wfuavenger
In Memoriam
I cannot count the number of times I see something like this:
"HELP, My BTA doesn't have bubbles anymore!"
I read on in their post and find that they do not have enough light or are feeding WAY too much. In reality, they only need to be fed a few times per month!!!!!!
So, let’s start from the beginning. I am a Biochemist who dabbles in marine biology. I have 4 BTA's in 2 reef tanks. I have had them for over 5 years.
We have taken anemones from the wild, put them in synthetic wild like habitats for our viewing pleasure. This is okay as long as we can supply them what they need (not going into the whole removing wild animals and wild populations thing).
Anemones in the wild wander to find the best energy spots for themselves. They also wander in our tanks. Food items are scarce in the wild. BTA in the wild have 2 sources of energy. Both are related to "bubbling" of the tips.
1) light- If it is getting enough energy from light it will be happy and bubble its tentacle tips. This produces more surface area for them to capture light. When it needs a little more energy they get stringy for prey capture.
2) Prey- They have nematocysts for a reason; for defense and to capture food. Organisms are a great source of energy and nutrition. It's tentacles will get stringy to assist in the likelihood of them coming in contact with a prey item in the water column.
To supply them with the light they need, they need to be metal halide (MH) or lots of PC. They also need to occasionally be fed (as there is no prey swimming around in our tanks).
Now, in some of the threads, people say they have good, strong and new lights. Feed their BTA's 3, 4, or 5 times per week. And its tentacles are still stringy. Why?
I have found that if they are OVER fed, they will loose their bubble tips because they are deriving most of their energy from the food we feed. They get lazy. They no longer need the bubble tips due to the fact that they stay in prey capture mode because they are getting fed all the time. It is more energy efficient to remain stringy and get food shoved in its face, than to inflate the bubbles to capture light.
Now don't just go cold turkey on them and stop feeding. This will kill them. Their metabolisms are higher now. Slowly cut back their food if you are going to try this. It should take 2X as long to reduce the food as the amount of time you have been overfeeding. For example: you have been overfeeding for 6 months= it will take about a year to cut them back. This process worked with my first 2.
There is no guarantee this will work either. Most organisms are like us… If you are not used to working for your food and you sit there and have it presented to you, you would get lazy and fat. It is the same with all animals.
They (anemones) could get unhappy during this process and wander around (why work for your food when you can sit there and get fed!). Make sure you don't force it to be where it doesn't want to be. Eventually, it should have the ability to inflate again.
I will add a warning:
Some anemones, just like people, cannot go back to the way they were. They have lost the ability to inflate due to various reasons. You will have to make sure you do not underfeed if this is the case.
As long as you meet their nutritional requirements and simulate their natural habitats, they will live and have happy bubble tips for a long time.
"HELP, My BTA doesn't have bubbles anymore!"
I read on in their post and find that they do not have enough light or are feeding WAY too much. In reality, they only need to be fed a few times per month!!!!!!
So, let’s start from the beginning. I am a Biochemist who dabbles in marine biology. I have 4 BTA's in 2 reef tanks. I have had them for over 5 years.
We have taken anemones from the wild, put them in synthetic wild like habitats for our viewing pleasure. This is okay as long as we can supply them what they need (not going into the whole removing wild animals and wild populations thing).
Anemones in the wild wander to find the best energy spots for themselves. They also wander in our tanks. Food items are scarce in the wild. BTA in the wild have 2 sources of energy. Both are related to "bubbling" of the tips.
1) light- If it is getting enough energy from light it will be happy and bubble its tentacle tips. This produces more surface area for them to capture light. When it needs a little more energy they get stringy for prey capture.
2) Prey- They have nematocysts for a reason; for defense and to capture food. Organisms are a great source of energy and nutrition. It's tentacles will get stringy to assist in the likelihood of them coming in contact with a prey item in the water column.
To supply them with the light they need, they need to be metal halide (MH) or lots of PC. They also need to occasionally be fed (as there is no prey swimming around in our tanks).
Now, in some of the threads, people say they have good, strong and new lights. Feed their BTA's 3, 4, or 5 times per week. And its tentacles are still stringy. Why?
I have found that if they are OVER fed, they will loose their bubble tips because they are deriving most of their energy from the food we feed. They get lazy. They no longer need the bubble tips due to the fact that they stay in prey capture mode because they are getting fed all the time. It is more energy efficient to remain stringy and get food shoved in its face, than to inflate the bubbles to capture light.
Now don't just go cold turkey on them and stop feeding. This will kill them. Their metabolisms are higher now. Slowly cut back their food if you are going to try this. It should take 2X as long to reduce the food as the amount of time you have been overfeeding. For example: you have been overfeeding for 6 months= it will take about a year to cut them back. This process worked with my first 2.
There is no guarantee this will work either. Most organisms are like us… If you are not used to working for your food and you sit there and have it presented to you, you would get lazy and fat. It is the same with all animals.
They (anemones) could get unhappy during this process and wander around (why work for your food when you can sit there and get fed!). Make sure you don't force it to be where it doesn't want to be. Eventually, it should have the ability to inflate again.
I will add a warning:
Some anemones, just like people, cannot go back to the way they were. They have lost the ability to inflate due to various reasons. You will have to make sure you do not underfeed if this is the case.
As long as you meet their nutritional requirements and simulate their natural habitats, they will live and have happy bubble tips for a long time.
