Gig updates

Taylor your gigs look great!


I could be wrong but my research doesn’t agree with this.

When I look at a BTA under the microscope it is obvious that they have at least two different symbiotic "algae" associated with them.

Symbiodinium species are the brownish single celled dinoflagellates that populated the slime layer on the inside surface of the anemone. In BTA’s they give it the brownish color.

There are also zoochlorella species that live within the matrix of the epidermal cells. These vary in color giving the anemone its green to pink color.

It may be that the zoochlorellae associated with an anemone is genetically controlled but I would think not. My feeling is that it may be possible to kill off all the zoochlorellae associated with an anemone and repopulate it with a different strain.

Very interesting read.
 
Thanks guys!


I could be wrong but my research doesn't agree with this.

When I look at a BTA under the microscope it is obvious that they have at least two different symbiotic "algae" associated with them.

Symbiodinium species are the brownish single celled dinoflagellates that populated the slime layer on the inside surface of the anemone. In BTA's they give it the brownish color.

There are also zoochlorella species that live within the matrix of the epidermal cells. These vary in color giving the anemone its green to pink color.

It may be that the zoochlorellae associated with an anemone is genetically controlled but I would think not. My feeling is that it may be possible to kill off all the zoochlorellae associated with an anemone and repopulate it with a different strain.

So wait, would they have to bleach first? "wipe the slate clean"? How can one be sure to kill off all the existing color, to that degree, but not kill the host from starvation? Or, why stop there... How about some red haddoni tents? There's the unicorn! Minh's got a blue colored haddoni, so no need for gig tents? Different species, but "cousins", think it matters? Wonder how they compare.

Ray, can you look at stichodactyla algae species? Compare haddoni to gigs? Are they close enough? Maybe Minh can take one of each to work and drop off with your colleagues?

Didn't someone go through all this with their dog already? :lolspin:



Probably a question for another thread... sorry Taylor.. so you think the color of an anemone could change by bleaching and feeding it a different "color" of zoochlorellae?
No problem! Great minds think alike!


If there is a video of your full tank i will sit there and watch it :)
I really need to do that soon too. I really enjoyed when Worm made his time lapse. I wish I had more minutes in a day... I'll try in the next couple weeks.
 
You guys crack me up. But I was thinking the exact same thing...

"Could I make a rose gigantea?" like a rose BTA. Or a Sunburst? or Lemon Drop?

:dance:
 
Ray can you do a study for us under the scope and report your findings on a new thread?

I would like to see and understand the difference in Zooxanthelae between Magnifica, Gigantea, and Haddoni.

I kinda wanna agree with Minh here. I would think that color is indeed genetic. However, that would just be my logical guess.

If you can do a study and are able to take pics with the eyes of the scope, I believe it would be vital in order for us to see and really understand what's going on. It would be interesting to document the different Zooxanthelae characteristics between these species.

If Zooxanthelae is not genetically planted, we could create multicolored gigantea.

The Question is...like Taylor mentioned above, would we have to start with a completely bleached Nem in order to achieve a color change.

Furthermore, would the change be overridden later down the road if the Zooxanthelae is genetic?

The big question for me is how the Zooxanthelae inside the Nem is made, and why does it take 4 months to completely repopulate?

I believe that when a Gigantea or Magnifica bleaches, that it's health related and possibly not antibiotic related as we tend to believe a lot of the time.

I think when the animal gets sick (at the extreme peak), it's no longer able to produce Zooxanthelae. This is why I think we start to see "dots" popping up quickly when the animal is doing well and has recovered completely.

Again, I think it's a genetic trait. I just haven't done a study to prove otherwise.
 
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The tank looks amazing in person, wish you could shoot a video of it Dave, because the nems are amazing. They have come so far David, something to inspire us anemone keepers, beautiful tank in every aspect, every detail.
 
ware did you get all your clowns from i am looking to get a large group of clowns to go into my 225 gallon


Since you are in Socal you will be able to get a bunch of clowns at Reefapalooza. Proaquatics is going to be there and at least one LFS (Coral Gazer) is going to carry their fish at a booth.
 
ware did you get all your clowns from i am looking to get a large group of clowns to go into my 225 gallon
Sorry I blew past your post... I got mine from a local reefer that bred them.


Here's a quick pic from today.


The little 3 are going on 9 months now? I think. The larger 3 I've had for a year and 9 months now? I think.
 
very nice!! Is the yellowish one a mertensii?

Thanks!

No, all 6 in the pic above are gigs, including the yellowish one. I would honestly call it green, it started green, like yours. Seems increased LED lighting appears to make it more yellow to the eye. Here's close up of the green (yellow) gig tents:

The deep blue LED's make it really glow green at night. Very eye catching.



These are close up of mertensii tents (same nem as avitar):
 
Ahh I see what you mean now. Sometimes my green gig looks more like a yellowish lime green too. Your gigs are beautiful.
Thanks!



Hold a gun to my head and I call him green, otherwise he is yellow :)
:fun2: :lol: Under full lighting, yes, yellow.



I added 5K spots for 8 hours, they looked like they wanted more light. As soon as that was added, the yellow popped out. I think my DIY led lights are lacking in the yellow spectrum, which the home center LED spot added. They instantly showed they loved it. It is the most neon green gig I have seen. The other green I have doesn't have the same coloration, both have same lights, different water. Beginning and end light cycle is all blue for both, both glow green when it's only blue lighting. It seems the stronger the light, the more the colored pigment grows down the tents from the tips.
 
Here is more accurate. Looks just like real life for color. Pic from 5 minutes ago.

This is with additional LED 5K spots (gigs absolutely LOVE them)


This is 5 seconds later, with flipping the spots all off.


I'm guessing, since I made my DIY LED plates years ago, the spectrum they contain may be fairly limited. They were made early on, when LED was new, before any manufacturers came out with any, before ecotech came out with one, which I'd guess cover the spectrum much better. A couple months ago, I saw the homecenter spots in a 19 watt 5K flavor. I decided to try. Bang for buck, worked well so I decided to add some more. I can still get the deep blue lighting for oooh and aaah, but the gigs do so well with white light. I looked at it as a cheap way to increase the lights.
 
we are hoping it will turn to green but even in the wild, it has the yellow hue. Nice shots Dave.
 
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