Stichodactyla gigantea

[Troy F]

A couple of pics of my latest addition. Jamie was kind enough to take the pictures and Darren found some space on the net. Stichodactyla gigantea:

carpet and clowns

wall to wall

more carpet

oh yeah there's clowns too

[EmilyB]

W O W 8)

[christyf5]

Wow Troy! That is an awesome specimen. It looks great, and the clowns seem happy too

Christy

[Delphinus]

Looks to be colouring up nicely, Troy! Very nice.

[Troy F]

Thank you ladies . It's very exciting to watch the interaction between the two. The female perc is a typical bossy woman by the way .

Tony, it's getting darker, I'm hoping it continues.

I feel like there should be a disclaimer and I've hesitated to admit that I bought one due to my feelings on importing these. I've ignored them in stores before knowing full well that they'd die if I didn't buy them but this time was different. Right or wrong, it's in my tank and at this early stage, doing really well. I still don't think they should be imported.

[Delphinus]

Originally Posted by Troy F

I still don't think they should be imported.

Well .... unfortunately I think this could/should be said for a lot of things that get imported yet are routinely seen in the garden variety reef tank. Ultimately this is a selfish hobby, and I'm not sure that a lot of it can really be rationalized away -- instead we draw our own lines in the sand that we shouldn't cross. Banning the import of animals only serves to reduce the temptations that face us when we go to our LFS's. For better or for worse, although it realistically is more "better" than it is more "worse." It doesn't address our own selfishness. Ultimately it comes back to supply vs. demand. Where I am going with this, is an argument I realize I cannot win, but I want to say it nonetheless. I would much rather see a more educated average hobbyist, who makes informed decisions and carefully plans a habitat. I feel it is OK, for example, for me to go out and buy an anemone, because I know that it is not a frivolous (sp.?) purchase, but instead because I know that I am planning a habitat tailored for its needs ... rather than "OK I have a saltwater tank, now what can I put in it?". But the realistic side of that coin is, how often am I setting up these dedicated species tanks, versus to how often are these animals imported? Of course there's an imbalance .... so my argument is self-defeating. For my one anemone that "makes it" there are so many that won't, because the average Joe just doesn't take the care and attention that is required to make that happen. Anemone keeping is more of a science than an art; it's just that few are willing to commit to it 100% and nothing less than a full 100% is going to suffice and even then it may not be enough because there are so many problems with the collection to retail process that an individual specimen might be too far gone by the time it's purchased. Thus it is better that I get disappointed, rather than see 95% devastation. For every anemone collected out of the wild, that is a symbiont or potential symbiont for a number of wild anemonefish, that are now screwed.

Thus until the day that these animals are not imported, it is important for the hobbyist who sees one of these animals offered for sale to ask themselves: Knowing that this is an animal capable of living upwards of a hundred years in the wild, am I willing to commit to this animal, and cater to its needs exactly? Am I willing to sacrifice other things in which I may be interested, in the case that there are incompatibility issues? Am I willing to spend the time to learn, spend the money, and make the appropriate sacrifices and so on? What about 2 years from now? What about 5 years from now? If the answer to anything of those questions is anything less than emphatic then, .... well please consider otherwise. Back to the supply and demand thing: the problem is the demand is too high, and that is the issue that needs to be addressed.

IMHO, of course.

PS. Thanks for listening

[Troy F]

Well said Tony. The most important issue that seperates them from corals is the loss of habitat for clown fish. That and of course their dismal survival rate. Unfortunately, you are in the minority of informed hobbyists.

[smokinreefer]

Troy....

HYPOCRITE!

j/k

i hope it does well for you, and like you said, i am sure it will become a stunning centerpiece of your tank. cant wait to see it in person.

p.s. tony, i dont think i've told you yet...your anenome tank is awesome too!

[sumpfinfishe]

Nice pics Troy! those cute little clowns look "snug as a bug in a rug"
My next setup will hopefully look like that!

[Pansy-Paws]

Great photos Troy!
Hubby and I often have the same feelings about seeing stuff in LFS that we've read or heard doesn't do well in captivity . . . should we buy it and give it a try (i.e. if it's going to live in a home set-up, we'll do all we can to make it work) -- or leave it to die at the LFS -- or leave it to go out with someone else who may not know what to do to give it the best chance. Still breaks my heart when I see Seahorses at LFS . . . lots of them look so poorly
I even make a wall hanging about seahorses - and it is above our fish only tank. Have a look if you like - it's called "no seahorses".
http://pansy-paws.com/crafts/quilts6.htm