Noticed bristle worms inside clam

oshanickreef · 06/28/2020, 04:48 PM

So I was looking at a clam that doesn’t look happy and when I flipped it over I saw a few bristle worms that I tried to pick out but a few of them slithered inside the base of the clam!!! So I was wondering can I freshwater dip the clam to kill the bristle worm?? Or is there another way?

Any advice is appreciated!

Nick

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Ruskin · 06/28/2020, 08:27 PM

Bristleworms usually don't bother anything healthy and rather show up after the fact to scavenge. How did you flip the clam over? Usually they are sturdily attached by the foot.

You could dip the clam, but it sounds like something else is going on besides the worms.

Sk8r · 06/28/2020, 08:37 PM

The clam is in trouble. Bristleworms sometimes act to clean up rotten flesh, which is to the clam's benefit, but what's causing the problem may be much smaller: look for signs of pyramid snails. Look up on Google. They're very tiny.

billdogg · 07/03/2020, 08:52 PM

^^^What Sk8r said^^^

oshanickreef · 07/15/2020, 07:21 AM

So updating... that clam died. The hinge where both shell pieces on the clam connect broke so it was unable to keep itself together. I did have my water sent into an ICP and results are low iodine and strontium. I dose iodine and almost immediately all my corals started to look more vibrant and shimmer. The lps puffed back up and could handle my flow again. So long story short. Dose iodine people!!!

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Sk8r · 07/15/2020, 08:24 AM

It is part of your salt mix (the ingredients list)---but not all salt mixes are created equal. My favorite is Oceanic, but it runs very high in magnesium (to support large coral population) and that may be extreme for tanks with no corals.

Uncle99 · 07/15/2020, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oshanickreef

So updating... that clam died. The hinge where both shell pieces on the clam connect broke so it was unable to keep itself together. I did have my water sent into an ICP and results are low iodine and strontium. I dose iodine and almost immediately all my corals started to look more vibrant and shimmer. The lps puffed back up and could handle my flow again. So long story short. Dose iodine people!!!

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Did the trouble happen quickly, if so, not sure about the low iodine/strontium cause. I would expect that might take months even if.....

Dosing iodine can be very problematic, I dose iodide/iodate to a 0.03-0.06ppm level, strontium is in my mix. Make sure you test daily to ya get the feel for consumption, overdoses are possible.

06/28/2020, 04:48 PM	#1
oshanickreef Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Saint Louis, MO Posts: 2,367	Noticed bristle worms inside clam So I was looking at a clam that doesn’t look happy and when I flipped it over I saw a few bristle worms that I tried to pick out but a few of them slithered inside the base of the clam!!! So I was wondering can I freshwater dip the clam to kill the bristle worm?? Or is there another way? Any advice is appreciated! Nick Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ Mixed Peaceful Reef :) ~140 Gallons of Water Non-agro fish Instagram: Oshanickreef

06/28/2020, 08:27 PM	#2
Ruskin Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 373	Bristleworms usually don't bother anything healthy and rather show up after the fact to scavenge. How did you flip the clam over? Usually they are sturdily attached by the foot. You could dip the clam, but it sounds like something else is going on besides the worms. __________________ -Matt Current Tank Info: 80g Shallow Rimless

06/28/2020, 08:37 PM	#3
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	The clam is in trouble. Bristleworms sometimes act to clean up rotten flesh, which is to the clam's benefit, but what's causing the problem may be much smaller: look for signs of pyramid snails. Look up on Google. They're very tiny. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

07/03/2020, 08:52 PM	#4
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	^^^What Sk8r said^^^ __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

07/15/2020, 07:21 AM	#5
oshanickreef Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Saint Louis, MO Posts: 2,367	So updating... that clam died. The hinge where both shell pieces on the clam connect broke so it was unable to keep itself together. I did have my water sent into an ICP and results are low iodine and strontium. I dose iodine and almost immediately all my corals started to look more vibrant and shimmer. The lps puffed back up and could handle my flow again. So long story short. Dose iodine people!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ Mixed Peaceful Reef :) ~140 Gallons of Water Non-agro fish Instagram: Oshanickreef

07/15/2020, 08:24 AM	#6
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	It is part of your salt mix (the ingredients list)---but not all salt mixes are created equal. My favorite is Oceanic, but it runs very high in magnesium (to support large coral population) and that may be extreme for tanks with no corals. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.