Bubble Tip Anemone ????

[Delphinus]

"BTA" aka "Bubble-tip anemone" is just a common name referring to the species "Entacmaea quadricolor." It's just a name and doesn't imply the anemone actually HAS bubble-tips, instead it's more that it's of a species that "can have" them. In reality the actual bubble-tips come and go, more often they go in captivity for reasons not really fully understood (although they can come back for a while if you change lighting or something else.. not really something you can predict accurately, however). Personally I think it has something to do with the ratio of surface-area to volume of a cylinder versus a sphere, and zooxanthellae population density, but that's just a guess. At any rate I can't really see anything in your picture to suggest that it's not an E. quadricolor, so that probably is what it is. Hope this helps!

[OCDP]

I just wanted to give another vote to lighting playing a role in bubble tips. I recently acquired an RBTA from a fellow reefer who had his original clone. He had his in a 75g tank with 2x175w MH. I moved him into my 20g with 250w HQI and man... the bubble tips are beautiful. It's not always bubbly, it seems around mid-day it will bubble up very nicely. Also, acquired a very small GBTA clone a few months back. No signs of bubble tips in previous owners tank, or in mine at first...after a day or two under 250w HQI , it now has bubble tips every day.

Just an observation more than anything. I really do believe intense lighting will cause a bubble tip to actually bubble up. Maybe as you mentioned Tony, a lighting change is what causes bubble tips, and perhaps in time both BTA's will lose their bubble tips.. who knows...

[DanG]

I have an anemone that I bought as a GBTA, and mine now looks exactly like yours does. It's a healthy dark colour (not bleached) and is kept under 4x39w HO T5's with individual reflectors in a 16" deep tank, and just like yours, no bubbles. And my maroon hosts in it.

[Quagmire]

So far Entacmaea quadricolor is the only anemone that will "bubble"( unless there is something as yet undiscovered ) So if it did have bubbles when you first got it,then it would be a BTA.Nice looking one too.

[tango]

I have the same thing as that and my cinnamin clown is in mine too. But Mine had huge bubbles when I bought it then I went on vacation and while I was gone my light burnt out and the thing was pretty much dead when I got home, no teticals left. But since then It is fully back to normal except the absence of bubbles on the tips. It just has plain striaght no bulb tipps.

Brett

[clipperfish]

I have mine under 400w radiums ,and it had only bubbles on it for about an hour , My marron's keep it so stretch out I don't think it will see bubbles again for a long time to come LOL.