Bubbletip compatibility?

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi Folks,

I had a question - I picked up a bubbletip at a show a couple of weeks ago. I've always kept this species alone in tanks with clownfish, never mixed with other cnidarians. However, I put this one in my home AIO that is overgrown with softies.
I cleared out as many Kenya trees and zooanthids as I could, but of course, bubbletips being bubbletips, this one found a crack between two huge outgrowths of softies to set up shop.

I know next to nothing about their compatibility - do either of these softies pose a threat to the anemone? The zoanthids are pretty clearly closing up where the touch the anemone, so that's good.

Thanks,

Jay

 

[mfinn]

I only have my own experience when I say that all the bubble tips ( equardricolor) I have kept have been like a wrecking ball with just about all softies.

 

[danR777]

I had a large 1ft by 1/2 ft rock of completely encrusted by zoas that never could be killed (were in my first tank which was very unstable as a beginner), bubble tip landed on top of them & stayed there for month and completely wiped out all of them and a whole bunch of GSP, like a nuclear bomb lol

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I had a large 1ft by 1/2 ft rock of completely encrusted by zoas that never could be killed (were in my first tank which was very unstable as a beginner), bubble tip landed on top of them & stayed there for month and completely wiped out all of them and a whole bunch of GSP, like a nuclear bomb lol

Good - I can only hope (grin).

Jay

 

[danR777]

Good - I can only hope (grin).

Jay

ohhh I see, you were worried about the bta, , I think it will do fine (haha)

 

[bakbay]

Nice nem! I concur - nems are almost indestructible on an established tank. Nems can overshadow and kill zoas, softies, and SPS. From my experience, they are nomads if they don’t like flow or light so that may not be its permanent home.

Here is mine near the zoa garden — it eventually moved though.

 

[danR777]

Some strangling my large toadstool...
and the rose one leaving the rock it obliterated...

 

[D-Nak]

If you're concerned about chemical warfare (aka allelopathy), I think the only inhabitants to possibly be concerned about are leather corals and other anemones (both BTAs and other species).

 

[exnisstech]

I think your nem will be fine. I don't feel the same about surrounding coral I've seen my bubble tips reach out 6 inches to sting coral.

 

[bakbay]

...and another thing, they will split (happy or stressed) and move around the tank to cause even more damage! lol

It's a First World problem if you have one of those "designer" nems. I'm building a nem-dominant tank myself so looking forward to a whole tank domination.

 

[bakbay]

If you're concerned about chemical warfare (aka allelopathy), I think the only inhabitants to possibly be concerned about are leather corals and other anemones (both BTAs and other species).

I run lots of carbon thru a reactor since I mix Haddoni carpets and RBTAs, hoping that it will control the potential chemical warfare between the species.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

If you're concerned about chemical warfare (aka allelopathy), I think the only inhabitants to possibly be concerned about are leather corals and other anemones (both BTAs and other species).

No - I was just worried about direct stinging of the anemone by the softies. I’ve been harvesting the Kenya, GSP and zoanthids just to try and keep them under control.
Jay

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

...and another thing, they will split (happy or stressed) and move around the tank to cause even more damage! lol

It's a First World problem if you have one of those "designer" nems. I'm building a nem-dominant tank myself so looking forward to a whole tank domination.

I had some of the original splitting anemones from the Shedd Aquarium clone - ugly pale brownish red with long tentacles, but they produce so many clones that they literally took over our clownfish exhibits (grin).

Jay

 

[exnisstech]

and another thing, they will split (happy or stressed

Jay may be OK in that his tank looks mature. Mine have stopped splitting now that the tank has matured. I went from 3 to over 40 at one point years back but now that the tank has matured I haven't had a split in well over 2 years. But nems will be nems so ya never know for sure.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi Folks,

I had a question - I picked up a bubbletip at a show a couple of weeks ago. I've always kept this species alone in tanks with clownfish, never mixed with other cnidarians. However, I put this one in my home AIO that is overgrown with softies.
I cleared out as many Kenya trees and zooanthids as I could, but of course, bubbletips being bubbletips, this one found a crack between two huge outgrowths of softies to set up shop.

I know next to nothing about their compatibility - do either of these softies pose a threat to the anemone? The zoanthids are pretty clearly closing up where the touch the anemone, so that's good.

Thanks,

Jay

 

[Joe.D]

BTA moved into my little 3 torch garden. Looks like he stung 2 of them - hasn't messed with the 3rd, it's a bit farther away. The 2 that were stung retracted and I moved them away - lost one of them (the nicer one of course) and the 2nd looks to be making a comeback.