Best Way To Remove Shrooms From A Clam's Shell

[Anonymous]

I have some purple/blue shrooms that attached to the shell of my maxima clam. The shrooms have spread and are now affecting the clam. I was away for 2.5 weeks and when I returned the clam was shriveled up on one end where the shrooms are now overlapping the shell and touching the mantle of the clam.

This clam will be a goner if I don't get them off. What would be the best way to get them off?

Louey

 

[monkeyboy]

Chop them off at the base, then toothbrush the leftovers off. If you take the clam out of the water for this, be sure not to forget to 'burp' it, so it isn't later irritated by trapped air bubbles.

 

[Anonymous]

The suggestions in the sump are more colorful IMO Louey.

 

[Mouse]

could try injecting the base with super strength Kalkwasser, id think the shell would protect the clam. Id be more inclined to try that than take it out the water.

 

[Anonymous]

Monkeyboy said:

Chop them off at the base, then toothbrush the leftovers off. If you take the clam out of the water for this, be sure not to forget to 'burp' it, so it isn't later irritated by trapped air bubbles.

I did this last night. I did take the clam out of the tank and placed it in a small bowl of tank water. There we probably a total of a dozen shrooms on it. I cut them off with a razor blade and used a tooth brush to get the rest off.

The clam seems to be okay. I imagine it will be touch and go for a week or so. I am going to feed DT's to the tank for awhile to help him out.

Louey

 

[monkeyboy]

Cool, hopefully they won't come back!

No worries about taking the clam out of the water, it's not a big deal. Check out Knop's book, Giant Clams, where he shows about half a dozen adult H. porcellanus being laid out on the ground to bake in the sun (hopefully getting them in the mood to release eggs). So, it should be obvious that removing them from the water for short periods of time isn't bad, and i suppose it also gets them in the mood 8O .