More and more aquarists are looking into the exciting world of the anemone to diversify their livestock population as well as the beauty within their aquarium. Having said this, however, their are certain requirements that need to be met in order to successfully maintain one of these flowers of the sea! These flowers of the sea are not actually flowers or plants, for that matter, but solitary polyps closely related to corals which are living animals. The flower or rock and the Haitian-pink tipped/Condylactis anemones are arguably the least demanding of the anemone species. Then their is the Bubble tip anemone that definitely requires a look into as their requirements are not that much different than those mentioned earlier.
The “Condy” anemone will occasionally take on the appearance of a Bubble Tip Anemone(Entacmaea quadricolor) or BTA as their are more commonly known as. You do not want to make this mistake as the price of a Condylactis anemone is about $10.00 whereas the cost associated with BTA’s is about $50.00, so be careful and don’t get suckered!
Bubble Tip’s are often green, pink or reddish orange and fluorescing in appearance. Their tentacles can be swollen at the tip, hence the name bubble tip or the tentacles can closely resemble a long tentacle anemone without demonstrating their bubbling appearance. It seems that under intense light, E. Quadricolor will retain it swollen tip appearance and its tentacles will be shorter in length. Under subdued lighting the tips of the Bubble Tip will be of the same size and appearance forgoing the bubbling at the tip and the tentacles will appear longer and stringy.
It is possible that the Bubble Tip Anemone will change is appearance when a feeding response is partaken. With food in the water the tentacles of E. Quadricolor will stretch its tentacles out and almost display sweeper tentacle stature and the swollen tips will be minimized. Once this feeding response has forgone and the anemone is satisfied, the tips will often return to their normal bubble appearance. It is best to feed BTA’s once or twice a week. Krill, silversides, clam and squid are ideal meaty foods with which BTA’s will readily consume. BTA’s will also receive nutrients through the intense lighting and the anemones host zooxathellae, similar to that of symbiotic corals. Dissolved nutrients in the water will also offer food and dietary requirements to aid in its success in a captive environment.
Metal halides are the best option if you plan on maintaining a Bubble Tip anemone or any other anemone for that matter with the best results. With a shorter tank height, you can possibly get by with T5’s and maybe even power compact lighting, but the historic track record states halides represent the best replication of the suns rays and overall health and vigor of BTA’s.
Bubble Tips will tend to migrate from time to time, especially with the introduction into your aquarium. The reason for this is for the anemone to find the ideal place to call home. This could be in your substrate or somewhere or rock work, however, this time is critical in the overall scheme of things. Anemone movement can mean two things, you run the risk of your anemone getting caught up in your filtration or powerhead devices, often injuring or killing your anemone and fouling the water, which in turn can kill other tank inhabitants. The second risk involves your corals. As with any anemone, they pack a punch in terms of their nematocysts, or cnidae-stinging harpoon needles that can be released to harm or kill neighboring corals they make contact with.
In addition to lighting being very important to the long term success of BTA’s, it is ideal to ensure you have a good water flow to aid in bringing nutrients and oxygen to the anemone as well as rid the anemone of waste and respired carbon dioxide. It may be possible that certain trace elements added to your tank over and above those found in synthetic powdered sea salt, may have a positive effect on the health of your Bubble Tip Anemone. Iodine and iron would be a couple of these traces that you may want to dose, being careful not to overdose, however.
Many species of fish such as Angelfish and Butterflyfish may feast on your Bubble Tip along with certain invertebrate species, so ensuring that you don’t have or add any unsuitable tank mates to your tank will help to ensure you have the best chance of success with your BTA.
Proper water parameters regarding pH, salinity, temperature and alkalinity are crucial. Deviations from the optimal levels regarding these key components will cause potentially deadly consequences. It is best to test your water parameters weekly as well as perform a small weekly water change to help to ensure your water is ideal.
Now, for those of you that would like to house a Clownfish and Bubble Tip anemone together, let me just say that it isn’t necessary to do this to ensure the health and long term success of maintaining a Clownfish or Bubble Tip anemone in a captive environment! Yes, it makes a great focal point and a dramatic statement to your tank by having a Bubble tip anemone flowing back and forth with the water flow in your tank with a Clownfish darting in and out of its so called home, feeding it and guarding its host anemone, but this is by no means necessary.
The best suitable choices for Clowns pairing up with Bubble Tips are Clark’s, Tomato, Red or Black, Percula’s and Maroon Clownfish.
Bubble Tips are a gorgeous anemone and because it is one of the easier anemones to maintain, I feel that more consideration should be given to incorporating one of these beauties into your reef or fish only aquarium set-up. With or without a clownfish host, bubbles can offer beauty and enjoyment for many years to come.
