BTAs vs Mags and Gigs?

Karliah

Drug Maker Extraordinaire
I have been keeping BTAs for a while now. I love the appearance of mags and gigs though. Why are they considered more difficult to keep? I'd love to have either but don't want to jump into anything unprepared.
 
They require more light and flow than BTAs. Also, what makes them more difficult is their susceptibility to bacterial infections.
 
How much "more" light and flow? How much is enough?
And I've read the sticky on the cipro treatment, so that's a start I guess.
 
I think once treated against the infection they often come with they are not more at risk than gigs or the other host anemones.

I also don't see light as the predominant issue as they like to sit on a high spot in the tank where a decent dimensioned LED can serve them well. A Kessil A360N right above it should be fine.

The other things they need is good indirect flow and a rock pile they can sit on. I would also suspect that they need cleaner water than gigs for example since they are predominantly found on the reefs while gigs are more often found in the lower tidal zone.
 
How much "more" light and flow? How much is enough?
And I've read the sticky on the cipro treatment, so that's a start I guess.

The more the better. It's hard to overdo it with mags and gigs. People here keep them under T5s, MH, Kessils (350/360), Radions, etc.
If you post a specific light you are using or think about using you may get a feedback here.
As for flow, similar to acroporas.
 
I think once treated against the infection they often come with they are not more at risk than gigs or the other host anemones.



I also don't see light as the predominant issue as they like to sit on a high spot in the tank where a decent dimensioned LED can serve them well. A Kessil A360N right above it should be fine.



The other things they need is good indirect flow and a rock pile they can sit on. I would also suspect that they need cleaner water than gigs for example since they are predominantly found on the reefs while gigs are more often found in the lower tidal zone.


A very thorough answer! Thank you!
So ease/requirements of care would be (from least to most) bta, gig, mag? Generally speaking.
 
The more the better. It's hard to overdo it with mags and gigs. People here keep them under T5s, MH, Kessils (350/360), Radions, etc.
If you post a specific light you are using or think about using you may get a feedback here.
As for flow, similar to acroporas.


Right now I have a T5 fluorescent. But was planning on getting a truelumen pro kit with one marine fusion and one "deep blue" or whatever that company calls it.
 
That should be fine.
While they do like a lot of light it does help a great deal they also like to be perched up high on rock
 
I think in many ways mags are easier than BTAs, simply because they are much more predictable:
If you build a suitable rock pile fare away enough from all other structures, place a strong enough light there and provide enough flow, any healthy mag you place there will happily stay put there.
With a BTA you always have the risk that they look for something else than you supplied and start wandering around.

If I had to pick one of those two, these days, with treatments available, I would go with a mag, simply because I could design the tank and the anemones location and knew it would stay there.
 
BTAs vs Mags and Gigs?

Thanks everyone!
Good to know my lighting plan is suitable. Those lights are what I have on all my tanks.
One of my BTAs is wandering as we speak, little bugger. But it seems to be headed back towards where I placed it originally, so we'll see.
Could I have a BTA in the same tank with a mag or gig? How far apart would they need to be if this is okay?
 
Mags and gigs both belong to the Stichodactylidae. Also they prefer different locations so I think those should be fine in the same tank.
BTAs might be fine with both but I never tried it myself.
 
OP,
You'd get better advice if you posted your tank specs, such its size, what powerheads you are using for flow, light bulbs on your fixture, etc.
anyway, good luck with your nem venture.
 
29 biocube with hydor rotating deflector on output and a hydor 425 for flow.
Already posted lights in a previous post above.
 
While I've got you all here...
Is this a BTA? That's what it was sold to me as, but it's not acting or looking like my other 3 (in different tanks)
Sorry, can't get a picture of it's mouth. I know that'd help.
16f767646c6bc74fd522a40961a9017f.jpg
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https://vimeo.com/147201802
 
Yeah I finally got a glimpse of it's mouth and saw the white lines. It's weird, I placed it in a hole/crack type thing in the rock, and it moved to that spot up on top of the rock.
 
With a 29 gallon cube you likely won't be able to keep a magnifica. A gig might work (for a while) if it is basically the only thing in the tank besides a pair of clownfish.

In this tank a BTA may be your best bet.
 
picture.php
29 biocube with hydor rotating deflector on output and a hydor 425 for flow.
Already posted lights in a previous post above.
Biocube is really too small for Gigantea or Magnifica. You can keep one in there but you have to really know what you are doing and find small Gig or Mag to start with. Both of these animals require a lot more flow than the stock filtration provide thus you will end up with bulky in the tank PH for circulation.

At various times, I keep a small Magnifica and Gigantea in a 18X20X20 tank which is about the same size cube long term (2 years) but it was not easy. Both case I have a 150 W MH for light. I will see if I can find the thread I wrote about these two anemones.

Thread on my Gigantea:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2196701

Thread on my Magnifica:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1528132


Picture of my Magnifica
IMG_0451.jpg

IMG_0471.jpg


Picture of my Gigantea:
picture.php

picture.php
 
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