Gigantea or Haddoni?

[shutiny]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9813715#post9813715 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WayneL333
Please excuse my "carpet" inexperience, but what makes a gigantea so hard to rear? Does it need specific water chemistry, or is it difficult in getting it to eat, and/or other unique husbandry?


I

I really don't know why they are so difficult. I had better luck with them four and five years ago. In the past two year or so, I have not been able to keep them alive for long. The longest ones were over a year. Most of them arrived DOA or died within a week or two. Did get two babies last year. I finally added them to mine display and within three months, they both moved to less flow shaded area and never came out again.

I have been trying to find the exact locations of these anemones origin, and hope to do a field study, some days.

Sorry, not much help from here.

 

[shutiny]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9813589#post9813589 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by OrangeKoi
Ya, they probably have an image that doesn't represent the color well, but then again, maybe it does?...

What I wanted to convey was that the anemone looks better in person, than the picture.

 

[BonsaiNut]

I'm pretty confident it's a S. haddoni. You can clearly see the exocoelic tentacles at the fringe of the oral disk. S. haddoni has them, S. gigantea does not.

 

[55semireef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9816292#post9816292 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BonsaiNut
I'm pretty confident it's a S. haddoni. You can clearly see the exocoelic tentacles at the fringe of the oral disk. S. haddoni has them, S. gigantea does not.

Bonsainut, can you explain to me what exocoelic tentacles are?

 

[delphinus]

Whatever it is, it's amazing. Is this an online shop? I checked out the other pics at the photobucket page the linked photo is hosted on but didn't see any info as to where they might be. Is Ming a vendor or a wholesaler? For the benefit of those few of us who don't happen to live in California already is there a webpage for them?

 

[phender]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9813400#post9813400 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shutiny
I saw this anemone at Ming's last week. .....
........... The verrucae are more like S.gigantea to me because they are much more prominent and different colors from its trunk tissues.........

I'm thinking that if it has colored verrucae then it must be gigantea. I have had/seen gigantea that started with no colored verrucae and then developed them as their health improved and I have seen them lose the colored verrucae when their health declined. I have never seen a haddoni with colored verrucae no matter what their health.

 

[shutiny]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9816292#post9816292 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BonsaiNut
I'm pretty confident it's a S. haddoni. You can clearly see the exocoelic tentacles at the fringe of the oral disk. S. haddoni has them, S. gigantea does not.

I agreed and thanks for sharing. The exocolec(spell?) tentacles are absent from S.gigantea, and are seen in S.haddoni and S.mertensii. I am perplex because other characteristics departured far from the commonly known ID parameters ie., acolored verraces(seen in common S.haddoni), prefer sand rock interface, and the need for higher flow that are not commonly seen in S.haddoni.

 

[criccio]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9817998#post9817998 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by delphinus
Whatever it is, it's amazing. Is this an online shop? I checked out the other pics at the photobucket page the linked photo is hosted on but didn't see any info as to where they might be. Is Ming a vendor or a wholesaler? For the benefit of those few of us who don't happen to live in California already is there a webpage for them?

http://www.atlantisaquarium.net/index.html

 

[MarinaP]

"ATL's Show Glowing Red Carpet
Weve been through 10 of these before we
got 1 to do well. That is why we are
asking this price. We are interested in
selling this specimen to an experienced
collector. Weve had it for 3 months and it
is perficly healthy, and the most vibrant
red carpet weve seen
LPS-414 20" open $1000"

Hence no picture of the mouth. Give me a break, $1000...

Keep it, Atlantis.

 

[marc price]

i too looked at the fringe but not enough contrast to be convinced of exocoelic tentacles . the shape is about right , not the scale . in the pic they don't really look longer or stouter than the other tentacles . although haddoni's nonadhesive verrucae can be a light rose to purple^ , i think what has been described by shutin would point to gigantea . except that he confirmed bonsi's exocoelic call and he saw 'em . so i don't know .

yeah , at $1k they should post 360º shots of the beast and know what it is .


^www.nhm.ku.edu/inverts/ebooks/ch1.html#haddoni

 

[delphinus]

The saddest part is that someone will probably pay it. No, I take that back, the saddest part was the 30 seconds I entertained the idea of trying to find $1000. :lol: It was a pretty brief fantasy though. For $1000, I don't care if it's red, it had better come with a lifetime replacement guarantee.

I don't get it, I remember seeing red carpets a few years ago and they didn't fetch a significantly higher price than other carpets. Ok they weren't quite this bright, but they were red or burgundy. I guess the covet factor and the growth of the hobby leads to this sort of thing now.

 

[cook]

What is unhealty about it if its a gigantea? Just curious.

 

[phender]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9826173#post9826173 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cook
What is unhealty about it if its a gigantea? Just curious.

I'm not saying that it is on the brink of death, but here is what I would like or rather not see if I was buying it.

1. The tentacles should be longer.
2. You should not see the bare rows between the tentacles so distinctly.
3. The anemone as a whole is too "floppy". I want it to give the impression that it could lift its entire disk off the sand if it wanted to. (And it should be able to, BTW)

Delphinus' avator is a good example of a healthy gigantea. But it is very difficult (impossible) to find a gigantea that healthy after being shipped, so you kind of have to weigh the factors.

Newly purchased and healthy (althought a little bleached)

Declining under improper conditions, note length of tentacles and bare spots.

All better under more intense lighting and alternating surge.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

why is it sooo difficult for a seller to post a proper ID or at least some decent photos of the verrucae?
Based on what I see so far I'm voting Haddon's.
That red carpet doesn't look "shaggy" enough to be a healthy gigantea.

 

[55semireef]

Well with this email that I just received, I think we can pinpoint the anemone. About three days ago I emailed Atlantis aquarium acting "interested" in the red carpet. I asked if it was a gig. or a Haddoni.

This is what I said:

"Just by chance, what kind of carpet anemone is this? Its hard to differentiate by looking at that one picture. I am interested in buying it. I have been in the hobby for over 15 years. Its hard to tell if its a Gigantea or Haddoni by the picture though. I beleive its a Haddoni since I have never seen a red Gigantea. Let me know what it is.

Thanks"


This is what they said:

"It is not a gig. It seems different than most carpets ive gotte n. Its stalk is very sm. It hugs the bottom of the tank like a actual carpet. Let me know if you are interested. Thanks

The price would include shipping.

Best regards"


I am assuming its a Haddoni after this email. They don't think its a Gigantea so that leaves Haddoni to be the identity of this carpet. But still, a grand for a red Haddoni? A little rediculous if you ask me. Oh, btw, obviously I have not been in the hobby 15 years. lol. But it was leading them on to believe that I was a trusted buyer and that I knew what I was doing. I had to put on some type of act.

 

[Project Reef]

Looks like a real healthy haddoni to me. I've seen plenty of haddonis, especially the tannish/cream colored variants, come in with tentacles that are quite long and 'giganteaish'.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

As a lot of us already know, you can't rely on tentacle length (alone) to differentiate between species of carpet anemones.
Tentacle length of any anemone can vary from minute to minute.
To illustrate PR's point compare the tentacle lengths in these pictures of the same specimen of blue Haddoni in my aquarium

a much better key to ID for Haddoni is the presence of a large column (exaggerated in this pic) and verrucae that are the same color as the column (usually tan)

gigantea and mertensii carpet anemones have a relatively small column (compared to a Haddoni of the same size) and verrucae that are a different color

We can only hope that everyone starts to properly ID their "carpet anemone" species. Proper husbandry depends on a proper ID.

 

[55semireef]

very nice Gary, I think that also clears up a lot of confusion with tentacle length. I just never knew why Haddoni anemone's tentacle length change so often? Is there are reason why they do this?

 

[apayne]

Well I just checked, and I says it is sold. wow!!! I wonder if some one paid the full $1000?

I hope it does well.

Aaron

 

[55semireef]

Hopefully someone that is experienced.