Gig updates
- Thread starter taylor t
- Start date
Here's a question for you. You've advocated for feeding a healthy tentacle to a bleached anemone in order to transplant zooxanthelae. Could such a method be used to bring new colors to an anemone? For example, would using a purple tentacle cause a green anemone to begin to turn purple?
OrionN
Moved on
No.
Color is genetic. Bleached or not bleached (golden brown) is due to the zooxanthelae population which is the the microbial we wanted to replace in a bleached anemone. The transplant will not alter the color but will give the bleached anemone new zooxanthelae which he does not have. This will brown him up. Healthy anemone will be able to produce the pigments that they naturally have.
Color is genetic. Bleached or not bleached (golden brown) is due to the zooxanthelae population which is the the microbial we wanted to replace in a bleached anemone. The transplant will not alter the color but will give the bleached anemone new zooxanthelae which he does not have. This will brown him up. Healthy anemone will be able to produce the pigments that they naturally have.
Thanks, Minh.
taylor t
New member
Thanks guys. I don't feel like a king. But thanks... If my anemone's could talk, they would say, "he's not a king, he's a dictator! Tell him to FEED US!" BUT, I like keeping them small, so they don't get much. A little, but not much.... They do look better with tiny pieces frequently, I just dip Rod's food for the fish, they get the dust. Probably explains the cyno. I struggle just like everyone else at times, as one could tell by my cyno in the sand. An interesting thought about changing their colors. I thought about that in another thread. Maybe I try feeding a purple gig some green gig tents... but I like purple! 
One of my purples has a green glow under actinics, I never noticed it when I first got it. I'm not sure if it's just returning to normal, or if it's picked up from the green gig. The green tint doesn't show up under daylights, but glows really well under blue lights. The camera doesn't pick it up.
I like pictures that are taken with white light, it shows real colors better.
One of my purples has a green glow under actinics, I never noticed it when I first got it. I'm not sure if it's just returning to normal, or if it's picked up from the green gig. The green tint doesn't show up under daylights, but glows really well under blue lights. The camera doesn't pick it up.
I like pictures that are taken with white light, it shows real colors better.
taylor t
New member
D-nak was telling chlorox in his thread about how gigs like to anchor, so I thought I'll show how a couple of mine anchor.
This one is attached to the back of the tank glass. Look at the white spot in the center of the photo, just below that, you can see the foot stretching up. This is right blue.
This is the left blue. It's attached to the rock on the left of it. Same, stretches.
"Cousin It" is the same way. Foot inside a "hole" so to speak, stretching out and up.
Here's a purple, above the highly prized aptasia. Same. All of mine seem to like the foot and column "protected" or surrounded by rock or structure.
The others are the same. Except, one of my purples was buried in the sand for a month or two. (maybe was disoriented from being cut?
I kid....) Since it's moved, and copies the others in where it's anchored. Similar to a BTA, but not as dramatic. I think of them as being like a mushroom, and wanting to protect the column. And, boy can they retract fast when spooked!!! I've brushed up against them, just when cleaning, and I'm amazed that much water can be pushed out that fast.
This one is attached to the back of the tank glass. Look at the white spot in the center of the photo, just below that, you can see the foot stretching up. This is right blue.
This is the left blue. It's attached to the rock on the left of it. Same, stretches.
"Cousin It" is the same way. Foot inside a "hole" so to speak, stretching out and up.
Here's a purple, above the highly prized aptasia. Same. All of mine seem to like the foot and column "protected" or surrounded by rock or structure.
The others are the same. Except, one of my purples was buried in the sand for a month or two. (maybe was disoriented from being cut?
I kid....) Since it's moved, and copies the others in where it's anchored. Similar to a BTA, but not as dramatic. I think of them as being like a mushroom, and wanting to protect the column. And, boy can they retract fast when spooked!!! I've brushed up against them, just when cleaning, and I'm amazed that much water can be pushed out that fast.
taylor t
New member
Here's feeding time. This is what they look like 30 seconds after food hits the water.
total collapse.
And this one gets more than the others because of the babies. It's growing a bit faster than the others because of it.
210 green
When they feed, it looks like you could take a pin to them and pop them like a balloon.
total collapse.
And this one gets more than the others because of the babies. It's growing a bit faster than the others because of it.
210 green
When they feed, it looks like you could take a pin to them and pop them like a balloon.
clorox
New member
Wow!! Gigantea gardens.
This is truly impressive.
On a side note, I am going out tomorrow looking for rubble. I knew exactly what it likes, but unfortunately, all the best crevices are already taken by some other anemone. I spent most of my day baby sitting the silly gig.
It would just detach from every spot, until I tried one last option on a rock that's in contact with sand. So far it stayed put, but it hasn't expanded yet, it's been semi contracted all afternoon, unhappy that I have been moving it so much
This is truly impressive.
On a side note, I am going out tomorrow looking for rubble. I knew exactly what it likes, but unfortunately, all the best crevices are already taken by some other anemone. I spent most of my day baby sitting the silly gig.
It would just detach from every spot, until I tried one last option on a rock that's in contact with sand. So far it stayed put, but it hasn't expanded yet, it's been semi contracted all afternoon, unhappy that I have been moving it so much
Reefahholic
New member
What an awesome tank Taylor! Mail me that lil purple gig, he'll look real good on the edge of my reef.
Minh, your gonna have to step up and pay for those blues and purples!!
Me too...I just got a new truck today though. gotta get adapted to the note.
Note is only $219/mo and it's a black ford f-150 stx v8 w/ 44K.
What a sweet deal!
Minh, your gonna have to step up and pay for those blues and purples!!
Me too...I just got a new truck today though.
gotta get adapted to the note.Note is only $219/mo and it's a black ford f-150 stx v8 w/ 44K.
What a sweet deal!
clorox
New member
What an awesome tank Taylor! Mail me that lil purple gig, he'll look real good on the edge of my reef.
Minh, your gonna have to step up and pay for those blues and purples!!
Me too...I just got a new truck today though.
Note is only $219/mo and it's a black ford f-150 stx v8 w/ 44K.
What a sweet deal!
Sweet, so when will you start doing gig and mag deliveries? I bet you can fit a few in there!
Reefahholic
New member
Taylor, you and Minh could win an award for the most stable tanks with largest bubble algae.
Minh had one on his rock the size of a golf ball.
No seriously, I gave away a lot of my live rock not long ago to go with a minimal aquascape. That was a mistake.
I'm gonna have to drive over to minh's to grab some goodies to get my tank up to par again.
Minh had one on his rock the size of a golf ball.
No seriously, I gave away a lot of my live rock not long ago to go with a minimal aquascape. That was a mistake.
I'm gonna have to drive over to minh's to grab some goodies to get my tank up to par again.
Reefahholic
New member
taylor t
New member
What an awesome tank Taylor! Mail me that lil purple gig, he'll look real good on the edge of my reef.
Minh, your gonna have to step up and pay for those blues and purples!!
Me too...I just got a new truck today though.
Note is only $219/mo and it's a black ford f-150 stx v8 w/ 44K.
What a sweet deal!
Congrats on your truck! It's always clearer in another's tank, but you still have to change the water..... you guys near the golf got it made, drive to fill up with the best water.... Now you have a truck for it too!
Shipping these guys, for me, has not panned out. I've ordered from every vendor in the past, with zero success. When I read guys having expectations of success, I just remember my experience and wish the best, but know what reality is with shipping. Paying through the nose, going to airports/taking days off, never worked for me, but those were the days before cipro. ALL of mine were local finds.
Taylor, you and Minh could win an award for the most stable tanks with largest bubble algae.
Minh had one on his rock the size of a golf ball.
No seriously, I gave away a lot of my live rock not long ago to go with a minimal aquascape. That was a mistake.
I'm gonna have to drive over to minh's to grab some goodies to get my tank up to par again.
Yep, I've taken out some golf balls!
My tank overstocked with gigs, won't be easily duplicated. I really struggled in the beginning to get the original 3 to even stabilize. There's a thread on here somewhere. I let macro algae grow too much, didn't realize (I should have known better), but it was so thick it was decomposing under all the top growth. Having macro, IMO, is very helpful, but with every water change, I need to suck out as much crud as possible. I try to remove it ALL, but it's so embedded, I can't. I started out with a really deep sand bed. It grows cyno. With water changed, I suck off the top layer. It's pretty thin now. My tanks can go down the toilet just as fast as the next guys, but give me a week, I can snap it back with a few cleanings, a few large water changes, and make it look just as nice as some of the others I see. It involves WORK, time, and dedication.
Like I said, my tank won't be EASILY duplicated, but can be, to a dedicated individual. I have killed more gigs in trying, than I care to admit, but through it, I've learned to kind of "read" them. They really aren't as hard to keep once acclimated, in fact are pretty hearty and handle some swings better than corals. Acclimation is the toughest part, and may take many months. My first 3 I got from my good friend Peter. I had given up by then, but he caught the gig bug and kept buying them. Right at the time Minh posted about cipro, the missing link. Even with that, I struggled. Peter was about to toss my green (the one in my 210) in the trash, he had it for months and it wouldn't turn around, even though his others were doing well. Sometimes, them being individuals, don't respond well to a system, not the system's fault, not the guy's fault, IMO, it's the individual gig didn't like something in the system. I saw that guy deflated all the time, for the longest time, and didn't think it would make it either.
I think 100% water changes, new salt water aged 24 hours, aerated, heated, in the first few days makes a HUGE difference. THEN, use DT water while in QT to see how it reacts to it. Also, for me, my gigs only get ONE deflate. If it deflates again, I take action, whether it's change water, change flow, change lights, etc. I've never seen my DT gigs deflate. Never. IF they do, it's so fast, so infrequent, I miss it. IMO, fresh imports have so much crappy water, they need a good purging, which can only happen with TONS of water changes. We can't wash them out in the slop sink. THEY have to do it, and can only happen if the water we give them is ALWAYS fresh, in the beginning, IMO, lack of is the biggest mistake made. I don't temp acclimate my anemone's. If it's close, it works... I think about them being out of water, baking in the sun, then getting hit with cold ocean water... daily... I haven't noticed they are that sensitive to temp change. They ARE very sensitive to PH. I struggled in the beginning too, with figuring out the difference in how my tanks consume carbonate, or bicarbonate (seachem's buffer, or reef builder). I use them both. In my tanks, I use one to raise the PH AND KH (buffer), but too much of that, they get mad. Then I use builder to raise KH, without affecting PH. It's a balancing act, tough to find the happy medium sometimes.
Night time, every time I look. Like I say, INFLATED 100% of the time, NOT 100% inflated, but 100% of the time ALWAYS looks good, just smaller in the dark. Never limp. Here's this morning.
And the other green in the 210.
These are some of my struggles I deal with, I hope someone can learn from some of my mistakes.
I'm hoping for some more baby gigs floating in the system, the first few I saw never took. I'm not sure if they require special care, or what, but I saw several right after I introduced one of my purples. One I planted on a rock, a couple hours later it released never to be seen again. One I put inside an API test tube. It melted the next day, I'm guessing because of lack of flow or lack of food. I was hurt at the time, so I couldn't spend any time with them. Haven't seen any in a couple months though I haven't looked lately. I can't help but think my odds of having both male and female in this tank are pretty high. I always forget to look for babies when I'm sucking all the algae out. I got rid of my peppermint shrimps, I saw them eating gig at night, and figured, maybe that's where the little ones go. Now, the aptasia have taken off. This hobby is a never ending battle at times!
OrionN
Moved on
I never have any luck getting anemone MO either. All my anemone, other than the Blue Haddoni, are local find. I tried one Mag from AquaSD, did not make it even with Cipro. When I get the Blue Haddoni, he was just 3 inches baby.
Taylor, did you actually got your gig to spawned? Wish you documented that and got pictures of the babies.
For aptasia, try a Copper-band Butterfly. I always have good result with this.
Taylor, did you actually got your gig to spawned? Wish you documented that and got pictures of the babies.
For aptasia, try a Copper-band Butterfly. I always have good result with this.
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