[zhenya]

As the topic says,I've lost unexpectedly a few clams in my tank recently.After testing my water and spying at night for predators unsuccesfuly,I did find one suspect this morning while cleaning behind some rocks.Dr.Shimek id'd this snail as a predatory welk Thais hemostorma,found generaly in Floridian waters. I have no clue how it got into my tank,but I just wonder if this welk didn't snack an my Tridacnas.Have anyone had any experience with the welks in their tanks?If so,could you share it?
Heres a pic of the fella.

[zhenya]

here's one more

[zhenya]

Well,just got confirmation from the good doctor: " Definitely! It would prefer it to most other prey."

So I suppose it explains my recent losses, I'm just p****d at myself for not looking even more for the predatory snails.

[Hippopus]

Gene,
How does this snail prey on the clam?
Jim

[Barry N.]

How big is it? Do you see anymore or was it just the one?

Barry

[zhenya]

As soon as I get an answer to same question, I'll post it here for everyone to read. I'm sure they doing it the same way they feed on other snails like Asraea or Trochus(sp?) by inserting their snout-like proboscis? inside the shell,or using a radula(tongue) to drill a hole into the shell.Apperently this radula has teeth on it to scarpe flesh off the shell.

Barry,so far this is the only one I've found but that doesn't mean there isn't more of them.I'll have to be on the look out for them and check at night.The whelk was about an inch and a quarter long.BTW,I still have it in a small container,just can't bring myself to kill it.

[Peabody]

Sorry to hear it, man I hate to say it but I think they reproduce very well in home aquaria. Our (Baltimore) club has it's meetings at the National Aquarium, and the secretary happens to be a curator. We were talking about clams one day and she said they can't have any in their main reef because some whelks got in and they can't get rid of them....it's been years.

Here's hoping there's only one in your tank! Best of luck!

[zhenya]

Thanks I'm gonna need it.I believe that I've seen some egg sacks on the glass but thought they were of my Strombus snails(fighting conch).I just scraped them off with the magnet usualy.Hope there is no more of them in there.

[zhenya]

Well,after some searching I found this article by Dr.Ron.
http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/a...wb/default.asp

[Barry N.]

Gene,

Can't get that link to work?

[zhenya]

I think that should do it

[nvert]

sorry to hear about this gene. how many did you loose? were the symptoms similar to ones discussed in my earlier thread, i.e. pinched mantles?

[zhenya]

Hi Brad,
No,I don't think it was related to pinched mantles,exept maybe one small crocea.I did dip all those clams but they came out of it fine.The thing that bothered me most was the loss of the derasa wich never showed anything and been with me for a year.Grew real well too.Over all I lost four clams in this tank in a period of couple of month and that bothers me alot. I have three clams in there now and hope all will be well with them. I saw something very strange last night,a long and rather thin worm or whatever streach from the rock and try to get into my squamosa,when I turn on the flashlight it retracted so fast that it would make your head spin.I tried to sneak up on it few more times but it never appeared again I feel like there is something lives in the rock that is praying on my clams and this whelk that I've found could not kill all those clams so fast.I wish I could just nuke this darn rocks and be done with it. Here is the squamosa I'm worried about now

[nvert]

hi gene-
the best of luck to you and your squamosa. i know how hard it is to loose clams. i lost 4 in about a two months time. all showed pinching. i wonder what is causing your loss? it's strange, that in all the published material on keeping clams that neither the pinching nor what you're describing has been recorded. the author's make clam husbandry sound so easy. well, it is if you can keep them. otherwise you end up pulling all your hair out not knowing how to save them. i got into this hobby specifically because of clams and now, after loosing 4, having perfect tank specs from what i can tell btw, i've become quite gunshy.

good luck gene and keep us posted.

brad

[zhenya]

Hi Brad,

Thanks! I'll keep updating if I can discover what that thing was.I'm at the point now that I'm thinking of making a eggcrate shelf right in front about 6" bellow waterlevel and move all my clams there.I don't think that worm thing can stretch that far.

[Captain Clam]

Sorry to hear about your troubles Gene. I have gotten what appeared to be whelks that were mixed in with nassarius snails in past orders. I had one that looked exactly like yours only it was only 1/2" long. Maybe a younger one. Fortunately I discovered it before it went into the tank, but I just thought I'd let everyone know to be careful cuz they can look alot like nassarius snails.

BTW - How are your roses doing?

[zhenya]

Thanks Captain!
Yes,I think my whelk got in with the rock and I have not seen another one yet,I have however a worm I think that is maybe the culprit(not the fireworm) and is responsible for my clams demise.I will catch it though,you can be sure of that,I just have to make sure wich rock is his home and then BAM,he's toast
My roses are doing really well and I think the original is splitting again as it did not come out this morning.It it is,would you like to have one?