2 blue gigs.

I've been very impressed with Eco-Tech's CS in the past, I'd be surprised if you wound up differently.

As far as the Tunze goes....I just switched over to MP40QD's from Tunze Stream 6105's. Admittedly, I have not started using the MP40's yet, but the Tunzes have been disappointing to me overall since they are not lasting as long as I'd like for something costing that much. I had five 6105's and of them, 3 went bad in less than 4 years. After contacting Tunze, I was told I could buy new motor blocks for about $285 and new 6105 costing $385....

I dont expect things to last forever, but I do expect a $400 pump to last longer than 4 years when properly maintained.

Because of that, I went to the MP40's. Hopefully, they last longer.

Your gig's look great as always....I like your stumpy onyx/picasso as well.
 
Thanks Nick!

Well, Echo-Tech's CS is really top notch. They sent me a new wet side no charge. Thanks for the suggestion Minh.

I changed all my lights the past 2 weeks from these DIY 8 years old:


To these:

Sirius XTC
https://reefledlights.com/shop/cri-reef-genesis-3/

I also bought a par meter. Here's what my green gig in the 75 was getting with my old light set up.


Here's the green gig in the 210:


Par readings on my gigs in the 75 (old lights) as follows:
with/without daylight spots
2 blues were at 600-1600
purple 8-900
blue 600-1600
green outer skirt 5-900, spots in center 2300
purple 850-950
little green 450

Here's the work in progress:


Here's no daylight spots, XTC light only:

Yes I know, it's really red heavy. I never had multiple controllable colors in my DIY LED kits, I'm really enjoying seeing different colors now. Don't worry, I'll get it under control in the next year! Until then I'm going to enjoy playing with them. I like how it's always got light in my tanks now, I can always see, dim, but can still see.

Same, little green:


Here's daylight spots on little green. I'm pretty sure this little brown from Pete, I'm guessing it will turn all green in the next year.


I really like the new lights. It's got a moon setting that mimics reality. Full moon outside, full moon in my tank. New moon, etc. It needs the correct date and time programmed. Fans are controllable, I can increase them until I see a temp I like, I keep it at 94 degrees, auto overheat kicks in at 140ish I think though. Ramp rates, times, intensities are all controllable. Easy to use, I'm not a computer person, and I find it easy. I like how the XTC has a square wide spread, where the XR30 has a spot ant hill effect with intensity spread. XTC par out of box is 2500+ compare to XR30. Double, and wide spread, not cone spread. Time will tell, but my old DIY was reefledlights, and so is this fixture. I'm guessing I'll have these fixtures longer than that. They come with a 3 year warranty too. Well made fixtures.
 
You, me and a few other people, will see who get them to spawn first.
I am also getting another Malu, up to 3 Malu. Chance are that I will have at least one of each sex for my Malu and my Gigantea. How I wan to get them to spawn.
 
I still think, even when they spawn, the tanks they are kept in, when right, the flow is too high for the little ones to settle. They end up behind the rocks, or in the overflows. If one ends up grabbing, I would be surprised. I still think the right way is to have the tank's overflows overflow into a large area tank that can be cleaned, monitored, and transformed into an adjustable environment. Like a 40 breeder off to the side with baffles, then a wide slow moving settle out area that can be examined, and when babies are found, nurture them with light and flow, otherwise keep it dark and slow. They may need some time to attach, just a guess. Who knows. I'm not trying, just keeping them healthy for my own eye enjoyment. If someone else got another as a baby from a spawn without a settle out area, I'd be shocked. I don't see changing my tanks drains in my future, but I can see someone got some action the next day when the skimmer cup's overflowing. I really think a settle tank is needed.
 
What I a going to do is to remove the mother to my frag tank or my QT tank. From my experience with Malu, I think the release of the baby is going to be around the 3rd night at night. I can turn off my MP10 in the QT or frag tank (or turn it really low). I also will put on a air stone. I will keep her there until she release the babies.

I really though about this, and was going to do this for my Malu. However, the tank cracked and I lost my female Malu. Now I am just going to feed them and wait and see. My Malu spawn in April. Will see if I can get a spawn this time around with mu Malu.
I got my Haddoni to spawn. I should not feed him too much. I will concentrate on my Gigantea and Malu now.
 
Let us know how that turns out for you. I'd be concerned tank transfer may interfere with the process, the change in water, light, flow. Hope you are successful. I don't think I could transfer mine. They can retract like lightning when I bump the rock and deflate faster than a nascar. Not to mention their foot is well inside holes in the rocks that are like concrete to my sand, guessing from high mag.
 
I'm in the process of setting up my new gigantea dominated tank that will have a lot of macroalgae (codium, bryothamnion, halimeda, etc.) in it, as well as mangroves and turtle grass. The overflow then flows into a smaller tank that will also have a lot of macroalgae (gracilaria and chaeto). The goal is have this tank catch any babies that are released and hopefully have them settle.

The other trick is figuring out what they eat. IME, small gigantea have to eat, or they don't grow. Once I started feeding my small gigs, they really started growing. A couple others that I didn't feed slowly withered away and died. Since I am breeding clowns, I'll try everything from rotifers to copepods since I have them available. I also have lobster eggs and calanus on hand.

However, the reality is that although I'm hoping it happens, but there's nothing I'm trying to encourage it to happen. For example, my lights aren't synchronized to a moon cycle. I think it'll just be dumb luck of something does happen.
 
My concern is that giganteas may need to have a certain minimum size before they spawn.

Minh, how do you know that your malu was a female and not both male and female? Is there any documentation that these anemones have actually different fixed sexes or are they both and just release sperm and eggs at different times?
 
I have been paying attention to my anemones. There is no differences that I can see. My hope is to have fully mature known male and female and try our best to ID them from the differences in visible sperms and eggs though the column. It is really hard in Malu since the column is hidden in the sand. I was able to get my Malu to spawn. The female became pregnant with fertilized eggs so that was how I ID the sex of my Malu. Unfortunately the first patch of babies were chewed up by the filtering system. I was ready for the next patch then my tank (at the office) cracked over the weekend(those darn Finnex tank, or was it my stand :( ) and I lost my female Malu. I got a wet office Monday morning. The office stunk up for weeks until I ripped the carpet out and change it to laminated flooring.
I documented this in one of the thread here in Reef Central.
I have been looking at the Gigantea with bright light but so far not able to see any differences in the several Gigantea anemones that I have.
Last week my Haddoni spawned, so I know I have a male red Haddoni. Again with Haddoni, it is hard because we don't see their column.
 
D-Nak you probably have the best chance of being the first one to nurture one if you can find one to nurture.

Does anyone have par readings on how strong their gigs light is that you would be willing to share?

I pulled the lighting back on my green/yellow down from 2300 to 1200 and it decided to go for a walk. I upped it back to 2200 with spots and seems happy again and has stayed put for now. It's been in the same place for 3 years until I messed with it's lights. Not many fixtures out there that can produce 2300 par hanging 12" above the water, to a water depth of 14", off the shelf. What I'm seeing, is the more light the happier. Does anyone else know what their par readings are?
 
I can borrow a PAR meter from a friend. The happiest of my Gig is the one under most light and really high current. I will try to get PAR reading and report back
 
Thanks Minh. I'd appreciate that.

Here's some pics of my tanks with new lights. It's been about 2 weeks now for both.
75 with SIRIUS XTC lights only:


I need to keep the 5K spots on the gigs. They seem ok at 800 par, happy at 1600 par, and the happiest is the green at 2300 par. Not accomplished with out of the box fixtures, supplemental light is needed.
Here is the tank with the additional 5K spots to get the needed par:


Here's the 210 XTC only:

Here's 5K spots in addition:


Mertens under XTC lights only. It appears as if it's starting to turn green again. It's getting a green tint to it again.


Here is the mertens under my old lights. All brown.


Here's about 8 years ago under MH. It was green.

Time will tell if it turns green again. It hasn't received UV in years.
 
I just bought a Apogee MQ-200. I will have to wait until the weekend after it arrived to check light. I have my tank under natural setting of the Radion so it is brightest at about noonish
 
No many of us have PAR meter, and not many of us have Gigantea. I think you are the only one with both right now. I will be the second one in a few weeks
 
I have been paying attention to my anemones. There is no differences that I can see. My hope is to have fully mature known male and female and try our best to ID them from the differences in visible sperms and eggs though the column. It is really hard in Malu since the column is hidden in the sand. I was able to get my Malu to spawn. The female became pregnant with fertilized eggs so that was how I ID the sex of my Malu. Unfortunately the first patch of babies were chewed up by the filtering system. I was ready for the next patch then my tank (at the office) cracked over the weekend(those darn Finnex tank, or was it my stand :( ) and I lost my female Malu. I got a wet office Monday morning. The office stunk up for weeks until I ripped the carpet out and change it to laminated flooring.
I documented this in one of the thread here in Reef Central.
I have been looking at the Gigantea with bright light but so far not able to see any differences in the several Gigantea anemones that I have.
Last week my Haddoni spawned, so I know I have a male red Haddoni. Again with Haddoni, it is hard because we don't see their column.

The thing I wonder about is if they have district sexes or are both at the same time. It seems only sperm is released but eggs are fertilized internally, so being hermaphrodites could work just fine for these anemones. That only some at the time have fertilized eggs would also not fundamentally go against this.
 
I had a friend come over with a apogee usb and I was only getting 75 par at my gig and 100 just below the surface. My mertens and haddoni were getting less then 50. This is with a 175w 20k, two 36" actinic t5 and a little blue and uv led, I have my lights high above the water at 18" and the bulbs are older. I thought my tank and sps were maxed out with this combo and don't plan on going any higher, I run my halide 12hrs a day and total 13. I don't know if the meter may be off, but he said he checked outside and was getting over 1200 and he gets a little over 200 on his tank. My gig has been happy for a year now and could move up a little if it wanted.
 
My Apogee arrived yesterday. I took some measure today. My happiest Gig is a huge Gig. About 18 inches. Top part PAR at 550. Middle where the mouth is is about 490. Two other Gig at about 425. The 4th Gig at about 350. He is the smallest and slowest growth. I always feed him extra. Magnifica at 350 and Haddoni at 275
 
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