Thinking of getting a new nem.

bjledbetter · May 11, 2012

Hey yall Ive been looking at getting a S. Gigantea. (carpet )Ive been looking at a tan one that petco has for the last week or so. I went today and got a pic of it to see if yall thought it looked health. I ask the manager to see if it was still sticky and when she touched it with her hand it stuck right too it so thats a good thing. I was worried because of the lack of high light it wasnt getting for so long. My tank is a 90 gallon with a mix of mostly lps and softies. but plenty of room for this one to live and grow. I am running 2 20k 250w MH and 2 54w t5 actinics. Flow is from a regular powerhead and from a koraly (sp its late lol) one on each end of the tank. Do yall think this will work to keep it healthy and happy? I can add more flow if i need too. Pic coming soon.

REEFKEEPER10 · May 11, 2012

It will move until it find a good spot I'm pretty sure but the petco here in Murfreesboro tn has never had S.Gigantea plus it will out grow your tank so a upgrade will be in your future sooner or later. You will need to slowly acclimate it to your light. You are right on the lighting it isn't getting enough light. Not trying to talk you out of it just trying to cover all bases and help you make a informed choice. You might need more flow but not a 100% sure on that. Maybe someone else can fill in what I mist.

bjledbetter · May 11, 2012

REEFKEEPER10 · May 11, 2012

I have seen that branch before. It is at the one here isn't it. Lol

REEFKEEPER10 · May 11, 2012

If you are going to get it I would soon because it looks like it is bleaching buti could be wrong.

bjledbetter · May 11, 2012

The petco here has them from time to time in Cookeville, Tn They have it labeled as a carpet anemone and the spicies name under it as S Gigantea. Is it miss labeled? I know that they grow fairly quick from the research ive done and have already talked to a fellow reefer and he said when it out grew mine he would put it in his 220 and buy me a different one or different coral. As for the light acclimation I got a screen to put over the top of the tank to kinda shadow one side as long as it dont move to the other wanting light

bjledbetter · May 11, 2012

Does the Mouth look ok to yall?

bjledbetter · May 11, 2012

Oh and it is actually more tan thatn it appears in the pic i think its just the lighting making it look bleached

REEFKEEPER10 · May 11, 2012

It might not be mislabeled but the one here love to mislabel stuff. Other than color it looks fine to me. Since it is sticky it must be doing alright. If you really want it I would go for it. The sad part is I have read one article about these nems that almost out grew a tub the same size as the 220 you are talking about. I hope I helped. Good luck

bjledbetter · May 11, 2012

Wow how many years would it take for it to get that big and is that common for this species to grow that large?

bjledbetter · May 11, 2012

I would really like to have it but if it is going to out grow both our tanks in just a year or two I may start looking at other options for a host to my orc. clowns. I have a bta but they just ignore it like its not even there. What other species that they will host will stay small enough for my tank or his. I want a nem but want to make sure it can be took care of for the long run.

Trex · May 11, 2012

If possible, could you get a closer/bigger pic?
Does it have any "spots" (( verrucae )) on the underside of the oral disc? If so, what color?
I am concerned about how short the tentacles are -- If it is a Gig, it is in poor shape -- though with tentacles that short, it might not be a Gig, which have the longest tentacles out of the "carpet" anemones.

bjledbetter · May 11, 2012

Its still at petco Ill go try to look at it later and see. What should i look for to see if it is healthy and in fact a gig? What else could it be? It was sticky yesterday. mouth looked slightly open but not too bad. Tentacles were short on it. If it is a gig and I get it with good feedings and light/flow /water parms is it possable to bring one back to health? I may ask for a discount on it.

BroncosZOA · May 11, 2012

forget it, its an atlantic carpet anemone.

PETCO is famous for doing this.

bjledbetter · May 11, 2012

BroncosZOA said:
forget it, its an atlantic carpet anemone.

PETCO is famous for doing this.

Arn't those the ones who eat your fish? Anyone know where a can get a true gig or other nem that will work with my orc. and per. clowns? Im looking at a budget of $40 bucks thats why i thought about the one at petco. I dont usually buy anything from them that I dont have to.

WestOhooligan · May 11, 2012

That is not an Gigantea. It's an S. Helianthus. I made that same mistake. You can tell my the tentacle density and color, that is its normal color and why it was so sticky when the employee touched it. The Verrucae, spots on the bottom of the disk, will be brown to yellow/brown. This is a Caribbean species of Stichodactyla. Basically a non-hosting anemone. Also knows to be as voracious as a Haddoni.

WestOhooligan · May 11, 2012

WestOhooligan said:
That is not an Gigantea. It's an S. Helianthus. I made that same mistake. You can tell my the tentacle density and color, that is its normal color and why it was so sticky when the employee touched it. The Verrucae, spots on the bottom of the disk, will be brown to yellow/brown. This is a Caribbean species of Stichodactyla. Basically a non-hosting anemone. Also knows to be as voracious as a Haddoni.

Since I can't edit my posts yet, apologies for horrible spelling and grammar and getting excited and posting before I read the entire thread! You would think I'm new to forums or something!

BroncosZOA · May 11, 2012

Nems

As the person above said they are fish eaters so dont try it.

In regards to gigantea, they are not hardy and need the best of conditions. Id go with a RBTA or GBTA, althought they are not a natural host they are much hardier then gigantea. Save yourself the cash and heartache.

bjledbetter · May 11, 2012

BroncosZOA said:
As the person above said they are fish eaters so dont try it.

In regards to gigantea, they are not hardy and need the best of conditions. Id go with a RBTA or GBTA, althought they are not a natural host they are much hardier then gigantea. Save yourself the cash and heartache.

I have two gbtas my clowns completely ignore them.Thats why I was looking for a natural host for them.