Clam closed 'wrong' way...?

 

The Deresa clam in my 37g did something weird that I never saw before on a clam.

 

It has grown quite a bit since I first got it at less than 1.5" long (probably closer to 4.5" long now) and usually it sits wide open, soaking in the halide rays (I guess)

 

2 days ago, it must have gotten "spooked" by something because it was closed up in the daytime, a few inches from its usual spot and it was kind of "off-center" so that it's 2 shell halves weren't lined up properly. It was closed but not fully, since the shell wasn't lined up.

 

You could still see the mantle come out when the light came on, but it looked like it was "stuck" off-center as far as the shell went.

 

Today I reached in and took it out of the water and (as gently as I could) pushed the 2 shell halves in opposite directions so that they would line up correctly. It wasn't that easy; the darn clam was pretty strong... It seemed to have worked as the clam then closed fully and on-center. While I had it out I checked for signs of snails or other parasites - nothing. (I do have flatworms in the tank but they don't seem to bother anything.)

 

Anyway, I put it back on the sandbed and after about 10 minutes the clam started to open up like normal. Not sure if it opened 100% up because I had to leave for work.

 

Anyone ever heard of a clam's shell getting"stuck" like that before?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2 days that is was 'out of alignment' the mantle would poke out where it could - but only like 1/4" out of the shell. normally the mantle overhangs the shell by a good 2" all around.

 

That was why I decided to try to "fix" the clam today. I was concerned that if it stayed out of alignment too long it wasn't going to get enough light to the mantle and also, I couldn't tell if the gill  / siphon areas were functioning properly...

 

I didn't think the clam was sick or dying because it took a good effort for me to realign the shell, like the clam tissue was still attached and able to pull on the shell ... 

 

 

On my clam each "ripple" is about 1/2" long. So the clam's shell was offset by around 1/2" on a 4.5" clam.

 

To me, when I touched the clam, it felt like the clam wanted to close all the way because the bivalve had alot of tension on it... but it couldn't because of the misalignment.

I'd move it to a new place in the tank, possibly up on a good rock or crevice where it cannot fall off and yet be away from the possible predator. While moving it, check carefully for pyramid snails or even a strange worm inside or in the sand underneath or nearby.

 

Mike