BTA Tentacles

[Eric Noa]

I was wondering why some BTA anemones have different tentacles than others. For Example, I have a RBT that has really short tentacles with Bubble tips and a GBT that has really long tentacles with no Bubble tip. What could be the cause of this. Personally I prefer the long tentacle that a short tentacle with a BT

 

[nikon187]

They frequently change in captivity.

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

They frequently change in captivity.

Ehhh... :spin2:

Nobody knows the exact reason that they are different. I've heard that they bubble when content and are long and straight when they are hungry. This isn't the case for any of my 6 BTA or RBTA. I've noticed that sometimes if they host clown they tentacles will change. I have a RBTA that had straight tentacles, then it hosted my clowns and the tentacles are completely warped out of shape. There are some tentacles that look like wrecking balls, other that look like broken tree branches, and one that look like giant lumpy globs. I recently added a 10"+ GBTA and it hosts my clown pair now. The tentacles are long and straight and the tentacles on my rose are staring to straighten out now. Sometimes it depends on your water quality. I had a rose with bubbled tips and when I put it in my tank the bubbles went away over a few weeks. Sometimes they will bubble when stressed IME and from what I've heard. Again, nobody knows exactly why they are different and it doesn't matter in attracting clowns to be hosted/health of the anemone.

 

[HoppyBunny]

I have been wondering the same thing, could it have something to do with the lighting?

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

Possibly. I've only kept anemones under fluorescent PCs. I'm going to get a 28g Nano Cube with 150w MH-HQI lights and I'll post a picture of the tank once cycled with anemones.

 

[Slickcg33]

There is a very long history of debate over this subject and nothing has been proven, they are all guesses. Even wild btas look differently in their colonies. Ive seen pics of 100's of btas all together in the ocean and some have bubbles and some dont. The fact is, there is no evidence or reason as to why some look someway and others look another.

 

[lougotzz]

Idk, my rose anemones bubbles up. I personally like them straight, or like wrecking balls. I dont really care for the ball in the middle than straighten out at the top. I have the one I dont care for. When it eats the tentacles straighten out though. Im curious if they will straighten out when my tomato clowns discover it.

 

[Eric Noa]

I bought mine from my LFS and it had the tentacles straighten out without any bubble tips but when I put it in my tank it bubbled up

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

Maybe it likes your water quality better. :thumbsup:

 

[VAHeatt]

ive had mine for over a month now and when i first bought it,it was bubbled tipped and small.but now its more straight with a lil bulb to it,not really stringy at all but 3 times larger than it was at the store! i have 2 young clarkiis who host the bta. ive had the clarkiis for over 6 months before added the the bta,they took to it the 1st night. lucky me!

 

[Airwolf75]

I've had mine for 7 years now, and they bubble up when I change something major in the tank, or try to catch one, splitting, or mess with them. Otherwise they are long most of the time.

 

[ctlegacy]

Yeah, It definitely sucks that no one seems to know the answer. I don't like the bubbles, I like the stretced tentacles. I bought one the other day that had really long tentacles at the store. Brought it home and it's reverted to a "super bubble". Now I wish I wouldn't have bought it. I'm fairly certain that it must be water quality, because all of mine are bubbles in my tank. I'm not saying that I have quality water (I try to of course), but if they are all the same in my tank it must be some kind of water condition related thing.