how to make rbta tentacles bubble

d0ughb0y

Active member
when I first got my rbta (about 9 months ago), all the tentacles were bubbled up nicely. but ever since I put it in my tank, all the tentacles are just elongated. it has probably quadrupled in size already, maybe more, but I have not seen it bubble up again. I feed silversides every 2-3 days. that is what the previous owner fed to the rbta. It has not moved at all from the rock I set it, so can't say it is not happy with light or flow. any ideas? maybe try to feed more?

thanks.
 
That is the million dollar question...

Noone really knows. Alot of people have theorys.

I have an rbta that is 1/2 bubbled and 1/2 not bubbled for the last year or so...
 
Where's traveller with that link when you need him? :D

But seriously, I agree with Arati, there are so many theorys but nothing has been proven. What we do know however is that it is not an indictor of good or bad health.
 
I know, my RBTA is fed regularly, growing nicely and under 400W 20K MH. No bubbles. I watched a documentary once that said in the wild they are bubbled except when they are hungry so they will elongate their tentacles to feed. I think all bets are off in an aquarium situation. But there are a number of possible reasons.
Feeding, light intensity, light spectrum, flow, hosting or not, if hosting what kind of clown, temperature, water parameters, flow, attachement site. Just to name a few!
 
My has always bubbled up

My has always bubbled up

I have had my rbta for about 2 months now and he has always bubbled up I feed mine 1 small raw shrimp from king soopers everyday because I was tring to get it to split but it just keeps getting bigger now about the size of a volleyball.
 

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i had my RBTA for about a year with no bubbles...then when I upgraded from 2x150w to a 400w the anemone started to bubble more. from my experience only change in lighting has produced bubbles. same with a green bta I had
 
FWIW I have found with my rose that she would be stringy when hungry and due to high flow. Now that I have started a wave motion in my tank instead of the random reef crest mode on my vortechs and started feeding her regularly again (I had stopped because she had split) she has gone back to bubbles.

I realize that correlation doesn't equal causation but you many want to try a different flow pattern and/or increasing the feeding amount. Per Karen at Karen's Rose Anemone's (who was an absolute saint for helping me with rescuing my most recent RBTA who I took on as a project from my LFS) the best way to feed is to feed until satiation which means to keep giving pieces of food until she spits it out.
 
I have had my rbta for about 2 months now and he has always bubbled up I feed mine 1 small raw shrimp from king soopers everyday because I was tring to get it to split but it just keeps getting bigger now about the size of a volleyball.

what temp is your water?
 
at my work, are one tank is a 144 gal nem tank. there is about 10 bubble tips in there...it seems to go thru differnt "stages" at some points in the day some are bulbed and some arent. some stimes none of them are bulbed up.(could be a lighting change) now the health of about half of them isnt the best, they came in to the store bleeched out and we have been feeding them regularly to try and bring them back, the rest of the nems are in good health, along with the 2 carpets. i dont think its a flow issue that causes the bulbing/not bulbing. what i have noticed in a tank that i take care of for my girlfriend, is that when the temp got on the high side(83ish) the BTA bulbed like crazy. but around 79 it was stringy. i have also seen them stringy prior to feeding and then the rest of the day they are bulbed. im thinking its a lighting thing. could be spectrems, could just be the light cycle. i think its just one of those mystries of a bubbletip.
 
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I found this in liveaquaria. I just changed my light from 150w to 250w. I will try to feed everyday and see what happens. :)

The Rose Bubble Tip Anemone is a less common form of the Bubble Tip Anemone which is often referred to as the Four-colored, Bulb Tentacle, Bulb Tip, or Bulb Anemone. At rest, the enlarged tip at the end of the tentacles is a rose to red color.
The Bubble Tip Anemone is usually found in coral rubble, or in solid reefs. Its pedal disc is usually attached deep within dead coral. It stretches its tentacles to become sweeper tentacles when hungry. That is, the tentacles become elongated to capture a meal, then the tentacles shorten and the bubble tips return.

Handle this invertebrate, and all Anemones, with care. They can sting other Anemones, as well as Corals.

In order for the Rose Bubble Tip Anemone to keep its bright coloration and bulb tips, it needs strong illumination supplied by metal halides, or intense florescent lighting of at least 6 watts per gallon. They require an aquarium of at least 30 gallons, as they can grow up to 12" across in the aquarium. These anemones will typically remain compact and will gain bulb tips under intense lighting. If the lighting is insufficient, they will expand their bodies to great lengths to make the most of the available light. It should be kept with a Clownfish for best results. At times, the tentacles may appear stringy; this may be due to insufficient light or the need for food.

Its diet should include chopped fish, shrimp, or worms if a clownfish is not present.
 
i would not feed everyday, 2 0r 3 times a week at the most. it must be a feeding think that makes them not bulb. now that i think of it a co worker had a bubbletip in his tank at home and he said it was always long tenticled, he broght it in and its currently in the 144 and it seems to bulb up occasionaly.

some of you who dont regularly spot feed your BTA how do they look? bulbed, stringy

has anyone experienced bulbing after feeding?
 
I feed every other day now and it is stringy. I have not fed it till it will not take any more yet. liveaquaria says temp range 74-78. I keep mine at 78.5, you say at 83 it was bubbling up? I'll try to slowly raise my temp.
 
yeh just be careful. i wouldnt reccomend it to anyonedont go above 81 or 82 fish and coral might not like that too much if you go raising the temp too much....that was during the summer and there was no way to bring it down. one day it spiked up to 86. the nem lived up untill about 4weeks ago. then when we added a new light and we were acclimating it to the light it decided to move up higher on the rocks and got sucked up into the koralia, no more bta. its ok tho she got a long tentical and her clowns actualy go near that.

i really think its a food thing. but its just to hard to say
 
My RBTA is about 3 yrs old, is now about 24" across...has not had bubbles for the past 2 years...about 3 months ago, I switched to LEDs and a different 'style' of bubbles is developing ...It's lucky to be feed 3 X a month, never moves and keeps growing
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I've had my RBTA(/s) for about 2 years. It was bubbley for a few months after introducing it to my system, but has been looking like an LTA ever since.

Then..
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The only time my RBTA's bubble up now is when they're stressed. I've had one get sucked into my overflow and a bit chewed up, pop back out and bubble up. Also had a tank crash a few months ago subsequently causing my 3 RBTAs to bleach and bubble up as well. So as far as I'm concerned, my BTA's only bubble when they're stressed.

Using 150-w MH.
 
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