New Maxima Aborted Own Foot

Funlad3

Funlad3

Well-known member
All right, here is my issue. I got two new clams from MCF this Friday. One of them had a stringy looking foot, but was still easily holding onto its rubble. I drip acclimated for a bit over an hour, and added it to the tank. It opened within an hour, and all was fine. By Saturday night, it had already attached its foot to the rock I put it on, and I assumed all was well. Now, it would seem, it has literally released its foot into open water, and it has settled on the bottom directly below. The clam is as open as ever, and aside from being footless, it's completely happy.

I'd love to know what I should do, and why this happened. I have some bad pictures, but they're hopefully good enough for someone to laugh at me and tell me that it still has its foot. I hope. Thanks everyone!


Foot on Ground:

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Foot on Ground 2

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Back of Clam

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Back of Clam 2

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Back of Clam 3 (Farthest From Camera)

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Any questions, ask away! The only thing I can think of (way important I assume) is that my pH is only around 8.05, my Alk is only at 3.39 meq/L, and my calcium is at only 380 ppm. I'll begin slowly dosing Reef Builder and part 2 of my Bionic two part to bring them up to 4.25 meq/L and 450 ppm. I blame myself for letting everything get this low, as I was trying to find out my systems demands on carbonates. :unsure:

Again, thanks!
 
mine recently did this but still had a foot and a strong hold on the rock after it moved i have moved it to sand and the foot is still very much here i dont know why this happened
 
How close were the two clams? One of them may have tried to escape from the other..........

Coyote Ugly:
A situation encountered after a night of consuming alcohol whereby a person, wakes the next morning in a strange bed with a sexual partner from the previous evening who is completely physically undesirable and sleeping on the person's arm. The hapless individual would rather gnaw off his own arm than wake the other and have to face the ills of his intoxicated choices the previous evening. Originating from a phenomena whereby a coyote captured in a jaw trap will chew off its own leg to escape certain death.
 
Love the coyote ugly! My in-tank hydrometer decided to fall on/near my clam (a tiny crocea) overnight a few days after i got it causing him to detach. It was pretty traumatic waking up to see only the foot on the rock where i left him the night before. He got a nice safe spot up top in a little divot that would keep him in place until his new foot grew. He's been doing great ever since! Hope your clam recovers nicely too!
 
Thanks for the info you all, but I'm also somewhat limited in placement. I took a bit of a risk with these clams; I only have PC lighting. It's a 4x65 Coralife fixture, with two 12000K and two Actinic lights. After a long chat with my sales rep for the day, we decided that they would probably be all right if I kept them in the top three or so inches, right below the light. The other factor that made us decide I would be all right was the fact that I feed the way I do. I feed a cube of frozen mysis every three days or so with reef Reef Chili, amino acid supplements, and garlic.

They are in some medium flow, but the only place with lower flow is about 50% deeper. Should I move it, or let it regrow the foot? I also assume I need to remove the foot, correct? Is there any chance that the foot will grow a new clam?

Again, thanks!
 
The foot will not grow a new clam. Maximas will also not likely survive under the PC lighting. You were looking at getting some LEDs soon though weren't you?
 
When I have the money I will! :)

They're both under 3", so I thought that at this size they still take in the majority of their energy from filter feeding? Or was that just a live aquaria misconception? I'll try moving it to lower flow tomorrow. It seems just a little too high...
 
Funlad3 said:
When I have the money I will! :)

They're both under 3", so I thought that at this size they still take in the majority of their energy from filter feeding? Or was that just a live aquaria misconception? I'll try moving it to lower flow tomorrow. It seems just a little too high...
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Live aquaria misconception. Light and calcium are the most importantnt factors for clams. They don't even need great water quality, in fact they prefer some nitrates in the water.
 
Funlad3 said:
I only have PC lighting.
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WHAT?!? re-home those clams now, or upgrade your lighting now. This is an example of irresponsible reef keeping. You need to research if you can care for the animals properly. If you can't, don't get them and risk their life for your enjoyment.
 
SkullV said:
Live aquaria misconception. Light and calcium are the most importantnt factors for clams. They don't even need great water quality, in fact they prefer some nitrates in the water.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification SkullV. I'll start dosing more calcium tomorrow now that I know how much my system uses per week.


poidog said:
WHAT?!? re-home those clams now, or upgrade your lighting now. This is an example of irresponsible reef keeping. You need to research if you can care for the animals properly. If you can't, don't get them and risk their life for your enjoyment.
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Thanks for the definitive heads up Poidog. At MCF, the employee I talked to seemed conflicted on whether or not the PC would work. It was my feeding regimen that pushed our opinion to try it. You're definitely right though. It's stupid of me to think that I can break a major rule because I feed a lot. I'll see if I can work something out with my dad and a PAR bulb. If I can't, to a LFS they go.


Is there anything else you think I should do in the mean time other than to not move them around too much and keep Calcium, pH and Alkalinity where they should be?
 
Sorry, not to be rough on you, but the responsibility in this hobby always falls on your shoulders.
 
Sorry you were mis-informed by one of our employees Funlad3, if you decide not to upgrade the lights you are welcome to return the clams within the next few days. PC's will not work long term with these guys.
 
No worries Poidog! I'm glad you stopped me actually. On my first FW only forum, I would incesantly ask questions that could be answered with thirty seconds of online searching. Looking back at those first threads and questions, I sicken myself.

Blake, I can't really hold you guys accountable. The second I saw those clams, my heart was set on them. I couldn't tell you who helped me out Saturday either, even if I wanted to. On the other hand, this is a great excuse to start messing with LEDs, which I would do anyways. They really are stellar clams though. Everything else I bought from you guys is perfectly healthy. Thanks!
 
I think that means you should jump on those LEDs! :) Once my heart was set on things in this hobby I spent so much money on the equipment, but I couldn't be happier :D
 
That's what we're all here for :) If you can't find your answers bounce all your questions off the community before you invest in equipment or livestock. I've consulted the net while in the store from my phone before.
 
BlakeT said:
Sorry you were mis-informed by one of our employees Funlad3, if you decide not to upgrade the lights you are welcome to return the clams within the next few days. PC's will not work long term with these guys.
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Stand up retailer. I'm glad MCF is our LFS! :)
 
Funlad3 said:
The other factor that made us decide I would be all right was the fact that I feed the way I do. I feed a cube of frozen mysis every three days or so with reef Reef Chili, amino acid supplements, and garlic.
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Aside from the lighting, it is important to note that your feeding regimen of the above foods will have almost no impact on clams. I'm puzzled at how anyone would have advised otherwise...? Clams are primarily photosynthetic but can be supplemented with phytoplankton. The reef chili has 7 ingredients, only 1 of which is (dried) phyto. If you're going to supplement a clam, you would be best served with live phyto, like the variety sold by DT's in the refrigerated section of your LFS.

I looked on Live Aquaria and saw what you were referring to regarding clams less than 2" requiring supplementation. I've never heard of that, but I won't say they're wrong because I'm not a clam expert :) I then decided to do a little extra research for you and found this info from Pacific East Aquaculture. These guys import their own clams directly from Tahiti and if anyone knows clams, it's Dr. Mac. He's a board certified veterinarian, has been a marine aquarium hobbyist since the 1960's and owns and personally manages his own coral research farm. Take a look at his care instructions...
http://www.pacificeastaquaculture.com/Articles_Product_Care.asp?idNews=32

He recommends supplementation if the clams are 1.5" or less. If your clams are smaller than 2", I'd supplement them to be safe. It certainly won't hurt :)
 
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