Ocellaris Ignoring New Gig

[rssjsb]

I have a new purple/blue gigantea (new to me, that is - it was in someone else's tank for several years) that is doing very well. It's got good color, has never deflated, and its mouth is closed tight. It's about 12-14" wide when fully expanded. I've had it for exactly a month today.

It's in a 5x2x2.5 185-gallon display tank. My ocellaris clowns have taken no notice of the gig. Instead, they're sticking with the BTA on the opposite side of the tank that they've associated with for several years. When I added the gig, the clowns had eggs, so I wasn't surprised that they were still hanging around the BTA. But I expected them to move once the eggs were hatched. Not so much.

I don't really have a question, unless anyone wants to opine on whether the clowns will eventually move. I just thought it was odd.

I may just add an anemone crab so the gig doesn't seem so empty.

 

[D-Nak]

I'm surprised. When I introduced my gig to my percs, they went to it as soon as it hit the water. Dumb question -- are you 100% positive it's a gig? I only ask since it seems extremely odd that they wouldn't move into it immediately.

 

[rssjsb]

Yep, no doubt - I'll try to get a picture later today.

 

[rssjsb]

Here's a crappy picture that I took with my phone. Not sure why it looks so dark. Anyway, you can see the verrucae on the exposed flap at the bottom.

 

[nemoboy1]

Gig for sure... Give it sometime he/she will eventually find it.

 

[Tuton]

Are the clowns captive breed?
they have a harder time finding anemones for some reason

 

[D-Nak]

Are the clowns captive breed?
they have a harder time finding anemones for some reason

I think this is more reef myth than it is fact.

Nice gig BTW.

 

[velvetelvis]

I think this is more reef myth than it is fact.

+1

I've had a pair of ocellaris, a pair of clarkiis, and a pair of cinnamons (not all at the same time!) take to a host within anywhere from a few minutes to a few days of introducing them. All were captive-bred, and in two cases, the host wasn't even a natural symbiont for the clownfish. Being hosted by an anemone is an instinct, not a learned behavior.

//end threadjack//

 

[rssjsb]

I think this is more reef myth than it is fact.

Nice gig BTW.

Thanks. I got it from another RC member who was downsizing. It shipped very well and has adapted beautifully. Found its spot within minutes and hasn't moved.

 

[D-Nak]

Congrats... it looks healthy. And very nice color -- I've been looking for a healthy one for a while myself. I think only a handful of us have gigs in the Bay Area.

 

[rssjsb]

Thanks - I got really lucky. I've been looking for either a healthy gig or mag for a long time, too.

I found it buried in the middle of an equipment-seling thread. It cost a small fortune to get it here, but it was worth it.

 

[rssjsb]

Ack - double post.

 

[jasin401]

nice gig! awesome sponge too! what kind is that?

 

[rssjsb]

I think it's haliclona. It was a hitchhiker. I believe its origin is Indo-Pacific and it appears to be photosynthetic and to like good flow. I don't think it's that picky because it has done well for me different tanks with different lighting, flow, etc. Also, god knows what conditions it faced on its way to the LFS.

It's actually one of my favorite things in this tank.