Stichodactyla gigantea, Brown gigant carpet anemone

[Cope]

Man those look good!
Due to my slacker boss I have not gotten payed, two days late now....
I was thinking about buying a small Power head and placing it near the anemone. Yesterday I put a tiny Rio 200 on the wave timer. The pump is a few inches above the anemone, pointing in to the front corner of the tank. It is just enough flow to make the leading edge of the anemone fluter in the flow. I tried some different power heads I had laying around and they all were way to much. I am thinking about buying another Rio 200 for the timer, to blow across, from the back to the front?

About feeding, I had been feeding the condy and the carpet Mystis shrimp. I just bought the silver sides yesterday, because I thought such a large anemone would like something "meatier." The anemone showed a much greater feeding reaction to the Mystis that towards the silver side..?

Delphinus
It is interesting how in your first bought picks the carpets look much more like mine in shape. Then the later picks they are all open and flat looking? What do you accredit this to? When I wake up in the morning and just ambient light is around the anemone lays flat. As soon as I turn on the light it takes the shape you see in the above picks. Except for the lights out pick? In that pick it is flat, like in the morning when I get up.

Thanks for the picks, gives me something to shoot for.
Any one else?
Thanks again
Cope

 

[delphinus]

Using powerheads for flow can be a bit of an art. The garden-hose-stream output they push is not really appropriate for much when pointed directly at a target, as it's really a bit too harsh. Instead though, I like to try to play with one or more, aimed at a spot, so that the spot where the flows converge becomes a more randomized "wash" (I don't know how else to describe the effect, sorry. Imagine two streams pointed at each other, the point where the streams meet is going to be a sort of "outward expansion" type of flow.)

Also, using the input of a powerhead to suck water creates a localized area of quasi-laminar flow. So I have my powerheads all near the surface, slightly pointed up. The stream flows agitate the water surface like waves, and the lower areas of the tank have "back and forth" type motions as each powerhead turns on and off. I use several powerheads to create a strong enough effect.

Sorry if this is hard to visualize. My advice is don't be afraid to experiment with different powerhead configurations. Wavemakers are worth their weight in gold because the alternations of flow when using powerheads is really good.

Also things like Tunze streams, Seios, Maxijet stream upgrade kits (the best $15 you'll ever spend!) are great for creating larger areas of flow.

About feeding, I had been feeding the condy and the carpet Mystis shrimp. I just bought the silver sides yesterday, because I thought such a large anemone would like something "meatier." The anemone showed a much greater feeding reaction to the Mystis that towards the silver side..?

Stichodactyla haddoni is more the fish eater of the family. S. gigantea is definitely more of a planktonic feeder. Your observation that the anemone seems to prefer mysis over silversides is bang on the same as my observations. I've had fish that would sleep at night under the cover of these anemones - that would never happen with a haddoni carpet. Also, another example, my carpets will catch and eat Cyclops-eeze when I feed the tank. Cyclops-eeze! What is the particle size of them ... practically microscopic (<1mm for sure). But they go nuts for the stuff. It's something to see, I should take a video of it. It's like watching a bowl of spaghetti come to life.

It is interesting how in your first bought picks the carpets look much more like mine in shape. Then the later picks they are all open and flat looking? What do you accredit this to? When I wake up in the morning and just ambient light is around the anemone lays flat. As soon as I turn on the light it takes the shape you see in the above picks. Except for the lights out pick? In that pick it is flat, like in the morning when I get up.

Likely there are many factors that contribute to this, but my guess is that it's mostly on account of age and size. Although starting off fairly small (6" or less in both cases) they are both close to 18" in diameter now. So as they've gotten bigger, the way they sit is just different. The cover more area, cover more rock surface, and so on.

IME, it is normal for them to change shape somewhat between night and day. They do close up some at night.

Hope this info helps! Once again good luck. You have a very nice looking anemone there.

 

[Reef Mongoose]

That is interesting that S. gigantea is more of a planktonic feeder, I thought all carpets liked more meaty foods. Good luck with it, I am glad to see that it is doing well so far. As long as you pay close attention to you animals, even difficult to keep spiecies like your S. gigantea can be kept safely. I have had a Heteractis Magnifica (Ritteri) anemone for about 9 months now and he could not be happier. This is also considered a difficult to keep anemone but I pay close attention to him and he has thrived in my tank thus far. I feed him a good sized silverside every 2-3 days and he wolfs it down. Anyway, you have a very beautiful, make sure to take good care of him. Good luck

 

[garygb]

Once the anemone is settled in, you can feed it a fresh piece of table shrimp (i.e., human consumption type) fresh from the seafood dept. of your grocery store. Too many years ago to mention I had a gigantea until I had to move and break down my tanks, anyway, it loved shrimp. I must have lucked out to get a healthy gigantea to begin with, because it was not hard to keep. I would feed it a piece of shrimp about 1/4-1/2 inch cubed every week or so.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

add me to the list of those that do not feed gigantea silversides.
Haddoni is the big fish eater- not gigantea. gigantea prefers smaller foods. Mysids are good. I feed frozen krill, and cyclop-eeze, too.
Once again I agree with traveller7. I wouldn't feed that anemone just yet. If you do feed it, don't give it any more silversides unless you chop them up to a very small size and feed sparingly.

 

[Cope]

Thanks for the input. I'll just save the silver sides for my brittle star and naz snails. I'll get some krill, and some more mysids. I give it some time before trying to feed it again.
Thanks for all the input.
Cope

 

[Mr Neutron]

These are awesome animals and IME, easy to feed. I have a 18" purple gigantea in my shop display reef. It readily takes mysis shrimp, Arcti Pods, Cyclops, etc. It's grown considerably so it must be getting what it needs!

 

[delphinus]

Dude, you can't go about posting things including the words "purple gigantea" without a picture. Do you have any idea how badly you're killing us right now???? :lol: (PS. J/K. "Pretty please" post a picture? Purple gigantea? Sweetness!!!)

 

[Rod Buehler]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12053380#post12053380 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by delphinus
Dude, you can't go about posting things including the words "purple gigantea" without a picture. Do you have any idea how badly you're killing us right now???? :lol: (PS. J/K. "Pretty please" post a picture? Purple gigantea? Sweetness!!!)

heheh, I will try to get a few new pics of my purple to satisfy your fix if Mr neutron doesnt have any.

 

[Cope]

Well it's been a few days, and I thought I would post a pick.

Things seem to be going ok?
The anemone still trips out, and is all shrunk up sometimes.
What cha think?
Cope

 

[Cope]

The bleached out white you see is not bleached out. It is a nice bright yellow, I just cant get it to show up on the camera?
The anemone has awesome color!

 

[Zoom]

Looks nice and healthy .

 

[phender]

Don't get too stressed about the price of your anemone. A gigantea that size and color retails at about $35-60. A collector like Gary might be willing to pay more for a guaranteed healthy specimen that has been in someone's tank for a year or so, but not one that is new and "appears" healthy.

I don't want to be the bringer of bad news, but IME, when a gigantea starts to inflate and deflate, it is the beginning of the end. A gigantea in good health rarely deflates.

Here are some pics of my bluish gigantea growing.
First got it.

2 weeks after putting under better current and light.

6 months later

1 year later in a video showing the surging current from the outlet in the back left.

 

[Cope]

I would love to say that cost and resale value means nothing to me, but I'm not that rich.....

I payed 20.00 for it, so if it lives I'm stoked! I have no plans to try and sell it. At some time down the road, when it is huge and to large for my tank then I may try to sell it to a local reefer.

As to being the bearer of bad news...............
Well I knew that the inflation and contraction usually spells bad news..........
I'm tiring to be up beat about it.
Thanks for the comments
I do have a question about the circulatory system of anemones.
Dose the waving motion of the body (due to current) promote circulation?
Thanks again
Cope

 

[phender]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12061489#post12061489 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Cope
..........I do have a question about the circulatory system of anemones.
Dose the waving motion of the body (due to current) promote circulation?
Thanks again
Cope

I never thought about it, but since anemones are basically a complex bag of water without a circulatory system, the movement of the current my indeed help keep "dead" spaces from causing problems inside the anemone and move around digested food. In most cases it is thought to help move away waste excreted be the anemone's tissues. Some anemones, like gigantea and magnifica seem to require more current then other hosting species.

 

[Cope]

Some more picks, Are you folks sick of this thread yet?
In this pick you can see the yellow quite well, It is a cool neon at the tips.

And this one is showing the new powerhead placement. I went with the two converging streams, (Regardless of what the ghost busters say crossing the streams worked quite well)
You can also see the one corner where natural sun light hits my tank.

 

[Cope]

Hmmmm.....
Pick did not show??????
Here it is

 

[Zoom]

phender

phender

I don't know but the S. Gigantea in that video looks like is ready to be blowing off the rock
Looks like the Anemone is on the live rock .
Is this the right way to introduce one in my tank? I just put the anemone on the top of the live rock ?
Looks like Copes anemone is on the sand.

 

[Cope]

I was wondering the same? How to get that type of flow with out a sand storm? I'm trying to get a video up loaded, but it's being a PITA!

did the anemone climb to that spot, or did you introduce there? Mine seems to have no interest in moving, So at least I got that going for me?

 

[jer77]

How long have you had it now? I'm way jealous! Are your lights new or old cause this matters a lot for your situation. You'll be able to notice about 3 weeks after introduction if the nem wants more light. I'm gonna say that with just those T-5's eventually no matter what you'll need more light especially when the lights and reflectors get old and worn out. I just really don't trust fluorescent lights with anemones in general, I've done it but even with replacing bulbs the reflectors and other things don't work as well down the road. You really don't want it to start moving cause its chances of survival go way down. So if your lights are new then you'll be ok for a while, it may even get its color back, but just know eventually you'll need more light. Good luck!!