Bubble Tip Anemone Care And Breeding Guide

The bubble tip anemone is among popular sea animals to keep in an aquarium. With a variety of colors to spruce up the tank, Entacmaea Quadricolor, as it is known scientifically, is a really attractive species to add to the tank collection. It is considered quite easy to keep. So long as an aquarist is able to follow the bubble tip anemone care guide procedures carefully, BTA has quite minimal requirements.

Other plus sides to the bubble tip anemone are:

• It does not require lots of lighting parameters
• Proper supplemental feeding is not a huge requirement
• It is less predatory as compared to its counterpart, the carpet anemone
• It is easily propagated
• It is able to host the clownfish and other fishes
• Preferably, it anchors its foot or column under the rock as opposed to the sand. This means it is not likely to disturb the sand arrangement in the tank

Appearance

• The bubble tip anemone comes in a variety of colors. The most common ones are green and pink.
• Towards the end of the tip of their tentacles are interesting bulb formations. Scientists have tried to give explanations for these. While some say this could mean more lighting is required, others think this could be because they require more feeding. Well, just a hypothesis may be.
• It grows up to 30cm or 12inches long.
• It can live for long when well cared for though the exact or approximate age is not well defined.
• Native of Fiji and Singapore.

Behavior

The BTA is friendly to clownfish and is likely to host Ocellaris, Gold Maroon, Maroon and Percula. These fishes often help it to readily acclimatize. They also clear any food remnants left by it.

Selection of the Bubble Tip Anemone

As a matter of fact, selecting a BTA is the first step towards a healthy tank animal. Tips to help in selection include:

• Always ensure the BTA chosen has no injury on the foot. This means that one must literally look at the tentacles one at a time for even the slightest damage
• Avoid purchasing anemones with gaping mouths and expelled stomachs. They could be a recipe for trouble that should be avoided
• Pale or whitish looking anemones are another no go zone. Anemones often absorb sunshine into their bodies which they later use to convert algae into food that they consume. A pale anemone has most probably expelled all zooxanthelae which helps in photosynthesis
• Look for an anemone that is not constantly closed up
• When scrutinizing to buy, choose that one that has anchored its foot on a rock.

Tank Requirements

The tank requires special conditions for the anemone to survive such as:

• The water should be saline between 1.023 and 1.025 are recommendable
• The temperature of the water should be maintained at 25-28 degrees Celsius (75-82 Farennheit)
• pH should between 8.1 and 8.4
• Alkalinity is best at 8-12
• Ammonia and nitrite should be undetectable
• Low amounts of iodine, phosphate and nitrate to be maintained
• Water in the tank has to be in good condition as the BTA enjoys favorable amount of water. It is therefore imperative to keep the tank with a good flow of it.

Lighting

As earlier explained, anemones need plenty of light to help make their food that helps with energy and growth. Enough light also gives them a good color. For this reason, moderate to high light requirements should be a priority. The tank will therefore need:

• Metal halides
• T5 fluorescent bulbs
• A set of VHA or PC
• Blue LEDs
• 14-20K color spectrum

Placement in the Tank

When placing it inside the tank, the flow should be turned down. Water flow can then be increased after it has attached itself to a crevice or rock. A space of 3 and 5cm can be left between the anemone and corals. If it chooses to move towards the corals, the water pipe can be directed there so that it moves away. Remember, it is important to minimize handling as much as possible.

It may anchor where it is not required. When water flow is directed towards it, it moves to reattach somewhere else. A healthy anemone tank placement is dependent on more knowledge of the aquarist. Getting it from the bubble tip anemone care guide is of huge importance.

Feeding

Bubble tip anemones are photosynthetic. Within them are symbiotic micro-organisms. They absorb light which is later used to make food that aids in growth and energy. To flourish and obtain a splendid coloration, they need proteins. Sea food like shrimp, squid and small meaty morsels are quite ideal.

Food is brought into the tank via a feeder stick. Place food morsel at the end of the stick. Touch the anemone with it. It is likely to grab onto it using its sticky tentacles. While feeding, do not poke it as any slight damage to its column may harm it.

Its feeding frequency is important to know. Once to three times weekly can do depending on its activities and size. If there is a clown fish in the tank, frequent feeding can be reduced as the clownfish is likely to feed it.

Important facts to remember

• Although it can host clownfish, other smaller fish may be in danger of getting killed by the anemone.
• Since they reproduce regularly, they can crowd the tank after just a few weeks, making life difficult for their counterparts.
• They are very unfriendly to the corals and plenty of care must be taken to protect them (corals).
• Tearing a foot can lead to death of an anemone. It is necessary to handle it with plenty of care.
• Handling them requires gloves. Do not touch it using bare hands.
• They rarely get diseases unless the water conditions are not right. If they are not well fed or there is poor lighting, the anemone is likely to wither away and die.
• At times the anemone shrivels up and one might think it is dead only to wake up the next morning to a beautiful blooming anemone. This is normal so long as the water conditions are right and feeding is appropriate.
• Always remember to cut up the food fed to the anemone since large pieces of shrimp may give it a rough time during feeding.

Breeding

The BTA is both sexual and asexual. They clone by splitting. With plenty of information from the bubble tip anemone care guide, an aquarist is ready to stock a healthy BTA.