Pinched Mantle

Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum

Help Support Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum:

Thats tough. Try to give them as much recovery time as you an Nikki. You dont want the cure to kill them. When you dipped did you flush them with a baster??


MIke
 
I did, and I made a point to blast the areas on the mantle where the clams seem to be effected the most. I turkey basted them on and off for the full 10 minutes.
 
As Mike suggested and this is what I received in the email Friday. Keep in mind that I did respond to Scott email and told him that I have dipped for as long as 45 minutes+ and in some cases the PM would return.

The preliminary result is a major Protozoan infection. Just as we thought. We have been running different medication exposures to see what treatment best works to solve the problem. So far, freshwater does kill them in a bath for 3-5 minutes. We are currently running a few different tests using different types of medications. We should have some formal findings come Monday/Tuesday for you.
 
Great news about the findings. The tough part is getting the areas of the mantle that retract in (when the clam is partially closed), and might not get exposed to the freshwater long enough to kill the protozoan. The next thing I will try is putting the clams back in quarantine with normal saltwater parameters, then make up a double strength lugols solution and squirt it onto the curled portion of the mantle. Wait for the clam to open up again and give it another squirt. Maybe I can get the lugols directly on the protozoans before the clam closes and retracts the mantle.
 
See even a blind squarrel find the occasional nut!!

Well you hit it on the head. :)

Nikki, Mike and I have talked a few times this morning and he told me what he suggested to you. That poor clams has been through so much already it might put it over the edge but go ahead and then Q-tank it again. Mike will replace it for you. LOL :D

Will give you a shout later today.
 
Ok Barry I got some home work for ya.
1: need to know if its internal or external, keep your fingers crossed that its external.
2: This is NOT Crocea only. I made some calls and its on Maxi's also, they just have not made it very deep into the public hobby market yet.
3: With those calls I think I have nailed it down to Vietnam, SOOoooo
4: you need to call your import and/or your direct contacts thier and make them very aware of the problem, Money threats work best in that country.
5: you also need to ontact everyone else that you know in the biz and get them to do the same thing. Ex: seadweeling, Stubel, Walt and so on.

more thoughts.
This problem is going to be at the holding areas of the collectors in Vietnam, Could be thier holding tanks, or it could be just thier bagging water. Blooms of Protozoans happen from time to time and are usually based on temp, moisture stuff like that. If you can get enough pressure on them and I believe thier are only 5 to 6 of them to act it could be something as simple as purging thier systems, bleaching and then restocking, or maybe even changing their bagging water source.


good luck


MIke
 
Mike, good minds must work togeather as I have already taken steps to do most of what you have suggested. :) Have been on the phone since we talked and have more info to pass on but it will have to wait tillI get home so I won't be bothered by phone calls. :p
 
Wow, thats good news Barry! Mike, good points about the economic pressure on the farmers/wholesalers to get things fixed...

Nick
 
The smaller one's mantle is curling a bit on one end. In fact, the mantle is actually folded onto itself. The bigger clam doesn't look very well - seems to be gaping still, and its mantle appears pretty flimsy, but isn't curling. I don't really know how to describe it....it just kind of waves and flaps around when the flow comes its way, where before it looked "meaty" and barely rustled in the breeze. They are still being protected from the lights with 2 sheets of window screen. Something else I noted today, and I don't know if it was the window screen keeping the shadow from being cast, but when my rabbitfish swam over the small clam (and right over it), it didn't close up like it normally would. I'll keep observing them over the next few days. Hopefully, they'll recover enough to try a different treatment when the lab comes back with their testing.
 
Yeah, I hope they recover...best of luck Nikki...let us know how it goes...

MikeS
 
Infection

Have you tested your water for signs of free swimming protozoan? If they are dispersed in the water column, re-infection will be inevitable. Tank may need to be run clam free for a month or two to deprive these (hopefully) clam specific predators. Any species info from the lab, Barry?
 
M.Madox from talking to Barry he did have his water tested also and it came back free of protozoan. Thats kind of why I think it would be better to go after the collector, most of the transhippers dont touch the bag water, they just rebox and send.


Mike
 
the iodine dip

Great Information Nikki I have tried to find and haven't yet a proper dose of Iodine to Dip the clams in ? If you find this out could you please post this or even beter post a proceedure on a Iodine clam dip. I have lost a few clams thru the winter and i am trying to get this Pinched mantel thing figgured out before i get any more thanks...Jeff


NaH2O said:
I'm probably going to do an iodine dip next. I am going to do some reading in the next couple of days on the protozoas and also read the thread Nick linked in order to get as much info on the iodine dip (i.e. strength & time) as I can. For sure, whatever it is, it can survive a long freshwater dip. Hopefully, lugols would take care of it.
 
Jeff - check back to post #44...I have the strength I used there. It didn't fix my pinched mantle, though. Once the lab finishes up the testing, we will have more knowledge of what works against the protozoan. I hope to place the clams in QT for a new treatment and keep the main tank clam free for an amount of time. I haven't figured out yet how long that will be (I'm not sure if the lab will analyze how long the protozoan can live without a host).
 
i am trying to get this Pinched mantel thing figgured out before i get any more thanks...

We have pretty much figured what it is and the source of it but now we are waiting for some news for the best medication to use. Hopefully today. :)
 
Here is one of the 8' long race ways that we place the cultured clams in and see no signs of PM after 2 weeks. Shameless plug. :)
 

Latest posts

Back
Top