old clams getting some type of disease from new clams? - Page 2

Barry N. · #26 03/22/2005, 05:11 PM

Quote:

By the way Barry , after the 10 minuit freash water dip 3 out of the four clams had a 100% recovery, the 4th one improved by about 75% ....So it worked thanks for all the advice.

Any updates?

One of the local hobbyist here is going to bring in a clam that appears to have PM and I am sending it off to a lab this week. Hopefully will receive some positive feed back as far as what causes it. Some one though it might be a protozoan and that is certainly a possibility and I am doing some extensive reading on the subject.

I also hear a lot about ORA but most people do not know that ORA bought the clam farm in the Marshall Islands last year and 90% of the small maximas that are coming in are from that farm. ORA does not raise or culture clams in FL.

There is another new clam farm but they will not be ready to export for approx. another year.

menace · #27 03/23/2005, 10:15 AM

Well just wanted to post some info. Not sure what happened though. Maybe my old max caught something from the new ones?

I have two new ultra max's, which the FWD has helped on one of them with the pinched mantle. The other has his mantle pulled into the shell. Had them about three weeks now. My other max that I've had since november suddenly died yesterday. I've noticed for a day or two before he was slightly gapping. very little. In the morning he was not looking to good, and by the time I got home he was pretty much gone. There was very little tissue left in the shell.

The one with the pulled in mantle, I think Im just going to risk it, and give him a FWD. Maybe for like 5-10 minutes, not as long as I dipped the other one. (30min). I have not dipped the one with the pulled mantle cause I thought it may do him in.

Barry N. · #28 03/23/2005, 11:55 AM

Quote:

The other has his mantle pulled into the shell.

If the mantle is pulled back into the shell, he is prety much gone IME.

menace · #29 03/23/2005, 05:47 PM

Barry, in your experience, how long does it take for a clam to be a goner once mantle is pulled in?

Barry N. · #30 03/23/2005, 06:33 PM

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Barry, in your experience, how long does it take for a clam to be a goner once mantle is pulled in?

The most a few days depending how many bristleworms and crabs you have. Once the smell the dying tissue, it doesn't take long.

isseym328 · #31 03/24/2005, 02:56 AM

One of my gold maximas had its mantles pulled into the shell. I FW dipped it and it's fine now. So don't give up just yet!

James

menace · #32 03/24/2005, 10:05 AM

My guy has been like this for close to 3 weeks. Been feeding DT's daily, sometimes in the morning and at night. Dont have many bristle's in there, but about 6 hermits. He's been holding in there.

I've been feeling that the FWD would do him in, but last night I risked it. I dipped him for about 12 minutes. This morning, the mantle appeared slightly extended, but I had just turned on the actinics, and had to leave for work. I'll have to see how he looks when I get home tonight.

Scuba Dog · #33 03/24/2005, 05:38 PM

I have battled pinched mantle as well. Purchased 4 new clams all four had pinching develop, one got so bad that the mantle was fully retracted. So I diped all four, three of the four have fully recovered, the one that was fully retracted within its shell improved by 50 percent, so I ended of diping it agen now its like 85 to 90 % recovered, I may have to dip it once more, but now I am fully confident that it will completly recover.

kuifjetintin · #34 03/25/2005, 04:08 AM

I got 10 new clams since november 2004. They were doing very well till my 2 nd buy in januari 2005 of 6 more small clams. The mantels of all 16 clams got "pinched". I tried everything : started feeding phytoplankton (what is necessary for small clams), gave them a bath in glucose (= also dextrose, a white powder of sugar from raisons). Till a read this item. Yesterday I gave a first clam a bath in fresh water (15 min). Now, 20 houres later, I see it is doing quiet good. Not fully recovered, but aparently on the good way too it. So I decised now to give all my other clams the same treatement. Even those clams that don't suffer actually a lot of 'pinching'. But I understand that these strongest clams have less risks to take this FWD than the really sic ones. And I suppose too that it is necessary to treat them all, because otherwise the sicness can go over on all of them again ... Any oher advices ?
Also my thanks to Barry, who gave me already some good advice.

Scuba Dog · #35 03/25/2005, 05:29 AM

I guess the best advice now to date is have a quaranteen system for clams. this pinched mantle thing has been proven to be contagious.

For those that have a Q tank for clams please describe its set up...I have a basic 20 gallon Q tank, but the light source is very weak.

isseym328 · #36 03/25/2005, 09:18 AM

Scuba dog how weak is the lighting on your Q tank? I used to have a maxima under 110w pc's and it actually survived and did well (but never grew though).

Some of my clams are still a little sick I think I will have to dip again in a few days. Hopefully this will be the last dip for a while...

kuifjetintin · #37 03/25/2005, 10:05 AM

Hi Isseym328 ,
When you say 'they are still a little sic', do you mean that the situation since the last dip worsened ?

menace · #38 03/25/2005, 10:39 AM

My clam with the pulled in mantle is looking better. Most/some of the mantle is more extended since the dip. However, near the incurrent opening does not look great, but I would say has recovered to some extent. I'll see how he does over the next day or two.

menace · #39 03/25/2005, 10:45 AM

scubadog, my clam was/is in as bad shape as you describe with your forth one. Mantle was fully retracted. Just wanted to know how long did you wait between dips between the first and second time.?

I also have a 10 gallon tankto use for QT, but the lighting is pretty weak.
2x32watt, one actinci, one 10k.

isseym328 · #40 03/25/2005, 01:16 PM

A little sick means the mantle still is a little retracted but they definitly look better than before. I will have to redip three of them I think just to make sure.

And just so everyone know for some reason my teardrop maxima was not affected at all by the new gold maximas. The teardrop maxima have its mantle fully extended while my other maximas didn't. Seems like it's "immune" to the mantle disease. Anyone can say more about this?

kuifjetintin · #41 03/25/2005, 01:32 PM

Is your teardrop one of your larger clams ?

Today 13 clams got a FWD. 8 hours later it is very clear that the mantel is more extended than before. The larger the clam, the more the mantel is extended. The smaller ones recover slower.

mbbuna · #42 03/25/2005, 01:33 PM

i have 2 teardrops that have it and one that dosent

isseym328 · #43 03/25/2005, 01:38 PM

All my clams are pretty small...3 inches or less. But yes my teardrop maxima is the largest in the tank at almost 3 inches. So maybe larger clams have more of a immunity towards this disease? What are the sizes of everyone else's clams?

Anyone have a blue teardrop or know someone that's selling one? I want one.

kuifjetintin · #44 03/25/2005, 01:45 PM

Maybe the problem is linked with the fact that, compared to before, much more very small clams come in our aquarium.

PS : I'm looking for teardrops too, so whenever you want to sell, I'm interested - 1 problem : I'm from Belgium ...

bounce · #45 03/25/2005, 02:22 PM

Oceanic salt has killed more coarl in my tank then I want to admit. I will never use it again. My mushrooms (many Varities) were not affected but it killed all my toad stools, finger leathers and almost killed a spag leather. This was within two weeks. I switched back to tropic marin and the spag leather made a full recovery. Never again with oceanic. I still have the container of left over salt, which I was wondering what to do with. This might help to explain some of the PM

kuifjetintin · #46 03/25/2005, 02:43 PM

I have to admid that, in my search to resolve my problem of 16 clams, an importer of clams in Europe told me that 'American' salt could be the problem ...
I never could beleave it, but when he says so, he should have a reason ...

Scuba Dog · #47 03/25/2005, 04:21 PM

My Q tank lights were intended for just fish, it is a single 20 watt normal output flouresent, May have to invest in a 70 watt halide or some PC or VHOS or someting...havent put a lot of thought into it, im still saving for a chiller system lol....

I rpbaly hve diped my sickest clam 3 times within a week....its nearly completly heald now, but my super small babys that havent shown any signs of pinched mantle now are pinching( the wiered thing is I gave them a dip anyway last week just in case, well today I will dip the 1inch clams for five minuits it should go well I cought the pinching early! And I might throuh the clam that is 90 percent heald in with them for a five minuit dip...But so far I have had great luck with not loosing any clams to the FWD...

mbbuna · #48 03/26/2005, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by kuifjetintin
I have to admid that, in my search to resolve my problem of 16 clams, an importer of clams in Europe told me that 'American' salt could be the problem ...
I never could beleave it, but when he says so, he should have a reason ...

i have only used TM or TM PRO REEF and i have pinched mantle

isseym328 · #49 03/26/2005, 01:20 AM

I use seawater. =)

menace · #50 03/29/2005, 12:10 PM

bummer. My blue guy did not make it.

I believe the FWD helped, but he was possibly too far gone.
Saturday, when I woke up, the mantle near the incurrent opening was shrivling up a bit. By night he was done.