a slight clam problemo

[MarineTeng]

So i've been busy/unattentive to my clams over the last week or so, and they attached at the base to each over that period of time, what would be the best way to detach them from each other? i'm afriad they won't get enough light laying on their sides, and i don't want to have to send one to its doom to save the other one... that'd be sad

 

[TWallace]

Use a sharp knife to cut the gland, as far from each clam as possible. I've done this a few times when I needed to move a clam. I've never seen any ill effects from it.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Young clams are temporarily attached to a support by byssus threads--tough protein strands secreted by a foot gland. It is ok to cut these threads but don't cut into the foot.

 

[NaH2O]

Are they attached to each other's shell, or did they attach to each other's base? Agreed on cutting the byssal threads. You don't want to cut anything but the threads, as far away from the clam as possible. What I did was I tilted my clam to the side, angled the blade down towards the rock, and as I cut the threads I tilted the clam even more. It was pretty painless, however, it was attached to a hard surface.

 

[west]

if you dont want to use the scapel let them be and they will sort them selves out. after all they dont have a will to die and if their happy all is good.

 

[Snowboarda42]

What west said is true.

Clams have the ability to move themselves to where they want by closing their shell quickly, creating a burst of water that will move them around. My Derasa has done it a few times that I've seen. I put a flatish peice of LR about 1/8" under neath sand, then set the clam on top of it. This way, the clam thinks its attached to something solid, while in reality, I can move it around when and where I want.

 

[MarineTeng]

you say, moving by opening and closing... they're attached at the base, i thought they usually don't change that/the opening and closing won't seperate the clams, however i may be wrong, i might encourage it some with a razor in the next couple days

 

[TWallace]

They can drop their gland off at will if they want to move. They don't often do that, though. Usually once they attach to something, they won't try to move. My croceas have been attached to rocks for months and never try to move. My derasa on the other hand is always trying to move. It jumps off the rocks anytime I try to place it on one. So now I have it on the bottom of the tank, with a flat rock underneath it.

 

[NaH2O]

TWallace - croceas and maximas are rock dwellers, however, other Tridacnids live on the substrate, so your derasa was likely going where it felt most comfortable