Flame scallop diseased? Scallop Mold; Starfish Predation....and 4x4 livestock   3/4/07
Thank you for writing me back Adam J.
<Welcome, we try to respond to all questions within 24 hours.>
I had inquired about grayish  white tufts growing on my flame scallop.
<Right I vaguely remember that one.>
They remind me of  mold. Someone told me that they are just normal growth on a scallop, but in  the three months that I have had him, I never saw them until recently.
<In short mold/fungus is rare in marine aquaria and I'm not familiar with any type colonizing on flame-scallops.  I can't really read into more without a picture or seeing the animal in person.  What I believe to be happening is deterioration, that the animal is slowly starving and dieing which is common with this species in marine aquaria.  Most captive systems can simply not support them and they starve within months. Fishless refugiums and dosing of phytoplankton can be helpful in prolonging this process but usually....they still perish. What is your set-up like? What are your water-parameters?>
I  also now have a problem with an orange star that is in my tank.
<Okay I will see if I can help.>
Recently  it has become very battered and may even be on the brink of death.  It  appears as though someone has been nipping at him incessantly but I have yet to  catch the culprit.
<Do you know what type of star it is, most are very sensitive (some more than others) to water quality.>
In my tank I have a clownfish (not sure what kind), a  coral beauty, a Sohal
<Acanthurus sohal tang? Hardy but gets very large, some wild specimens reach 20"+ and are very aggressive. Should typically not be housed with other surgeons.>
, a pacific blue tang, a four wheel drive,
<I'm going to assume you meant wrasse? I don't believe you keep an SUV in your aquarium....>
two three stripe damsels, a scooter dragnet, and a mandarin.  
<These latter are both in the dragonet family and have very specific dietary needs, I REALLY hope this is a large aquarium with copious amounts of microfauna and a fishless refugium.>
None of these are supposed to  be a threat to starfish but I find it hard to believe that the star has done  this to itself.
<Could be disease if not predation.>
If you have any info for me I would be happy to receive  it.
<It's hard to say without knowing more re: the system or species of the seastar.>
  Thank you.
<Welcome, Adam J.>

Flame Scallop Sick, likely just starved...   2/26/07
I have had a flame scallop for about three months now and it seems to be doing fine, or it was until yesterday.  It recently changed locations after  I moved some live rock around and I noticed tufts of grayish mold-like growths  on its shell.  What are these and should I remove the scallop or attempt to treat it?
<I honestly cannot identify the problem without more detail and preferably a picture.  I will suggest reading the FAQ's on flame scallops as most slowly deteriorate and starve in captivity. What's your set-up like? AJ.>

Flame Scallop
Hello there,
I've been keeping a flame scallop for past 3 months.
Recently had remove some rocks where the scallop attached itself.  Tried to move it but it got 'stuck' to the rock.  Tried several times with slight tug each time.  Got it loose but the problem is after the 'move', it refused to open.  The tentacles are still out but the scallop does not open more than 3-4mm.
Can't see the 'flame' at all.  Still continue to feed it with small pipette.  Please help.  Thanks
>>Sounds like you are in trouble. Flame scallops are difficult to keep in general - most don't last more that 6 months even in the best tanks. Scallops attach themselves to rocks and removing them can hurt them. I suspect that yours in injured. It may not be, and may open wonderfully in a week or so. Either way, try to keep feeding it and see what happens. And, if it attaches to a rock again, leave it alone.
Hope that helps.
Rich?>>