Does ozone or UV help with gigs?

[DrDNA]

Does running ozone or a UV sterilizer help with long term success with gigs? The longest I've been able to keep a gig is about 3-4 months. I know it's just one piece of a complicated system, just wondering if anyone had good or bad experience.
Generally my system is 300g, mix of T5s, BML led strips, ap1003 skimmer. Temp stays around 79, 1.026 sg, pH 8.2-8.35. I also have a 26" gigas clam and several large elegance colonies

 

[D-Nak]

What do you attribute to you losing the gig in 3-4 months? If sick, they typically only last about a month, then die. If beyond a couple of months or so without any issue, they are as hardy as any other anemone.

I don't use ozone or a UV sterilzer and have success with gigs. I don't know how beneficial either of them are, but one can assume that water quality will be better if ozone is properly administered, and the flow-through rate on a UV sterilizer is within the appropriate parameters.

 

[DrDNA]

Well I don't really know. I am suspecting that my DO was dropping too low at random times. My carpets would be good for quite awhile and then melt down in a few days. I recently noticed this when I increase vodka dosing a bit and all my fish actually started gasping at the surface! That's one problem I should have never had, but alas, I did... Since then I have stopped carbon dosing and set one of my Tunzes to suck in a little air on occasion to help better oxygenate the water. I have had a new green gig and blue gig now for about six weeks. The green is doing the best I've ever gotten a gig to look. The blue is hanging in there, looks good some days not so much others. At least it's mouth is mostly closed and it definitely reacts to touch.

 

[D-Nak]

Gigs, unless they eat something bad (like a snail), always look good. When you say "not so much on others" it leads me to think that it may have a bacterial infection. They have the ability to transmit to infection to other gigs. if you have the ability to separate them, it will allow you to better assess what might be causing the problem.

However, if you picked up the gigs recently from Your Reef (I'm basing this on your location), they have someone who is QTing the gigs offsite, so I wouldn't be too concerned about a bacterial infection.

My large gig does seem "happier" when my return pump sucks in a small amount of air. I don't dose anything and all of my gigs appear fine.

Do you have photos to share?

 

[ca1ore]

If the inference is whether ozone/UV will beat back a bacteriological infection in an anemone, then I think the answer pretty clearly is no. BTW it is a violation of reef central rule 120,324b to say you have a Gigas clam and then fail to produce a photograph.

 

[DrDNA]

In accordance with RC code 120.324b will post a pic of the gigas tonight .
As for the gigs, I do know about YourReef's project to QT gigs before sale. There is also another local reef shop that claims they treat new ones with cipro for a few days. My most recent gigs are ones they had in stock for about 3 weeks and looked inflated and happy before I purchased them. I'll try to get pics of the green and blue tonight as well.
I was also hoping that ozone and UV might help alleviate chemical warfare between the nems but I understand it won't cure an already sick anemone.

 

[DrDNA]

Green gig:

<a href="http://s255.photobucket.com/user/jrodzen/media/IMG_3174_zpszbtftcmq.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh157/jrodzen/IMG_3174_zpszbtftcmq.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_3174_zpszbtftcmq.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s255.photobucket.com/user/jrodzen/media/IMG_3169_zpsqgd0iv0t.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh157/jrodzen/IMG_3169_zpsqgd0iv0t.jpg" border="0" alt="green gig photo IMG_3169_zpsqgd0iv0t.jpg"/></a>

Blue gig:

<a href="http://s255.photobucket.com/user/jrodzen/media/IMG_3172_zps9aaayhmi.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh157/jrodzen/IMG_3172_zps9aaayhmi.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_3172_zps9aaayhmi.jpg"/></a>

And to stay in compliance with RC

 

[Rippinfrags]

Wow, Your tank is fantastic Dr. Dna. I really like seeing the smaller clam next to the gigas clam. The size difference is incredible! Thanks for sharing.

 

[ca1ore]

Excellent picture .... boasting privileges restored! That is one BIG dude. How long do you figure it will be until it grows too big for the tank.

 

[DrDNA]

I'm not sure how much longer before it won't fit through the top openings of the tank. I'm going to try to keep it as long as I can. After that, I'll probably donate it to the Steinhardt Aquarium or something like that.

 

[ThRoewer]

..., I'll probably donate it to the Steinhardt Aquarium or something like that.

If they take it.
If not, you can always eat it ...

 

[ca1ore]

I sold my green/yellow gigas some years ago because it was getting too big. ALWAYS have regretted that, particularly as they have become unavailable; should have bought a bigger tank. Even at 18" or so. I bet mine weighed a good 20 lbs.

 

[D-Nak]

The green gig looks healthy. The blue gig does not. Has the color improved and have the tentacles gotten longer? Does it eat? Has it gotten any larger since you acquired it?

Are you using carbon?

I recently lost a small blue gig even though I treated it on and off for several weeks. Once it got sick, it did not eat, its tentacles never got very long, and it slowly got smaller (which some people believe means that it's eating itself for nutrients). If your blue gig is showing similar symptoms, my suggestion is to treat with another antibiotic other than Cipro, possibly Septra.

 

[DrDNA]

I do have some septra. I don't directly feed my anemones but they do catch feed pellets. It is still really sticky and contracts rapidly if I touch it. It just doesn't seem to be getting better or getting worse.
And no, I don't run carbon.