Problem solved!

[Barrie]

Hopefully, the problem is solved. What problem? For the past few days, our tridacna maxima clams have had their mantles pulled right in, shell barely open to filter water. Weird! We've had the one clam for a few years, and the other one almost six months. They've never done this before!! So we checked all water parameters, nothing is out of whack. Couldn't figure out what the heck was wrong with these things!! Until this morning - turned our backs for a split second and what do we see? The smaller clam (we've had it the longest) has clamped his shell on the head of the NEW cleaner wrasse (bought last weekend)!! ARGH! How do you make a clam unclench it's shell?? I know, you can't without possibly hurting it. Unfortunately, we had to let nature take it's course. Fortunately that course was a short one. Sigh. No more cleaner wrasse - poor little thing, just trying to do it's job. Life's tough on the reef! Hopefully, this solves the clam problem and they extend their mantles again.

[scherzo]

I've heard that this can happen... I've also heard somewhere that cleaner wrasses will sometimes eats clams.

Was the wrasse eating frozen foods or pellets?

[piusma]

It's not the clam's fault when the cleaner wrasse is trying to turn it into lunch! Your cleaner wrasse must have been nipping on the clam or it'll never get caught. If this does not happen, you could have lost both of your clams over time. Hope you'll feel better after a night's sleep.

Steven

[Barrie]

The cleaner wrasse was eating pellets, cyclopese and frozen foods. We won't be getting another cleaner - not taking the chances with our clams. They're both back to being happy clams, full mantle extension, filtering happily. Lesson learned and we've moved on to different fish. We added a Talbot's damsel, a Royal Gramma and a long-nosed hawkfish. They're all getting along nicely so far. Whew!