$40 S.Gigantea

[clorox]

I hear you. I can tell my bleached one is still acclimating. It's hard to pinpoint whether it's flow or lighting or a combination of both. It goes from fully expanded and about 6-7" down to 3-4". It could be that it's still getting used to the constant rubbing from the female perc. Luckily, the male prefers the magnifica. Next week I'll introduce the other gig. But I'll wait at least 4-5 days after I'm done with the septra course. The green gig is smaller and I'm concerned the clowns will love it to death.

I ordered the same full spectrum led light fixture that Reefahholic recommended. I'll use it on my HT to better light acclimate nems before they get exposed to the strong lighting of the radions.

 

[Reefahholic]

He looking good bro!

 

[clorox]

Thanks man! This anemone is driving me crazy though. It is seriously the most finicky I ever dealt with. I am still trying to find it the perfect spot. So far it hasn't settled yet. Last night it detached most likely because the rock it planted its foot wasn't to its liking, so I had to constantly watch it, turn off wavemakers, wait etc. This morning I found it all expanded, but facing and touching a rock, duh! Repositioned it one more time in a spot that hopefully it will like better. I think it got used to the smooth surface of the bowl I placed it in the HT

 

[D-Nak]

Thanks man! This anemone is driving me crazy though. It is seriously the most finicky I ever dealt with. I am still trying to find it the perfect spot. So far it hasn't settled yet. Last night it detached most likely because the rock it planted its foot wasn't to its liking, so I had to constantly watch it, turn off wavemakers, wait etc. This morning I found it all expanded, but facing and touching a rock, duh! Repositioned it one more time in a spot that hopefully it will like better. I think it got used to the smooth surface of the bowl I placed it in the HT

Gigs like to attach their foot in a crevice -- not as deep as a BTA -- but not on the surface of a smooth rock like a mag. Once it's settled I'm sure it won't move much.

 

[clorox]

Yeah, that's what I did, but evidently the angle of attachment, or the fact the crevice was too tight or not to its liking made it want to detach to look for something better.

Right now it's trying to attach between a rock and sand.

 

[taylor t]

If you have some rock rubble, see if you can make a little circle out of it, and drop the nem inside the middle. Maybe enough to drop it in like an open umbrella, and have the underside of the disk supported by the rocks. This way, you can crank up flow, and it can retract if it doesn't like it, or can expand to get more.

It's looking really good.

 

[clorox]

If you have some rock rubble, see if you can make a little circle out of it, and drop the nem inside the middle. Maybe enough to drop it in like an open umbrella, and have the underside of the disk supported by the rocks. This way, you can crank up flow, and it can retract if it doesn't like it, or can expand to get more.

It's looking really good.

Yeah, I wish I had some small rocks, I know precisely what it's looking for.
Unfortunately around where I live (Santa Monica) LFS are really subpar, so I have to plan ahead of time to go the good ones in the greater LA area (far), which means deal with tons of LA freeway traffic.
Tomorrow I'm scouting the usual suspect LFS's for some good rocks to make the next few gigs happy.

This morning it looked really good, but after it detached this afternoon, I must have repositioned it at least 4-5 times, in part because I didn't have the right shaped crevice that can support it properly, and in part because as soon as I removed my arm from the water, my clowns would plunge back on it shifting it, causing the little f$%$# to float again.:headwally:

I was just about to place it back into my HT, something I was resisting to do as I have an other gig undergoing treatment. Eventually I found a spot that would do the trick at least until tomorrow. It's not happy, it's been puffing up and contracting clearly trying to stick it's foot in a less than ideal position, but I really exhausted my options, so I'm just going to let it be for now.

 

[taylor t]

It's hard to advise over a screen sometimes, but I think leaving them alone can be the best, sometimes. But, to contradict, sometimes you need to move them...They're brainless... Hard to say. The mouth open like yours is, concerns me, but on the other hand, the ruffled edges looks good. IMO, ruffled edges trumps open mouth, in goodness... Yours has good ruffles...

I think blasting one with light, that can't handle it, CAN cause irreversible damage. On the flip side, not providing one with enough light causes the algae to die off. Find what it can handle before deflate, and dial it back slightly. It's easier to bring one back from bleaching, rather than trying to acclimate one that's been damaged by blasting, that refuses to reinflate. I've lost enough this way to see, even though some of the most experienced guys promote light blasting out of the gate, I disagree with them on this.

What ever it takes, to keep them inflated 100% of the time. #1 goal. Not 100% size, but 100% of the time full, not floppy. Floppy usually means big trouble. Open mouth not as dire, but still a concern. ALL of mine have hidden mouths, as in, covered in tentacles. Can't see unless tents flop out of the way from flow, and even then sometimes the mouth is still hidden. It will take months for them to get to this point, most likely. Sometimes lack of light can help keep them stay full, but only in the beginning during acclimation. Ultimately, they need light blasting, (and that's the end goal), but blasting in the beginning I've killed more than I care to share...Double digits, and I'm not talking teens or twenty's.... Some will respond well to light blast, but most won't. IMO, the biggest cause for deflation or inability to attach.

It may help, if you take a picture of it the same time every day, and compare yourself. Make sure it's going forward, not backwards. Maybe a pic at best and worse and compare. Posting pics here may help someone else see something you miss too.

Best of luck to you with this guy, I really think this one can make it. Sorry to pepper your thread with info you may not want or need, thoughts just keep coming out, in hopes to help someone that reads...

 

[clorox]

It's hard to advise over a screen sometimes, but I think leaving them alone can be the best, sometimes. But, to contradict, sometimes you need to move them...They're brainless... Hard to say. The mouth open like yours is, concerns me, but on the other hand, the ruffled edges looks good. IMO, ruffled edges trumps open mouth, in goodness... Yours has good ruffles...

I think blasting one with light, that can't handle it, CAN cause irreversible damage. On the flip side, not providing one with enough light causes the algae to die off. Find what it can handle before deflate, and dial it back slightly. It's easier to bring one back from bleaching, rather than trying to acclimate one that's been damaged by blasting, that refuses to reinflate. I've lost enough this way to see, even though some of the most experienced guys promote light blasting out of the gate, I disagree with them on this.

What ever it takes, to keep them inflated 100% of the time. #1 goal. Not 100% size, but 100% of the time full, not floppy. Floppy usually means big trouble. Open mouth not as dire, but still a concern. ALL of mine have hidden mouths, as in, covered in tentacles. Can't see unless tents flop out of the way from flow, and even then sometimes the mouth is still hidden. It will take months for them to get to this point, most likely. Sometimes lack of light can help keep them stay full, but only in the beginning during acclimation. Ultimately, they need light blasting, (and that's the end goal), but blasting in the beginning I've killed more than I care to share...Double digits, and I'm not talking teens or twenty's.... Some will respond well to light blast, but most won't. IMO, the biggest cause for deflation or inability to attach.

It may help, if you take a picture of it the same time every day, and compare yourself. Make sure it's going forward, not backwards. Maybe a pic at best and worse and compare. Posting pics here may help someone else see something you miss too.

Best of luck to you with this guy, I really think this one can make it. Sorry to pepper your thread with info you may not want or need, thoughts just keep coming out, in hopes to help someone that reads...

This is great information Taylor, I really appreciate the time you took to write this valuable info.

It's currently attached to a rock, but I wouldn't define it as 'settled'. Half of its body (column) is in contact with the sand substrate, and I can almost tell it doesn't really like it. This morning it was inflated, but then too much clown attention made it ball up. It clearly isn't fully acclimated, this weekend I'll observe it carefully and determine if it should go back to the QT for a longer term. It really is an oddball as it doesn't exhibit 'classic' gigantea behavior. My other one in the HT is definitely more like you have described where you can barely see the mouth covered with tentacles and the oral disk has the typical ripples. My bleached one seems to like more a spread out position, possibly because it wants to absorb more light. I also suspect that the clowns attention might be too much for it at this stage. They do a really good job removing any tiny detritus particle from the oral disk, but sometimes they dig into it too forcefully which in combination of the fact it isn't in top shape make it retract like it just did now.

 

[taylor t]

You're welcome.... Take my opinion as you wish, I can only tell you what's worked for me....


I know some claim clowns help acclimate them. I have found the opposite. Doesn't mean your clowns will harm, but if it was mine, I wouldn't allow clowns around mine until it was acting well for a while, and appeared / reacted strong. I must just get bullies for clowns all the time. I've also read clowns can help anemone's "aspirate", and I can see that point too, but for me, this has never worked with a new arrival. For you , it may be ok, but for me, I don't allow it, atleast not in the beginning.

You can do what you want to acclimate your anemone, but if it was mine, that behavior it's now exhibited, if I recall correctly, twice, is unacceptable, again, IMO. QT. I don't think I would medicate, yet, but I would start the "fresh" saltwater purge process again. IMO,that's not normal, and again, IMO, isn't allowed "in my house". You can leave it and hope for the best, but I would get another 10 gallon, and start again. Just what I would do, they are difficult to acclimate past this stage. I think it's a good call not to mix with your new one, if you choose to do this. Best of luck.

 

[PeterHall]

Yeah, I wish I had some small rocks, I know precisely what it's looking for.
Unfortunately around where I live (Santa Monica) LFS are really subpar, so I have to plan ahead of time to go the good ones in the greater LA area (far), which means deal with tons of LA freeway traffic.
Tomorrow I'm scouting the usual suspect LFS's for some good rocks to make the next few gigs happy.

Vivid was selling live rock rubble for like $1.50 a pound. If you want to make the trip

 

[clorox]

You're welcome.... Take my opinion as you wish, I can only tell you what's worked for me....


I know some claim clowns help acclimate them. I have found the opposite. Doesn't mean your clowns will harm, but if it was mine, I wouldn't allow clowns around mine until it was acting well for a while, and appeared / reacted strong. I must just get bullies for clowns all the time. I've also read clowns can help anemone's "aspirate", and I can see that point too, but for me, this has never worked with a new arrival. For you , it may be ok, but for me, I don't allow it, atleast not in the beginning.

You can do what you want to acclimate your anemone, but if it was mine, that behavior it's now exhibited, if I recall correctly, twice, is unacceptable, again, IMO. QT. I don't think I would medicate, yet, but I would start the "fresh" saltwater purge process again. IMO,that's not normal, and again, IMO, isn't allowed "in my house". You can leave it and hope for the best, but I would get another 10 gallon, and start again. Just what I would do, they are difficult to acclimate past this stage. I think it's a good call not to mix with your new one, if you choose to do this. Best of luck.

Yep, that's what I'm about to do, QT and let it recover in time and place it by it self. I just got a smaller tank that I can use just for this anemone, so it can leave it there for as log as needed. I also found a good rock for it, so hopefully it will settle, then I'll just move it back with the rock to the DT.

Vivid was selling live rock rubble for like $1.50 a pound. If you want to make the trip

That's where I just returned from, they also had an electric green Haddoni, which was very tempting, but now that I got the Gigantea bug my eyes are just for them

 

[clorox]

So....I placed the bleached gig back in a QT tank.

It is more or less inflated, but clearly stressed out. I put it back into the ceramic bowl.
It is spewing a gelatinous blob that is hard to see clearly.

The mouth is open, but not gaping wide. At this point I am going to do 100% water changes, but I am debating whether I should treat again with septra or not?

I am aware I made the mistake of optimistically thinking that after 5 days of Septra and 3 of QT observation, it was ready to go back to the DT. This little guy would have needed a few weeks of QT. Hopefully it is not lost, but I give it 50-50 chances to survive.



On the bright side the green/tan one is looking real good. I also placed a rock a found yesterday with a deep round crevice, so starting to day, I will stop septra and QT it for about 1 week, but placing it on the rock. Then when it's ready, I will move it to the DT attached to the rock.

 

[Reefahholic]

Yeah he's looking good.

Just don't put him with the other one. Probably get him sick.

 

[clorox]

Unfortunately the bleached gig, didn't make it. I blame it on my inexperience treating S.Gigantea. I should have kept it in qt much longer, at least 1 more week and keep observing. I was deceived by the nice inflation for 4 continuous days after I stopped Septra, but I guess it wasn't ready yet for being placed in my DT.

***As a sidenote. I know my DT water is good, as I have an H.Magnifica that has almost doubled in size in the past month. As a matter of fact, everything in my tank has grown beyond my expectations. I have some bta's that quadrupled in size in about 2 months, to the point I need to start planning selling some ***

When I pulled it out from my DT, I started treating with Cipro this time, but I think the bacterial infection or whatever it was, must have been at an advanced stage, because it degraded rapidly in the span of 2-3 days.

It went from this


To this, in the span of 3 days, despite 100% water changes and cipro.


I think I spent close to 10 days baby sitting it and well over 100g of water changes. I was starting to feel a bit exhausted also cause I have the green/tan one in a separate HT that has been deflating suddenly after I thought it was stable.

This green/tan went from this:


To this, then back inflated and then deflated again.:headwally:



I now have a proper led full spectrum light on my HT that was suggested by Reefahholic. For less than $100 the thing rocks, and is dimmable in fine increments, highly recommended.

 

[D-Nak]

I feel your pain. I currently have four gigs in QT (I don't know what I was thinking). I received two last week and both are deflating/inflating. I received another two this morning (I have yet to positively ID one, as it looks a bit "off") and both are doing well as of today, though it can be expected because IME the sickness typically doesn't appear for a couple of days.

I don't mean to derail your thread, as I plan to start thread to document the gigs, but I just wanted to let you know that I think you tried your best, and it's not an easy thing to do. The sting may last a while -- I've lost 4 gigs to date and it still stings.

 

[D-Nak]

Also, in hindsight, I used to advocate providing a lot of light for acclimating gigs. I've since changed my stance on this and currently have two gigs in QT with very limited light (just indirect sunlight). The small ones seem very sensitive to light.

 

[clorox]

I feel your pain. I currently have four gigs in QT (I don't know what I was thinking). I received two last week and both are deflating/inflating. I received another two this morning (I have yet to positively ID one, as it looks a bit "off") and both are doing well as of today, though it can be expected because IME the sickness typically doesn't appear for a couple of days.

I don't mean to derail your thread, as I plan to start thread to document the gigs, but I just wanted to let you know that I think you tried your best, and it's not an easy thing to do. The sting may last a while -- I've lost 4 gigs to date and it still stings.

Thanks D-Nak. The only reason I didn't pull the trigger too convincingly on the ones on offer today at DD was mostly due to frustration after just losing the bleached one in the morning. I already have the green one in my HT and honestly I don't know if I can take babysitting 2 at the same time again and at different levels of recovery. No idea how you can do 4!

One thing is for sure, I am going to get a blue or purple at some point.

 

[clorox]

Also, in hindsight, I used to advocate providing a lot of light for acclimating gigs. I've since changed my stance on this and currently have two gigs in QT with very limited light (just indirect sunlight). The small ones seem very sensitive to light.

I have been trying every permutation, low light and even bounced sunlight with use of a mirror and diffuser.

Just now I was blasting it with flow and my new led light I just received today and it inflated again. I turned the light back down to 20% from 60% as this thing is super bright. I have been taking notes indicating time of day and light intensity as well as flow in the attempt to recreate a repeatable pattern. It might be wishful thinking, but perhaps worth the effort.

 

[D-Nak]

I have been trying every permutation, low light and even bounced sunlight with use of a mirror and diffuser.

Just now I was blasting it with flow and my new led light I just received today and it inflated again. I turned the light back down to 20% from 60% as this thing is super bright. I have been taking notes indicating time of day and light intensity as well as flow in the attempt to recreate a repeatable pattern. It might be wishful thinking, but perhaps worth the effort.

I'm taking notes as well. What I observe is that it's almost as if they fill up with energy derived from light, then deflate, as if they had too much light. By keeping them in a low light environment, based on this theory, they should never deflate.

The problem is all gigs I've had though QT is that they all release dead (or what is believed to be) zooxanthellae. There just seems to be a tipping point as to where they may have too much dead zoox and can't expel it all. With regards to flow, it's a tough call -- too much and the nem uses energy to remain attached, not enough flow and it works too hard to expel the dead zoox.