybe the Clamsdirect forum?

How do you like the clam, anyway?

Sk8r · #10 12/13/2006, 06:28 PM

Also could resemble the kind of pull-stopper in some bottles of liquid, the sort you remove when first opening. If you've got a very strong magnifying glass you might be able to determine whether it's organic or not, see if it has any structure.

Dudester · #11 12/13/2006, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sk8r
Also could resemble the kind of pull-stopper in some bottles of liquid, the sort you remove when first opening. If you've got a very strong magnifying glass you might be able to determine whether it's organic or not, see if it has any structure.

Great suggestion and thank you for helping, but opportunity lost. It was filed in the garbage folder last night. I'll certainly be on the lookout for any more of these. Perhaps I could even submit one for evaluation by a pathologist. Hmm, now I really regret not saving it.

melev · #12 12/13/2006, 07:10 PM

You said it emerged from the clam twice. Either you have two of these to extract from your tank, or you clam has two stomachs (aka chewing its cud).

saltycreefer · #13 12/13/2006, 07:12 PM

A deflated pearl maybe?

saltcreep12065 · #14 12/13/2006, 07:17 PM

What?
Pearl?
Uhhh.
No.

jnarowe · #15 12/13/2006, 10:56 PM

clam flem...what's all the fuss about?

onehundred20 · #16 12/14/2006, 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev
It's a baby Gigas.

J/k - maybe a used clam diaphram?

J/k again...

lol...

from the picture I think it looks like something plastic...not really sure though, if the clam looks health I wouldnt worry to much.

Dudester · #17 12/18/2006, 10:55 PM

The gigas remains quite healthy (I'm sure you've all been losing sleep worrying about it

). I think plastic is the most likely culprit, and I suspect it may have come from the inside of a top of either garlic extreme, Zoecon or Zoe that we added to the food mixture. Weird that I would thaw 2 adjacent pieces of food that happened to have this foreign material in it 2 days in a row, but this may just be the case. I haven't seen anything unusual since my initial report.

Sk8r - You called it!

jnarowe · #18 12/18/2006, 11:59 PM

so what is your theory on how it got inside the clam?

Dudester · #19 12/19/2006, 10:15 AM

When we prepared the frozen food mixture, we removed the lids of the additives and poured the contents into the food processor. Perhaps this "thing" fell out of the lid when it was removed and into the food processor, and it was frozen into the food mixture. When I feed the tank, I break off a frozen chunk, dissolve it in tank water, then pour it into the tank. Large food particles, like squid, routinely fall on top of the clams, which contract and jet the contents away. So maybe this "thing" fell onto the clam on 2 separate occasions? Freaky, I know.