Heading to Southern CA to shop for anemones

[D-Nak]

I know a lot of you guys are in the greater Los Angeles area. Have you seen any gigs or mags lately? And haven't picked them up, course. :lol2: Or, if you have one for sale, even better!

The last time I came down I saw a purple gig at Vivid, but was told that rarely happens. Any place else I should look, or which stores should I check out in general? I've been to Vivid, Reef Raft and Pasadena Tropical Fish during their Sunday bag lot sale. They had a couple of huge mags that day. All I have on my list is the Burbank Petco on my way home. :wavehand:

This time around we're planning just to sightsee and go to Universal Studios since we have an annual pass. Oh, and on Sunday we're going to watch the A's beat the Angels! In other words, we'll probably be all over L.A. so I can pop into shops that may be spread out from Burbank to Anaheim. I am primarily looking for gigantea and colorful magnifica. Not really into high-end SPS anymore. Thanks in advance!

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Heading to Southern CA to shop for anemones

I got my gig from petco in Burbank yesterday and they only have a Haddoni left. Mags are everywhere. Check out Seaside Tropical Fish in Huntington Beach. They had blue and red Haddoni but not gigs unless they got some this week. Oh by the way Vivid stopped carrying carpet anemones of any kind bc they couldn't keep them alive or cover them under their 14 day guarantee.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Heading to Southern CA to shop for anemones

If you are looking for a show size Magnifica call Oranda Aquarium in LA or Mark's tropical fish in studio city. If you don't care for the size then you can pick up 4-5" mag for $40 at South Bay Aquarium. On that note...almost all stores here in SoCal refer to Mags as Ritteri anemone and would have no idea if you asked for a Mag. Lol

 

[Tkieu78]

I was thinking of doing the same when I go down to SoCal next month lol. D-nak let me know if you come across any gigs I'm still looking for one also! Have a safe and fun trip!

 

[OrionN]

best of luck. i wish I can go to LA to get anemones too.

 

[clorox]

You guys think gigs grow on trees here in SoCal?:lol2:

Maybe they are more available than other places, but I still think that healthy gigs are a rare sight.

 

[asudavew]

You guys think gigs grow on trees here in SoCal?:lol2:

Maybe they are more available than other places, but I still think that healthy gigs are a rare sight.

Lol.

Locally I can find all the condys I want! :dance::dance:


Good luck with your adventure. Take some pics!

 

[OrionN]

The only Gig here in Corpus are the one from Petco. . A LFS here sell a brown Gig to me for 300 several years ago

 

[clorox]

The only Gig here in Corpus are the one from Petco. . A LFS here sell a brown Gig to me for 300 several years ago

I think there are more around here because all the largest wholesalers besides DD are located in LA. But, the majority of reefers in SoCal are after sps, so anemones are often neglected.

 

[Reefvet]

i think there are more around here because all the largest wholesalers besides dd are located in la. But, the majority of reefers in socal are after sps, so anemones are often neglected.

+1

 

[pga7602]

tongs of fountain valley had some tan ones last week, if you're going to be in the OC area

 

[D-Nak]

I was only able to visit Reef Lounge and stopped by the Petco in Burbank, since stayed in Burbank on the last night of the trip.

Petco had a green haddoni with red lipstick. I was surprised to see a frag tank with ORA coral but all were in terrible shape -- browned out and half dead.

Reef Lounge had a few haddoni and tons of clowns. They also had a pair of tankbred McColloch's clowns which were nice to see. Cheap too. Jimmy, the owner of Reef Lounge, said he could get gigantea and was expecting some but was still waiting for his shipment. He asked me if I was interested in a red gigantea.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

They also had a pair of tankbred McColloch's clowns

Yeah I almost got them couple weeks ago.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Heading to Southern CA to shop for anemones

Jimmy, the owner of Reef Lounge, said he could get gigantea and was expecting some but was still waiting for his shipment.

He says that no matter what you ask for that he doesn't have in stock but when you reach for your pocket to pre-pay or put a deposit on special order the story changes. lol. He's a good dude though. Doesn't try to up sell you stuff you don't need.

 

[justinky]

He asked me if I was interested in a red gigantea.

Lol... He tried to sell you a red gigantea and not a unicorn as well? How rude.

 

[Maximus]

I was only able to visit Reef Lounge and stopped by the Petco in Burbank, since stayed in Burbank on the last night of the trip.

Petco had a green haddoni with red lipstick. I was surprised to see a frag tank with ORA coral but all were in terrible shape -- browned out and half dead.

Reef Lounge had a few haddoni and tons of clowns. They also had a pair of tankbred McColloch's clowns which were nice to see. Cheap too. Jimmy, the owner of Reef Lounge, said he could get gigantea and was expecting some but was still waiting for his shipment. He asked me if I was interested in a red gigantea.

Were they a bonded pair of Mcculochi? I can't get my two to pair up as the larger female basically hates the smaller juvenile.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Were they a bonded pair of Mcculochi? I can't get my two to pair up as the larger female basically hates the smaller juvenile.

Yes they are. I've seen them. Actually a nice pair. I believe he wants $120 or $130 each.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

They came to him from another customers tank if I recall correctly.

 

[D-Nak]

It sounded like he had multiple pairs of mcullochi at one point. The pair I saw didn't act like a bonded pair, and were both around the same size (not that it matters in terms of a pair, but more on this later). They had a ton of designer clowns which leads me to think that all of the clowns, including this particular pair of mcullochi, especially since they were close in size, all came from the same breeder (which I would guess to be ORA) but again, just a hunch.

Regarding the red gig, I really think he thinks he can get them, and he sounds like he knows the difference between gigantea and haddoni. However, I wonder if what he's seeing are the verrucae on a red haddoni, much like the photo that OrionN shared.

I'm not a fan of the whole "how much are you willing to spend?" approach, as it implies that I am spending more than I should, but I am definitely will to support Jimmy's shop. It's very clean, has a TON of coral and everyone was friendly. I've been spoiled when buying gigs, where I've spent anywhere between $30-$150, which I know is on the low end. However, if I can find a healthy one I'd be willing to pay a premium for it. Most shops -- Jimmy's included -- are slowly catching on that gigs are a hot item and people will pay a lot for them even with the inherent risks.

 

[Maximus]

Yes, I was there during the MAX show and bought a small juvenile McCullochi from the store. They must have had 8-10 in the same tank at the time I bought mine. I bet the two are left over from the same batch as it seems the demand for these clowns just isn't there. I haven't seen any come up for sale on DD from LA in a long time. Perhaps it's due to their temperament as they can be extremely mean. I just wish my "pair" got along.