Found a very healthy looking blue gigantea! Help me with best placement!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8810586#post8810586 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 55semireef
Hey Tony, can you do me a favor by posting a video clip of your Giganteas? I want to see the type of flow your getting specifically. You don't have to, I just wanted to see.
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I'll see what I can do. In the meantime here's a clip of my brown one that I took around the first week or so (so this is from 2004):

http://members.shaw.ca/hobiesailor/aquaria/movies/P5200007.MOV

If you can do a search on posts made by "BonsaiNut" there is a video clip that he posted (this may be going back to 2004 or maybe even 2003) where he shows his blue/purple gigantea in some seriously mondo flow (think hot tub flow). It's awesome though, some serious crazy flow, it shows that they can definitely handle as much as you can throw at them.
 
Interesting, that is less flow than I expected, or is the tissue of the gigantea much more rigid than that of a magnifica? I expected to see it really flapping around and that looks more like a leather in high flow.

Do you all notice longer tenticles in giganteas exposed to high flow like I do with magnificas? Both in my tank and in the wild I noticed a dramatic direct relationship.
 
Video of my S. Gigantea

Video of my S. Gigantea

I just took a video of my S. Gigantea with only my actinics on. I am increasing my main return pump by 280 gph soon which will increase the flow around the Gigantea MUCH more. But here is a video of my Gigantea anyways. It has found a spot it apparently likes but still needs much more flow. Hasn't moved yet so far. Has been deflating quite a bit but that could be apart of the acclimation process. I am new to all this and this is a HUGE learning experience for me and I appreciate all you guys that are helping sonofgaladriel and I. Here is the video. Sorry its not the best quality and the sounds are weird at the end. Oh well.

BTW, I also showed my sources of flow in the video as well. :)


 
The tissue texture .. really quite similar to a haddoni. Not at all rigid like a leather although people have thought this carpet was a leather before (same colour I guess). If all pumps were on in that tank when that video was taken there would have been 30x volume turnover per hour but the powerheads are on a wavemaker, so I'm not sure what the "average" or "nominal" turnover would have been like, I'm guessing more like 15x. I think the alternating flow is likely as important as the overall volume of flow. This particular carpet has always been fairly static in its positioning and attachment, whereas my green does tend to let its skirt get lifted by the current.

That anemone you see in the video was a very young juvenile. To compare it to what it looks like today,

2carpets5.jpg


.. it's the one on the left (hoping I'm not overstating the obvious). Anyhow I'm not sure if it's that clear in the photograph but the tentacles towards the center of the anemone, ie. those closest to the mouth, are easily 2"-3" in length whereas as you get closer to the outer perimeter they are more like 1" max. I'm not sure if that's a function of flow though. It could be, or I wonder if there are other factors.
 
Nice video 55semireef. My green looked very similar to yours when I first got it (here's a picture of when I first bought it, April 2005).
newcarpet.jpg


What powerheads are you using? Do you have a wavemaker? One thing I might consider, I realize this may not be possible but it's just a suggestion, is two large powerheads like MJ12's, one on each side of the tank, aiming at each other. The carpet sits near to where the currents will meet. If you have a wavemaker put them on it and you should have a nice alternating wash.

And hey, yeah, it's all a learning process. I still learn new things with my carpets all the time. :)
 
Thanks for the video compliment. :)

I feel ashamed when I say this but I am using Rio Powerheads. I have a wavemaker but unfortunately Rios don't accept wavemakers. Kinda pathetic. I like the MJ12 idea but there is a small issue. The overflow box will interfere with that current clashing. I think I am also going to add another powerhead in my tank.

I was experimenting something right after I took the video of my Gigantea. I used a turkey baster and was blowing current at the Gigantea to see what random flow would look like and it was pretty cool. I did this at my Blue Haddoni (it was in the video) and it seemed more rigid. Its weird because my blue Haddoni doesn't even fold. It elongagates its foot and extends it upward. Gary M. said it could be many factors as well as personality of the carpet.

Tankshots127.jpg




Looks like the clarki is trying to host the gigantea as well.
Click to expand...

My female Clarkii hosts her blue haddoni all to herself. That is the main anemone she hosts. She sometimes goes in my H. Crispa and now is "experimenting" with my Gigantea. Really entertaining. My male Clarkii just hosts my Crispa.

Awesome vid, but looks even better in person.
Click to expand...
Thanks:)
 
Everything is easy if you give them the right conditions. :)
Even if you are able to start with a healthy one, the requirements are still more stringent for a gignatea than a BTA, haddoni, H. crispa or M. doreensis.

The proper strong alternating current and high light levels are not as easy to perfect as it sounds. Sure once you have it dialed in your set, but it takes some experience or a lot of luck to make the small adjustments when the anemone isn't thriving in the first few months. It takes a lot of experience even to recognize that your gigantea is not thriving before its too late to do something about it.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8813112#post8813112 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by phender
Everything is easy if you give them the right conditions. :)
Even if you are able to start with a healthy one, the requirements are still more stringent for a gignatea than a BTA, haddoni, H. crispa or M. doreensis.

The proper strong alternating current and high light levels are not as easy to perfect as it sounds. Sure once you have it dialed in your set, but it takes some experience or a lot of luck to make the small adjustments when the anemone isn't thriving in the first few months. It takes a lot of experience even to recognize that your gigantea is not thriving before its too late to do something about it.
Click to expand...

Yes I have read to many theads of where people lost their Giganteas. I don't think my gigantea is thriving at the moment. IT seems to be deflating and inflating too frequently to be thriving. I am adding another PH tomorrow and am upgrading the skimmer and return pump. This will make the flow stronger and the water with less inorganics. I did a water change today and immediately the Gigantea inflated after its deflated state. So far no anemones seem to be affected by the presense of this Gigantea. I am relying on luck right now.
 
sonofgaladriel, how is your blue Gigantea doing? Here is an update of my Gigantea. Here are some pictures:

Tankshots145.jpg
:

Tankshots146.jpg
 
Last edited:
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9675943#post9675943 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 55semireef
I havn't seen sonofgaladriel post in forever.
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i saw that he is selling an aquarium hope he has not gotten out of the hobby.
 
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