The BUBBLES in the Bubble Tip Anemone: Do you care?

[Bellamy803]

I have studied these creatures for a long time across multiple tanks. This is probably one of the most debated topics.
Very high flow will cause them to lose their bubbles. This I have found to be true nearly 100% of the time. I don't think its a problem but I prefer them with bubbles.
Too high of light will also cause it. Attached are some photos of some different experiments I have done with different bubble tips, if anyone has questions feel free to ask. I have had thousands of them over the years.
This ones in my profile picture are from a different tank. I do not feed my nems.

So they just get leftovers from fish food etc??? I feed mine a shrimp 1 time per week and the devour it in seconds. Seem hungry to me. Extremely open and happy after the meal!!

 

[beefybear]

Hi everyone! I have a bubble tip / few rock flower tank and have found the biggest variable on bubbles is flow. Most of my anemones seem to not like a whole lotta flow, especially direct. The anemone who gets the most flow has no bubbles (vs tentacles) but believe he was mostly that way too when I got him. The remainder of mine are still bubbled up. One anemone who gets flow only to half his body is bubbled up 50% and straight tentacles 50% haha.

 

[bdub2583]

Mine usually does not have bubbles

 

[Dolphins18]

So they just get leftovers from fish food etc??? I feed mine a shrimp 1 time per week and the devour it in seconds. Seem hungry to me. Extremely open and happy after the meal!!

They will try to eat anything food that sticks to them. You could put a whole salmon in and they would try to eat it. It's not very healthy practice. They should get a little food from when you feed your whole tank and thats plenty.

 

[sfin52]

Mine never bubble and I given up trying to get them to bubble. Bta are just weird I just accepted that

 

[SeaDeezCorals]

 

[lefkonj]

Mine have never bubbled but I do have high flow. They are plenty happy because they are always open and split about once every 6 weeks. Started with 1 4" specimen now this is about 5-6 total but I have taken out at least 12 and sold them. The clowns feed them, I do not target feed them at all.

 

[reefd00d]

Mine are bubbly and one has a really big bubble.

 

[reyesozaeta]

One topic we've seen consistent over the years is about the "bubbles" of the bubble tip anemone and how to keep them bubbly! But how much do you really care about them being bubbly? Let's talk about it!

1. Do you care or not if your bubble tip anemones tips are bubbly?

2. Are the tips of your BTA's mostly bubbled or not?

image via @isaacalves

Mine only become “bubble tips” after feeding which I do once a week with table shrimp. Looks like their tentacles become strands when they’re hungry.

 

[stanleo]

Oh that's interesting! Where do you typically keep your ALK levels at, if you don't mind my asking.

9

 

[New&no clue]

The only time mine almost bubbled is when it went for a ride on my turbo snail.

 

[Dash]

My rainbow has different moods. Early in the day or in the evening it’s smaller with big bubbles:

During most of the day, it’s somewhat bubbly but overall is much larger:

During feeding when powerheads are off, the main disc swells to a huge size and the tentacles get skinny and long. Clowns don’t like it, probably because they feel exposed:

Sometimes when lights are out, they do this, which makes the clowns really go bonkers:

 

[madweazl]

I prefer bubbly and mine almost always are. Like another member's, these have never been fed. Mine have to go, getting to many and taking over too much space; I'll probably start eradicating them this week.

 

[tweeter]

Mine bubble up when there is something tasty in the water they like.

 

[Bellamy803]

They will try to eat anything food that sticks to them. You could put a whole salmon in and they would try to eat it. It's not very healthy practice. They should get a little food from when you feed your whole tank and thats plenty.

Yeah experienced this yesterday. I had a sick Powder Tang about 6" long get swalled by my Purple LTA. Insane. After about an hour he let the head of the fish stick out so I snagged him and trashed him. I was pretty blown away haha

 

[OCFishGuy]

I have 9 BTA's and the bubbles vary throughout the day and from day to day.

 

[Florian Meisinger]

I want one but im scared it will eat my fish

That‘s really the least to worry about. I have one for over a year now, and am still regularly worried if and where it is moving to when it splits

 

[stephen wyard]

I have had one for several months and I found that low to med low flow with hig in the blues seem to bring out the bubbles.I also feed once a week

 

[ClownWrangler]

I don't think it's that big of a mystery. I have had these 5 RBTa's for almost a year and have noticed fairly consistent response to changes in feeding and light. If the light is too low, they lose their bubbles. If I forget to feed them for a while, they lose their bubbles. I just recently turned up the light on the left hand side and fed them brine shrimp and the bubbles are already starting to come back after being gone. Frozen brine shrimp and adequate lighting gets me bubbles every time, but I like them either way. Even my torch tries to get bubbles when I feed it frozen brine shrimp. I have always had moderate flow.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

I have had 30 or 40 bubble tip anemones over the past 10 years or so and not one of them have ever had bubbles. What am I doing wrong they are huge and healthy but just know bubbles