Finally found a nice gig!

[BonsaiNut]

fore the food is brought to it. What happens next i cant see, same as you. I'm wondering if we were to feed them a live fish, would they close
More rapidly, I have a suspicion that the live food wiggling around would
Provoke a slightly different response, but, as this is my first gig, I have not a clue as yet, but once I surpass the month mark with this one, I may try.

They would not close more rapidly - the fish would be paralyzed (via toxin) before it reached the anemone's mouth. You have to understand that anemones do not have a "mouth" per se - nor a digestive system like mammals. Think of them as a double-sided garbage bag with a pullstring closure at the top. Something brushing a tentacle will trigger a response; it might be a mild response if the thing is inanimate (like a rock or a snail shell) and it will be stronger if the thing is animate and organic. When an object is seized and recognized as being organic, it triggers a feeding response.

 

[pfan151]

Nice looking gig and elegance. You don't need to get rid of your elegance when it gets too big. They are very easy to frag.

 

[D-Nak]

They would not close more rapidly - the fish would be paralyzed (via toxin) before it reached the anemone's mouth. You have to understand that anemones do not have a "mouth" per se - nor a digestive system like mammals. Think of them as a double-sided garbage bag with a pullstring closure at the top. Something brushing a tentacle will trigger a response; it might be a mild response if the thing is inanimate (like a rock or a snail shell) and it will be stronger if the thing is animate and organic. When an object is seized and recognized as being organic, it triggers a feeding response.

+1. If you're expecting a feeding response similar to a Venus Fly Trap, I think you'll be disappointed. Haddoni are known to be fish eaters in an aquarium, gigantea are not. I personally would not feed my gig live food. I think the risks outweigh the "fun factor" and as Bonsai mentioned, live food isn't needed by the nem.

 

[jscarlata]

good info, thanks guys..i love learnign about these creatures here and seeing them develop in my tank. Last night i noticed that after not being fed directly for a few days, the nem closed up much more rapidly when some mysis fell on it...ive benn giving it litle bits of mysis or chopped up goodies from rods reef food, nothing larger than a pinky fingernail. it being in an lfs tank under low light for a while, i want to help it get its energy up. i did not know about the stinging cells being one time use and requiring energy to replace etc, that is great info to know.

 

[OrionN]

Great looking anemone. How about an update?

 

[hanaumabay]

great purchase! I hope it remains thriving in your tank!

 

[jscarlata]

Hey...thanks guys. Sorry about the updates, thought this thread had died. I'll post some new vids shortly

 

[jscarlata]

Some still shots till my pb upload is done:

View attachment ImageUploadedByTapatalk1345033418.794241.jpg
The nem's newest resident, a young onyx Picasso. Took all of about 5 minutes of being introduced to the tank before he and the larger perc met up and take residence in the nem.



Nicely opened during a lull in flow, that or feeding time..

View attachment 200134
The happy couple


A little older than above shots but shows the color a bit better. Hard to take good iPhone pics under all the blue lights.

Some videos later...