Gigantea carpet

[Artimusclyde1974]

Tank is only about 2 months old so I have a long time b4 I am ready but I would very much like to get a purple or to a lesser extent a blue carpet for my wife she always wanted one
I never see them for sale lol how do you guys go about finding one?

 

[bam123]

Carpets are hard to keep. Need well established tanks and preferably a sand bed. You are right to wait. Preferably at least 6-8 months. Stick with Bubble Tip anemones. They are hardier, clownfish like them, and they multiply.

 

[bam123]

Aquarium creations has carpet anemones. Haddoni hardier then gigantae.

 

[Artimusclyde1974]

Oh I know iv done my research iv had bta mini carpets rock flowers and even a haddoni. All went well but I moved to Texas from Cali and didn’t want to risk them with the other coral so I sold or gave them away
Now starting new with a 170 gal peninsula and I want one as a center piece
I don’t care much for bta to be honest although I only had a green one it wasn’t my cup of tea I guess I do love the swaying tentacles that’s why I would like a gigantea if possible I also read and talked with ppl who say haddoni like to eat fish more then the mertins and gigantea mine never did but I only had 2 clowns with it and this tank would have more fish
But if you could persuade me on a bta that I like I am all for it it’s the color that I’m looking for that’s hard I see all these ppl with crazy colors but I only ever see green red or orange for sale the $700-1,000 price tag on what looks like a rose bta with a green disk or blue disk when most of the time the disk is not showing isn’t my thing I want a nice pink or yellow or purple one somthing not as common I’m not trying to be picky I just have an idea of what I want. So any leads are greatly appreciated

 

[bam123]

I have only had long term success with haddonis under intense lighting and a deep sand bed. They eat everything. I have a 60 cube or else I would get one. There are some amazing BTAs out there that can be had for under 100. Search your local forums, you will be surprised. I sell my beautiful bright orange tricolor for 40 to locals. It splits every few months.

 

[Artimusclyde1974]

What is local? Haha

 

[Maxx]

I've never kept S.gigantea, but there are people here who have.
Where in Texas are you?
@Orion is in Corpus IIRC, and he is very experienced with S.gigantea.

You may have an easier time finding H.magnifica anemones for sale.

 

[Artimusclyde1974]

I’m in San Antonio I could make a drive to have a good conversation!
I do recognize the name I am 100%sure I have read a lot of his posts

 

[fcmatt]

The best way to get one is to find a local reef forum and buy it from someone shutting down their tank.

I have 2 and it took me a while to find them.

Once established they seem like any other anemone to me. Make sure you read the medication thread if they get sick.

 

[D-Nak]

Definitely go the established, local route if you can, but that's easier said than done. It would be extremely rare to 1) find someone local who has one, and 2) is shutting down their tank, and 3) doesn't know what to do with it (they're typically snatched up by other reefers even before they hit the market).

If you're comfortable treating one, the other option is to have your LFS order one for you. I'd venture to guess that 80%+ of the time you'll need to treat it.

 

[fcmatt]

I find that the price of a gig often keeps people away at first glance. They dont seem to understand the risks involved in getting a fresh one just imported. So a blue can easily cost 400 to 500 dollars around my area when they show up locally every blue moon.

Naturally we have members here who can nurse them back to health and have good relationships with lfs who seem to be able to get them for half the price. My goto lfs does not even bother order them anymore. Expensive and they die.

Basically I defer to dnak and a couple of other folks here for advice. They know them well.

 

[Maxx]

D-Nak and Taylor T are two others I was specifically thinking of with regard to being S.gigantea guru's.

 

[Artimusclyde1974]

Yeah see that is my issue haha I would gladly set up a qt tank for one and medicate it but all lfs I asked about said they won’t bring one in and the other issue if they do they don’t even guarantee it will make it to them in good health let alone to me haha I wish they split lol so it would be easier to find one from a mother reefer

 

[gig 'em]

It took me a very long time to find mine. My first one was a trade in at my LFS and I just happened to come by before anyone else could snatch it up and I paid a high price for it. The second one was a purchase off of FB from Aquatic Collections. The others I flew out to Los Angeles where a hobbyist had gone to a wholesaler for me and grabbed a couple for me.

That being said, it's insanely hard to find these guys, and rightfully so. They are a species that really should be left to experts and their import SHOULD be limited since they don't replicate very quickly or can be propagated in captivity. They also get big.... like REALLY big. Hence the name gigantea. I've seen some in the wild that were larger than my arm stretched out. Best of luck in finding one, but I urge to consider a different species first.