How long should I leave a 'healthy looking' gigantea at my LFS B4 bringing it home?

[sonofgaladriel]

One of our best LFS just got two nice bright green giganteas two nights ago. One is very large, about 14" to 16" in diameter, the other smaller around 10" diameter. Both looked very good last night; no gaping, sticky, well inflated, and secured to the rockscape/glass of the tank. I know the owners very well and they are giving me picks of either one and are willing to hold them for me for several days. But, they are in a tank with only flourescent lighting and low flow (they know better and are trying to make room for them in a different tank).
Since they look so good this early on, should I just go ahead and bring them home to my tank that I know is well suited for them, or give them a few more days to see how they turn out? I'm afraid that the stress of either the inappropriately lighted/flow tank or the moving to a different store tank may only cause more stress over the next few days while I monitor them.
What do you guys think?

[israelnajar]

Im fairly new here. I would think that if you are just worried about stressing it out from the move, just get it now so that way it is not stressed from being moved from its current tank to a different tank in the LFS and then again into your tank. Just my two cents.

Israel

[sonofgaladriel]

That's what I was thinking too, but I'm waiting to hear from some of our gigantea long term keepers. Its possible that these guys can come in looking good only to turn bad very soon.
That's what happened with my last green gigantea. It looked fantastic at the LFS but died within 4 days in my tank and I know my tank is ready for one.
I don't want to make the same costly mistake twice.

[catastrofe]

I'd say 2 - 3 weeks if you're confident of the water quality at the LFS. Mine were at the LFS for 3 weeks when I got them. . .the only reason they were there so long is that no one knew they were giganteas. Not even the LFS!

:D

[sonofgaladriel]

I agree that longer is better, but in this case, 2 weeks is a long time to ask a LFS to hold a healthy looking gigantea. I wouldn't feel right asking them to hold it that long. I was thinking 4 days tops. I have no doubt that someone else would want to buy them long before a week is up. If it were 'iffy' looking then sure, I'd want them to hold onto it or at least a week or more to see how it progresses. This one however, looks very good.

[LesMartin]

What about paying for one on the understanding that they keep it for two weeks and refund you should it die in their care ? I think that's reasonable if they are confident in the quality of their animals and their husbandry. Giganteas do seem particularly sensitive to being moved into water with differing parameters and bringing it home so soon after its been placed into your lfs water may not help. I've been guilty of buying one immediately after it was placed in the dealers tank in the past because I didn't want to lose the opportunity and then watched as it slowly fell to pieces in my tank. I did exactly the same as above with my current gigantea ie left it at the dealer for two weeks before bringing it home and it's still with me. Patience prevails :)

[catastrofe]

I agree. If the LFS is reputable and cares about animal husbandry (and not just about making a sale) they should be willing to handle as Les suggests. My favorite LFS routinely holds livestock for 2 weeks without any type of payment.

:D

[kramgnik]

I would personally hesitate about leaving them in a tank with the conditions you described. I believe those conditions would only perpetuate shock when you place it in your tank.

[sonofgaladriel]

Well guys...I just couldn't help myself. I brought it home last night. It looked absolutely perfect again last night and they weren't certain as to when they would be able to make room for it in a more appropriate tank.
I acclimated it slowly to my tank and put it in a place of high random flow in the middle of two 250 watt DE halides so it should get plenty of light today when the lights come on.
It immediately planted itself and puffed up nicely. This morning it was a bit deflate with some mild gaping, but I'm not too worried until I see how it looks this afternoon.
Wish me luck! God I hope I can get one of these to live. I think they are my favorite in terms of color, texture, and movement.
I'll post some pics tonight.

[LesMartin]

And the pictures are........:)

[sonofgaladriel]

Here's one:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y90/sonofgaladriel/DSC04705Medium.jpg

[Steverino]

I am new to giganteas, wondering if they split or can be split?

[maxxII]

hows the nem doing today?

Nick

[sonofgaladriel]

Well, it looks good, the it looks bad. I think this is strike 2 with giganteas. I doubt I'll go for strike 3.

[maxxII]

It might very well be acclimating to your tank conditions.

I've had an H.magnifica for about 10 months now, and the first week I had it I was convinced it was dying every 12 hours or so.
It would be inflated and healthy looking when the lights came on and for about 2-3 hours afterwards, but then would deflate and look like complete crap for the next 4-5 hours. The first three days were the worst, but over a period of about a week, it slowed the frequency and duration of its deflated times and was inflated and healthy looking the entire time...as it is today.

During all of this, I was in constant contact with a person who has kept an H.magnifica for about 11 years. He gave lots of good advice and we were able to figure out that the anemone was most likely adapting to my more intense lighting and the deflating was mechanism for decreasing surface area available to light.

You most likely dont know how long this anemone has been in captivity, nor what kind of conditions it was kept in before it arrived at the LFS where you picked it up.

Does the anemone still have a feeding response?

Nick

[maxxII]

I saw you've got the other anemone on order, how's this one doing?

Nick

[sonofgaladriel]

Still up and down. It is sticky and inflated probably 60% of the time. I've got my fingers crossed that it will pull through. I gave it a little shrimp tonight and it appeared to take it in.

[nyvp]

good luck and best wishes on your new baby

[delphinus]

If it's eating then it probably still has a chance ... you're just not going to know if you'll make it past one week until you get there .. then the same thing for 2 weeks .. then a month .. etc. If you're lucky you'll suddenly realize it's been a few months.

Such a hard gamble.

I think I waited about 3 days for my green one. I was surprised it hadn't been snatched up in the meantime, I saw it, decided against the gamble, then it killed me to think about it and I went back in ..

So hard to resist. Best of luck with it, I'm rootin' for ya!

PS. Sorry I missed your thread initially! Coming in 5 days late as usual. :(

[sonofgaladriel]

Well, I gambled wrong :( I found the nem's slightly deteriorating and its mouth wide open and deflated. Still sticky and reactive to my touch but it doesn't look good.
Man this makes me so mad! Such a beautiful creature. I can't understand it. It has great light, great flow, near perfect water conditions, and still dies within just a few days!
Strike two. I won't be swinging for another one unless its been in captivity for a long time.
I feel so inadequate.

[raoul]

Sorry, on the bright side, your clowns laid eggs :) You've got to be doing something right.

[delphinus]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8591514#post8591514 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sonofgaladriel
I feel so inadequate.

Don't, man. Your tank is worthy to be one day TOTM, some of us will never acheive that, but I have no doubt yours probably will one day.

Many, many before you have tried this species with the same results. People I consider to have far more experience in the hobby than I have. So try not to take it personally, I know it's hard, but I do firmly believe that they are coming to us hobbyists in a compromised state. I have *absolutely no idea* what is going on behind the scenes that they come us looking fine one day and melting down the next.

I know that many shippers ship carpets dry. Ie., any water in the bag when the anemone arrives, came out of the anemone during transport. Apparently this is done, at least what was explained to me, to prevent exposing the anemone to a larger volume of fouled water, and supposedly they ship better this way. Now .. I am guessing that maybe this method of shipping may work for one species (S. haddoni) but not another (S. gigantea). Again, it's a stretch, but the fact remains that so many of them just don't make it, for reasons that seem beyond our comprehension.

Sorry for your situation -- don't give up on it. You never know, .. maybe it can pull through. Good luck!!!

[sonofgaladriel]

Thanks Tony for the kind words, I really don't deserve them but they are appreciated. I'm pretty sure that I'll find the nem in worse shape when I get home and will have to dispose of it before too much happens to the tank.

[catastrofe]

Trust me. . .in the past I've felt the same way you do but I've come to the realization that 90% of anemone success depends strictly on the health of the animal when you buy it.

Don't beat yourself up. . .it's a hit-and-miss proposition to find healthy anemones.

:D