"Flame scallop" tentacle regeneration?

[Fishgod]

I have a 2.5" red file clam (Lima sc.) that has lost about 4 tentacles near the base, and the tentacle stubs have turned white. Is this normal behavior, or was he injured somehow (by a fish, heater etc)? If he was injured, do these species have regenerative tentacles?

Clam's diet consists of .1cc DT, fed by turkey baster every other day, and live nauplii weekly.

 

[Anonymous]

Well...will I get in trouble for saying what I think, which is that you shouldn't be buying Flamers? It is what I think, and it's because they have an absolutely abysmal record in the hobby, and for good reason.

It is my belief that yours is on its way out. I have no remedy for you, I wish I did.

 

[Anonymous]

Oh yes! That thing needs to be fed constantly (for all intents and purposes). I would wager that it's highly underfed. Do you have a plankton reactor or a refugium going? Can you get mysid cultures?

 

[sjfishguy]

Let's just give advice and not chastise. Yes, your flame scallop is doomed to die reguardless of any condition it is in now. Don't worry about the tentacles, it doesn't matter. I am not trying to be smart, I am just being honest, it is gonna die anyway.

 

[Anonymous]

Well...will I get in trouble for saying what I think, which is that you shouldn't be buying Flamers? It is what I think, and it's because they have an absolutely abysmal record in the hobby, and for good reason.

It is my belief that yours is on its way out. I have no remedy for you, I wish I did.

They sell flamers for your tank? Are they colorful?

Sorry couldn't resist

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, so the first statement, posed as a query to diffuse such remarks, sounds a little chastizing. However, this does not negate the fact that it is true.

I have offered this person one avenue by which to prolong the animal's life, though I don't think it will be by much. There's no reason not to try, is there? Beyond that, it must be stated and repeated, when people post that they have an animal that we know to be unsuitable, that they should not purchase them. How else does it become common knowledge if we don't tell them?

These animals are sensitive to things like heavy metals, and may have such specific feeding requirements that, while consuming foodstuffs, they cannot extract nutrition from them. It appears that the core problem hasn't been rooted out yet.

 

[Anonymous]

Heheh, shaman, most ever'one misses it.

 

[Anonymous]

Well...will I get in trouble for saying what I think, which is that you shouldn't be buying Flamers? It is what I think, and it's because they have an absolutely abysmal record in the hobby, and for good reason.

It is my belief that yours is on its way out. I have no remedy for you, I wish I did.

:? i see no chastizing.

direct, honest and to the point. i would find this perfectly acceptable advice if i was in the scallop owners situation.
i say keep it up.

do we really need to start sugar coating the truth around here?

 

[Anonymous]

If you've had a look at the latest ich thread, it seems we do. Now we seem to have "The Garlic Police". :roll:

 

[teeljay]

I got one in the package of LR that I purchased and have been doing all I can to keep it alive. (flame scalop) We feed d-t on a regular basis, and really probably overfeed. Once or twice a week we will turn off the pumps and put a small cloud of concentrated d-t around the critter. We are three months into this feeding cycle and so far it seems to be at least surviving. I have read here in the forum that anything over 2 months is somthing of a success. A lot of work to keep this one critter alive though. The other filter feeders in the tank probably benefit from all the attention we give to the scalop though.

 

[Anonymous]

teeljay,

FWIW, i don't think you are overfeeding. i hear of people pulling them out and placing them in a jar with a heavy dose of phyto. that is if they can get them out.
then they still rarely make it past 6 months.

good luck!

 

[sammystingray]

2-3 months is no success at all.....when I first started in the hobby I had one alive for 9 months without a single day of feeding him. They take more than a few months to starve. For them to live long term.....A dense concentrated source of food must be present at all times in my opinion, and it is simply not possible in most tanks......success? I define success with scallops at one and a half years, nothing less. They can go months without eating right, but the diet needed for long term success is usually more than any home tank can offer. In the wild they eat constantly, not twice or even three times a day, and they are big eaters to boot.....I saw no "flames" here either in this post, just truth.....scallops of average buying size are a waste of money and life unless one year is your goal.. Two months is really NEVER success with anything........a fish in a bare tank with absolutely no food will last two months if not stressed or diseased.....see what I mean? It takes way more than a few months to starve some things. Same argument I give for sea apples....they usually almost always slowly starve, but it takes awhile.....same with mandarins.......it takes about 8 months to starve them usually if you include them wiping out the pods. Many folks claim success with mandarins at two months......as if the thing would starve in a week. They aren't people.

 

[teeljay]

sammystingray....no insult or flames in your post. I understand and agree with you. I didn't buy the scallop, it was just in the bag with the live rock....and I am trying my best not to kill it!...lol
thanks for the input

 

[Tina]

When they do die, do they pollute the tankÉ Should the flame scllop be removed as soon as it shows signs that it is not healthyÉ

ps - sorry, somethng strange going on with my question marks!

 

[Anonymous]

Intereting, teeljay, you're the second or third person who's posted (not necessarily on this board) who inadvertantly received a flamer.

I commend you for doing your best to help a creature you never intended to harbor live. Is it possible for you to devise a plankton reactor? I know that it would be labor (and $$) intensive, but if you're already keeping other filter feeders it might end up paying for itself in success in the long run.