moving a clam

[bill120mph]

How would you move a clam off a rock so you can change your rockscape?

 

[marine mike]

You want to be very careful of the foot portion itself. That would be the white colored pad on the bottom which protrudes from the shell. The hairs that come off that foot are the filaments which help to hold it in place. If you can save most of these great, but they are not as important as the foot itself. You do not want to tear or injure that portion in any way or it is very harmful to the clam. Coaxing it off the rock can be tough but go slow and usually they will release. You can cut off some of the filaments if that makes it easier as well.

 

[JustDavidP]

Can you move the rock too? It's kind of a bummer to have to separate it from the reef. Especially if it's been there for a long while.

If you have to move it, do it slowly. Start by spooking the clam into the shell. You are going to have to "rock" The clam, holding the shells and using some measure of force, and need the mantle in the shell or you can damage it.

Rock the shell s-l-o-w-l-y from side to side to stretch the byssal threads. The threads look like thin, clear or milky fishing line. You are going to have to cut them. Use a clean small razor blade and again , slowly cut the threads from between the clam and the rock, closest to the rock. Be careful not to cut or nick the flesh on the edges of the byssal port or the foot itself.

You should be able to get one side, and then the other, and move it. The threads, once cut, are pretty much useless anyways. The clam will slime down there when you put it on another substrate and new threads will begin to spin and form.

Dave

 

[afboundguy]

Can you move the rock too? It's kind of a bummer to have to separate it from the reef. Especially if it's been there for a long while.

Or can you break/cut off the area of rock it's attached to? You'd be surprised how easy it is to break the porous LR

 

[bill120mph]

its on a huge piece of flat shelf rock, that I hope to use near the top again.. but I dont have a plan laid out and would hate to hurt the little guy.

 

[JayM]

Can you move the rock too? It's kind of a bummer to have to separate it from the reef. Especially if it's been there for a long while.

If you have to move it, do it slowly. Start by spooking the clam into the shell. You are going to have to "rock" The clam, holding the shells and using some measure of force, and need the mantle in the shell or you can damage it.

Rock the shell s-l-o-w-l-y from side to side to stretch the byssal threads. The threads look like thin, clear or milky fishing line. You are going to have to cut them. Use a clean small razor blade and again , slowly cut the threads from between the clam and the rock, closest to the rock. Be careful not to cut or nick the flesh on the edges of the byssal port or the foot itself.

You should be able to get one side, and then the other, and move it. The threads, once cut, are pretty much useless anyways. The clam will slime down there when you put it on another substrate and new threads will begin to spin and form.

Dave

This was how I did it sucessfully, except I was able to get in and nick the byssal threads without stretching them too much. My clam ejected it's cut byssal threads afterwards, which alarmed me about it's chances of survival, but it seemed to do OK.