Show us your giganteas!

Kevin Padgett · 2024-09-26T12:10:30-0400

Here is my Gig Island. I will try and get some better pictures and maybe a video. I have had both of these in my system for almost 2 years. The Green (hard to get a good picture with it being on the backside) is 12-16" now. I got him at 8-10". The Purple is 10-12". I got him at 6". The Purple struggled out of the gate but has always been healthy with good foot and tentacle stickiness, but interestingly has always had shorter tentacles. The green has been amazing from day one!

The Sailfin is 8" for size reference. They are in a 240G 4'x4'x2' tank

I put both of these guys on the rock tower and they have never moved. I have a mated pair of Bullet Hole/Sub Zero Clowns that bounce back and forth between the 2 Gigs. I have never seen any type of issue with them touching each other. They seem to like the company.

@OrionN told me from day 1 to get a cheap Day Light 5K spot light from Lowes and I did. It is directly over the island. Runs from 10AM-5PM. It washes them out and is an eye sore when you look at my tank, but I truly believe this is the secret to a healthy Gig. They are cooking at about 700+ par when the spotlight comes on. I also run 2 Orphek ICons and ReefBright Actinics as well.

I have high flow in the tank. I leave the feeding up to the clownfish. LOVE watching that happen! Coolest part for me. I will throw in some big chunks of meaty food from time to time. They immediately ball up and devour.

Thanks for looking! Wish I had a better image, these pictures don't do the guys justice! These pictures were taken right before bedtime. Mainly just Actinics on. No white light.

D-Nak · 2024-09-26T12:36:04-0400

I can't say it enough.... it's so nice to see other tanks with gigs that are thriving. I remember back in the day when I could count how many people had healthy gigs on one hand.

Kevin Padgett · 2024-09-26T14:23:23-0400

@D-Nak Thanks. I think thanks to the efforts of many on this board we know more about the care and how to help them thrive then we ever have.

The major issue is still finding healthy specimens and getting them through the shipping process.

Once you get them established though they are tuff as nails!

krak256 · 2024-09-27T15:04:31-0400

short vid that I think captures the colors a bit better

Seancj · 2024-09-27T15:43:03-0400

krak256 said:
short vid that I think captures the colors a bit better

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing! Proof that there is no such thing as a "plain 'ol tan" gigantea, the colors are in there, we just need to bring them out!

krak256 · 2024-09-27T16:08:18-0400

Seancj said:
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing! Proof that there is no such thing as a "plain 'ol tan" gigantea, the colors are in there, we just need to bring them out!

Thanks so much. Yea, higher PAR seems to bring out the red/pink at the tips. Crazy thing is that I picked this up in Aug 2020 in the LFS mixed carpet bin for $40...