Looking for / WTB carpet anemone (Stichodactyla Gigantea)

[thefuz]

Hiya folks,

Just want to throw this out there in case someone local has a Gigantea clone or is looking to part with a parent. Would like to avoid shipping on one of these and local stores don't usually carry them.

Happy reefing all!

 

[Eric Cohen]

Interesting.......any reason you want the gigantea and not a haddoni? Just curious and thought it would make a good discussion

 

[thefuz]

I'm not sure I want to respond. I don't want people muscling in on my Gigantea action (like there will be soooo much of it!!).

From what I've read, Gigantea are less aggressive. On top of that, and most importantly for me, I think they're much prettier - especially with clowns hosting. Also, I finally have a tank large enough to handle one (with a spot in the rockwork that I really really really hope a Gig will like!!). They're also reported to be less challenging than Magnifica/Ritteri although I expect more than Haddoni.

While I'm getting the tank stable and fish introduced I figured it'd be a good time to start beating the search drums for a local one.

 

[Eric Cohen]

Lol.....all solid and practical reasons to me! Didn't realize they were less aggressive.....that's cool! I can tell you that I saw a few dozen in the past week while snorkeling in the Philippines (check out my Facebook page, and they were super sticky to the touch! Surprised me actually. I've always thought they were 10x harder to keep than a haddoni, but maybe if you find an established one locally, you will have good luck. Here's a pic of one I saw that was pretty cool.

 

[thefuz]

Awesome pic! Sticky = healthy and like I said, they're gorgeous!! (I'm especially partial to blue ones like this and the purples also)

I think most of the reason behind the difficulty is getting them healthy after shipping but I have no direct experience as yet. Lots more research required for sure!!

 

[esongt]

I have yellow Gig. About 6"
My Mc Clown fish love it... It's available $$$

What's up Eric how's PI...

 

[Eric Cohen]

Awesome pic! Sticky = healthy and like I said, they're gorgeous!! (I'm especially partial to blue ones like this and the purples also)

I think most of the reason behind the difficulty is getting them healthy after shipping but I have no direct experience as yet. Lots more research required for sure!!

You are so right! I remember for a while we were being suggested to use some pretty heavy antibiotics upon arrival as the bacteria from rough handling (hot weather and long hours in a bag while freshly collected) were the main reasons we saw poor success, and hopefully that handling has improved. You might have the best luck with the smallest size you can find as they seem to ship better and don't get as stressed during the handling from divers. What are your plans for the hosting feeeeesh?