Heard a Rumor

[bassking16]

Hi all,
I was watching a show the other day called Equator, and it was all about coral reefs. (Good show by the way) Anyway, the fellow speaking through the show mentioned two things that I wasn't sure was totaly accurate, so I'm looking for some second opinions.

The fellow first said a BTA will not bubble up until a Clownfish has hosted it. True/False?

He also said that a BTA will NOT survive long without a Clownfish. True/False? (He may have been speaking of predation of the anem without the protection offered by a Clown, but he didn't specify)

Any input would be greatly appreciated. I have been raising a GBTA in my 75g reef for about four months now, and he seems to be doing quite well. He has anchored in a cave, and stretches out toward the light every day, all day. This spot is where he first moved to, and has not moved since. It hasn't bubbled up too much though. His tenticles are more stretched out. I do not currently have a Clownfish yet, but one is coming soon.

 

[elegance coral]

The fellow first said a BTA will not bubble up until a Clownfish has hosted it. True/False?

False. We still don't know why a BTA bubbles sometimes and sometimes doesn't. We may never know.

He also said that a BTA will NOT survive long without a Clownfish. True/False?

In at least some areas this is true. With no clownfish to protect the anemone, butterfly fish move in and consume the anemone. This may not be true in areas where these fish are not as prevalent.

 

[bassking16]

Thank You

Thank You

Thanks Elegance. I pretty much figured the same, but just wanted to make sure. More or less food for thought for me.

 

[TruReef]

I've had a Green BTA for several years. The only time I saw it have bubble tips was when I bought it. It has had several different species of clowns hosting in it but never bubbles up, just has long sweeping tentacles.. side note, it has split about 10 times...

 

[bassking16]

Thank You

Thank You

Thanks TruReef,

Apparently yours is doing pretty well if it has split 10 times. Mine is about 7 or 8 inches accross when fully open. I'm hoping mine will split soon to. How big were your BTA's before they split. I'm just trying to get a frame of refference for when mine might possible split.

Thanks.

 

[clowns101]

Spliting is not a sign of the anemone being happy or doing good.It is a sign that the anemone is streesed and sometimes(mainly when they are larger)they will split due to the size that they are!

 

[velvetelvis]

I've had a Green BTA for several years. The only time I saw it have bubble tips was when I bought it. It has had several different species of clowns hosting in it but never bubbles up, just has long sweeping tentacles.. side note, it has split about 10 times...

If you look at Trolldoll's thread on wild anemone/clown pics from Fiji, you'll see shots of some huge green BTAs (hosting equally large and thriving clowns) that don't have bubbles on their tips...seems that even in the wild, this is not a constant characteristic. The bubble/not-bubble mystery deepens...