Not So Good Morning

[ReeferRob]

So I woke up to a not so pleasant site in the tank. Sorry about the crappy picture, but notice the bright white shell in the middle. Completely smoked clean over night. Not even a single sign of the Derasa that once was.

No signs of illness and all the other clams are still looking great.

[graphixx]

WOW!!!

you got something in that tank that loves clam chowder!!!!

man that SUX!!!! no ill effects on the other clams is there??? that is one clean shell something picked that thing apart.

[MizTanks]

That kind of stuff is what keeps me up at night!!!

[Tom@HaslettMI]

That's not good. A total disappearance over night with no signs of stress is pretty crazy. Makes me think something ate it. Have you had anything else disappear like this? I'm thinking the dreaded bobbit worm (not sure if they eat clams though)

Could it have died in the evening and been "cleaned up" by scavengers (hermit crabs, nassarius snails, sea stars...)?

Have you looked to see if there is a hole bored through the shell? I've seen photos of Tridacna shells where clams have been killed this way. Can't remember if it is a worm, sea star or snail that does this.

I think I'd be staying up late tonight to try to determine if there is something that ate it.

[jimsflies]

My thought was worm also.

[Tom@HaslettMI]

Did you just add the 200+ nassarius snails? Perhaps there was a predatory snail in the mix or they were really hungry and sensed a weakness in the clam that was not readily apparent.

[ReeferRob]

I don't believe the clam was very healthy over the last 48 hours it was not opening completely. When I came home from work last night it was lying on its side and I propped it back up. It opened maybe a centimeter.

No possible way, well small chance anyway that it was a worm. I used pest free dry Marco rock to set up the tank.

All corals go through a strict dipping and QT process before going in DT.

Nothing has vanished from the tank.

I have not yet put the 200 snails in yet, they arrive tomorrow morning and will be in DT for 3 days before going in either tank or the extras being sold.

Last night around 3 am I did wake up and check on the tank and did see both cleaner shrimps and probably 4 of the 8 hermits in the tank hanging around up in the clam bed.

I think the hermits and shrimp did a little disease control for me.

I was just shocked they did it soo quick.

[graphixx]

I am sure you did but gonna ask anyways... did you inspect them for pyram snails??? they will eat a clam from the bottom up... hard to see they are sooo small and the same color of the clams basal disc. but would highly doubt they could do that damage over night but might have lead to its death and then the crabs and shrimps came in and cleaned up.

or pinched mantle also.

[jimsflies]

Nassarius snails are opportunistic predators. I've steered away from those as I don't entirely trust them.

[ReeferRob]

I've never had a problem ever with Nassy Vibex or Onyx, its the large Nassy Tonga you gotta watch out for.

A few years ago in my 55 I had a clam that jumped off the reef about 5 minutes after being in the tank. Went to the kitchen to wash my hands and move it, lets just say the Tonga had its snorkel barried and the clam had a tight grib. Couldn't seperate the two, the next morning nothing slurped it clean.