The why do Entacmaea quadricolor lose their bubbled tips thread

[dalston]

)So i'm sure their have been many threads in the past discussing this subject but i'd like to find out everyones personal experience. I've heard many explanations as to why this happens but it still seems like its an unsolved mystery in this hobby.

here is part of an article I read... The issue of most note to aquarists is "bubbliness" of this species tentacular ends. Loss of "bubbles" has been speculated to be due to insufficient light, current, feeding, presence of host fish/es, reaction to competitive influence/s... At this moment "the jury is still out" on this issue. The degree of bubbled-ended-ness does seem to be positively correlated with more current, less feeding, the presence of symbionts and other Cnidarians though. The bubbliness is evidently not a matter of life/death, good/bad... as specimens of both can/do well, and they do change back/forth at times from no apparent provocation.

I'd like for people to share their experience (with pic's of course ) of their BTA's and the behaviour of their bubbling tips.

 

[Toddrtrex]

I will give my experiences with them.

Lights -- (( for a 75 gallon )) had them under 6*65 PC, and then under 2*250 MH + 2*54 T5, in both cases no bubbles.

Feeding -- tried feeding weekly, and then monthly -- in both cases no bubbles

Hosting -- clones of each other -- one was hosting my pair of Clarkiis, the other wasn't -- in both cases no bubbles.

Other anemones --- part of the time tank was only BTAs, other part had a Haddoni with them -- both cases no bubbles.

 

[dalston]

Todd, thanks for posting! did either of your specimens have the bubbled tips when you first got them?

I got my first BTA a few days ago and when it was at the LFS it was a mound of bubbles, since then, its slowly losing them

The bottom tenticles are still bubbled but the upper ones are starting to stretch

The Clarkii seems happy with it though...

 

[saw wave analog]

mine lost them the instant i put a tomato clown in with it.. i think it beat the bubbliness out of it

 

[Toddrtrex]

It was so long ago that I got them (( 10+ years )), so my memory is a bit foggy on if they every had tips or not, but I want to say that they didn't.

Both the red and green ones I had were more longer tentacles.

Some of my red ones,

And my green one, (( the last one I had before selling it ))

 

[Phyxius]

Heres mine
Feed it 2-3 times a week with Silversides
Under 250 watt MH lighting
It placed itself at the top of the tank in a moderately high flow area and has stayed there awhile now. Growth has been steady and non stop where its at. Bubbles have stayed in its growth progression on upper areas. Lower areas and smaller tentacles have no to small "Bulbs" . Clowns would rather stay in the giant hammer in the other end of tank than in this.
Pic only shows half of it as the other half is behind rock

 

[Toddrtrex]

Phyxius --- how long have you had it in your tank?

 

[dc]

There was a small one in the pet store here for probably 6 months, it was bleached white, pc lights that hadn't ever been changed, no feedings, sucker was all bubbled up. If ever there was stress that should have been it.

Mine has never been bubbled.

 

[Phyxius]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14031870#post14031870 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Toddrtrex
Phyxius --- how long have you had it in your tank?

This one has been in our 210g for a few months since we upgraded tanks.
Our last one that we lost the day of our upgrade to the 210g due to a PH incident was cared for the same and stayed in pretty much the same tank placement also stayed bubbled up. I had that one at least 6+ mths

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14031950#post14031950 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Phyxius
This one has been in our 210g for a few months since we upgraded tanks.
Our last one that we lost the day of our upgrade to the 210g due to a PH incident was cared for the same and stayed in pretty much the same tank placement also stayed bubbled up. I had that one at least 6+ mths

Thanks, was almost hoping that you had only had them for a short amount of time. It really seems that there is no set rhyme or reason for some having tips or not. Almost starting to wonder if it matters where they were collected from.

 

[Phyxius]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14031973#post14031973 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Toddrtrex
Thanks, was almost hoping that you had only had them for a short amount of time. It really seems that there is no set rhyme or reason for some having tips or not. Almost starting to wonder if it matters where they were collected from.

It went in our tank on 10/24 so its just over 8 weeks on the one in pic to be exact as I just checked my receipts..... Not sure how long the store had it before that or where it was collected from as I got it from a store in CA. My other was from a LFS.

 

[dalston]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14031906#post14031906 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dc
There was a small one in the pet store here for probably 6 months, it was bleached white, pc lights that hadn't ever been changed, no feedings, sucker was all bubbled up. If ever there was stress that should have been it.

Mine has never been bubbled.

Thats kinda the same situation mine was in except it wasn't too bleached. After I added it and the clown has been taking care of it, it seems to have 'relaxed' its tentilcles.

 

[dalston]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14031973#post14031973 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Toddrtrex
Thanks, was almost hoping that you had only had them for a short amount of time. It really seems that there is no set rhyme or reason for some having tips or not. Almost starting to wonder if it matters where they were collected from.

Hmmm, good point Todd, maybe they have somewhat adapted to captivity differently depending on the reef it was collected from. I'll have to dig through some pics of them in the wild and do some comparison.

But saying that, they all seem to meet their bubbleless fate...

 

[dalston]

[/B]

Phyxius, beautiful anemone! I hope it stays like that for you! Have the clowns ever ventured over into the nem?

 

[Bluespot22]

When I fist got mine it didn't bubble up but after it moved to a higher flow area it got really bubbly. No clowns, they host my frogspawn instead. Lighting is a 4 bulb TEK T5 fixture.

 

[Henryreef]

No bubbles on my BTA, it is in a 55 under t5's and 2 week feedings. No clown is currently hosting in it (I will probably add one when it gets bigger).

 

[MarineFlake]

From what I have observed via my own GBTA, they seem to 'extend' when they are looking for food. As previously mentioned, when I feed mine silver sides regularly, it seems to bubble back up (Mid to lower tank under 10k 150HQI +130 Actinic PC). If I cease feeding, it will extend again after some period of time. I have also noticed that with regular feedings it can double in size in a matter of days, though its probably just a matter of what is and isn't visible (Hidden under the rock). I have also been able to induce splitting by following a constant wed/sun silverside feeding schedule (About 3 - 4 weeks) and then a water change. It has only split once, but it was only an experiment, I have no desire to have a tank full of them ; )

Happy Reefing!

 

[Arati]

I have never directly fed mine. it lives about 8" under a 6 bulb tek T5 fixture. It gets moderate to high flow, but nothing directed at it. Hosts 1 A.Percula.

This guy has been with me around 8 months and was super small when I got it. It has always had bubbles.

It is my theory that they bubble to get more surface area exposed to the light. That is why I never feed. Also I wont have room when it gets bigger.

The Camera washes out the color, it is a verry nice Rosey pink in color.

 

[MarineFlake]

Mine is about 12 - 14 inches below the fixture. I will be moving it to a larger tank with a 250w MH fixture, it will be interesting to see what happens.

 

[dalston]

So after doing some reaserch I found out that there are 2 forms of E. Quadricolor, shallow and deepwater. It seems that the shallow dwelling kind are mostly 'bubbled' in the wild while the deepwater have a few exception where the tenticles are combined with some bubbled and some extended (these were mostly from the Solomen Islands)