My Blue Gigantea Anemone Under LEDs

[jonnybravo22]

well i read on another thread that one way to identify is by the presence of eggs in the column. if so, its a female. if not, you cant's say for sure b/c it could be a female w/ no eggs at the moment. but looking at it the other day i felt pretty confident that i saw a bunch of eggs in the column.

that's why i'd guess it's a female.

 

[jonnybravo22]

decided to move the anemone so it could get better light instead of being under the rock. i felt like it was losing a little color in places that were mostly under the rock. also wanted to have my clowns more center in the tank than hiding under that rock. the process went well. i tried all the standard recommendations -- directing a powerhead at its foot, a few minutes of that just made it contract and hold on tighter, tried putting frozen food on it's foot (substitute for ice since i didnt want to make RODI ice cubes or introduce tap water), didnt move from that. i really just irritated it for like 3 hours and still nothing except contracting a lot and holding on tighter. so eventually i settled on using a card to gently remove the foot from the rock it was attached to. the good thing i think i did was use a soft thin "metrocard" subway card in NY. it's super thin so i was able to get under the foot easily and it isnt stiff, but flexible, so i think it was easier on the foot and less likely to cause damage. in all after just a few minutes it released and i just put him on this island where i wanted it, and he attached right away. hasnt moved in a few weeks so hoping he likes it. i get the ability here now to give it more light, and it's directly under it so i like that. gets great flow being more exposed to water column.

clowns followed instantly. and today they found a few spot and layed eggs on the island!!! yay!!

with flash (finally can get a shot of the verrucae)

 

[BonsaiNut]

Great job. I agree that the part that was being shaded was getting a little bleached. However all in all you deserve kudos for keeping this creature alive under LED's.

 

[jonnybravo22]

Great job. I agree that the part that was being shaded was getting a little bleached. However all in all you deserve kudos for keeping this creature alive under LED's.

thanks very much. i should add that the LEDs have really done great. no issue whatsoever, I'm very confident that the fixtures I'm using are perfectly able to keep these anemones.

the only issue i have had is that after about 6 months having the anemone, i made a venture into SPS corals. initially i burned them all from having too much light. so i reduced the light and the color began to return in the corals. but the light was lowered so much that the anemone was getting much less light than it was used to in my tank, and that's when some of the tentacles that were usually shaded on the underside lost a little color. (lights went from 100% down to ~20% white, 80% blue)

that's part of the reason i moved it to it's own island, and now that it's under an LED fixture by itself i have 1 for the corals and 1 for the gigantea, and can set them each to different intensities. it's already getting that color back so seems like the strategy is paying off.

 

[garygb]

Thanks for the information about your anemone under LEDs. It looks very healthy. I read that post by BonsaiNut and got the sense that it's especially challenging to keep gigantea under an LED system. I don't have LEDs, but have a curiosity about them and how well they work for light demanding species. From what I have read, I'm under the impression that some of the available systems produce huge quantities of light and exceptionally high PAR--which your last post seems to corroborate. I hope you continue to keep us posted.

 

[jonnybravo22]

Made a short video. Flow was on high.

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[BonsaiNut]

I read that post by BonsaiNut and got the sense that it's especially challenging to keep gigantea under an LED system.

Just to clarify what I was saying - giganteas are extremely high light loving creatures. NOT ALL LED systems being built nowadays are strong enough to keep them healthy. Clearly this particular system (Aquaillumination) is one of those systems that is. The intense blue coloration is proof (at least to me) that the intensity is plenty bright - especially considering this anemone is near the bottom of the tank.

I am wholly convinced that within a few years LED systems will dominate aquarium lighting. You won't see another metal halide, T5, or other lighting system again - similar to how LCD technology has dominated television screens. The only thing holding them back right now is light intensity and price. LED technology improvement is currently following a similar curve as microtechnology; prices are falling 50% every 3 years while intensity is increasing.

Within a decade LED lighting will probably replace all household lighting as well. It is just a question of time and watching costs fall.

 

[garygb]

I agree with you BonsaiNut, I believe LEDs will be as common place as cfs are currently. I know some of the 3 watt fixtures are exceptionally bright. Now the question is, should I buy a fixture now or wait a little longer for the prices to go down.

 

[BonsaiNut]

I think the question comes down to efficiency and heat. Getting comparable results from LED's is cheaper (on a per kW/hr basis) than any other lighting technology. Additionally, the low heat is a consideration (depending on setup). Toss in the much longer running lifetime of the unit (versus having to swap out bulbs every 12 months) and it may make sense despite the high upfront cost.

It probably comes down to you current cost of electricity. It costs 4x as much per kW/hr at my house (in Orange County, CA) than at my parent's house outside of Knoxville, Tn. I know for a fact that reefers in southern california have been driven out of the hobby because of the cost of electricity. My hope is that LED technology and other energy-saving options will lower the operating costs of reef tanks so they become more affordable...

 

[Maximus]

While I agree that LED's are the future, there is nothing like seeing a huge Gig under halides. I went to see Shu-Tin's Gig dominated tank and let's just say her monster sized Gig's under 1,000 watt halides were amazing. I can't believe I forgot to take pics.

 

[BonsaiNut]

let's just say her monster sized Gig's under 1,000 watt halides were amazing.

At $.30 per hour PER LIGHT, I don't doubt that her electricity bill was amazing too... 12 hour photoperiod would mean over $100 per month per light. There comes a point when it is cheaper just to travel to see the real thing

 

[Maximus]

At $.30 per hour PER LIGHT, I don't doubt that her electricity bill was amazing too... 12 hour photoperiod would mean over $100 per month per light. There comes a point when it is cheaper just to travel to see the real thing

Very true but if you have the means then why not?:lol2:

 

[jonnybravo22]

Made a short video. Flow was on high.

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I'm also going to be direct-feeding this anemone a bit more . i'll update with progress.

 

[BonsaiNut]

Very true but if you have the means then why not?:lol2:

Maybe... hard to say for me. I might spend that money doing something else a little greener. I don't mean this as a knock on her or her setup (which I am sure is amazing) but there is something that really bugs me about sending that much money to a utility. For that kind of money you could setup a greenhouse, or buy solar panels.

I've seen some large, deep aquariums in my day, and there are some setups that pretty much require 1000 watt MH to get corals down deep. I tend to lean more in the direction of large surface area / shallow water setups because they are so much more practical and easy to maintain.

But as you pointed out, I would LOVE to see her setup

 

[jonnybravo22]

when they lay eggs they bite the anemone so he reveals a spot underneath where they have cleaned off the rock. seems like the nem is sticky b/c they have little anemone mustaches for a day or so after

 

[this is me]

Nice gig and clowns! Wow, your clowns are laying already? If I remember right, you asked me about my clowns the same time you got yours. Mine are still flirting around and kicking up sand and cleaning the rock. They've been doing this for the past year or so. It's strage, but mine are the same size too!

Your gig is doing well under the LED, what kind of LED you got(sorry if missed it somewhere in the thread)? I supposed to get my eStripes from Elos last month but only the whites arrived and still waiting on the blue. I hope my gig will react well with the transition of MH to LED.

 

[jonnybravo22]

thanks Nick.

yeah you remember correctly about the clowns. they have been spawning for about 6 months now. havent raised any of the clutches yet but i would like to one day.

Aquaillumination LEDs since i had this anemone. IME gigs like LEDs just fine.

 

[Rotknee]

Very nice clowns and Hadoni!

Very nice clowns and Hadoni!

I have a very simular setup in as far as I recently got a pair of ORA naked clowns and a ~4" Hadoni. I've had the nem for about a week now and everything is going well.

Given the similarities in our setup I had a few questions. How deep is your tank and what is the max intensity of your Ai lighting?

My nem is attached to a rock very near the sand bed. I believe he is doing well and has taken a small piece of shrimp (less the shell). I have the Ai Sol Blue modules and they max out at 86% for less than 3 hours a day. My lights are mounted 9" above the waterline. Like you, I am just hoping my Hadoni is getting everything he needs.

One other thing. I was fortunate enough to speak with the wholesaler/importer when I picked the Hadoni up. He told me they drip acclimate their nems for up to 5 hours when they get them. I had never heard that before but I'll admit I did the same and my little guy is doing very well.

 

[jonnybravo22]

Thanks.

Just to correct you -- my anemone is a stichodactyla gigantea, not a stichodactyla haddoni.

my tank is an elos system 70, it's ~20 inches tall. My max intensity on the AI LED lights is currently 85% blue 25% white.

giganteas can take 100% on both at even closer to water line than i have it, as that's what i had running for the first few months i had the anemone. i dont know about haddoni's light tolerance.

good luck with your anemone.

 

[Rotknee]

Thanks for the clarification. I hope my clowns will be as amorous as yours and decide to make a family one day.

Congrats again on your success.:thumbsup: I will be following this thread and looking forward to your updates.