Tip shape on the BTAs...

[Rue]

When I got my GBTA it had slim tentacles. After a few days in the tank it started getting the bubble tips, but not the extreme ones...

A few weeks later...it maintains that middle of the road bubble tip...

...do the changes in tip shape mean anything? Couldn't find any info. on it...

 

[Mastermind]

As far as I've found, no one knows exactly what causes the bubbles. People have theories about water conditions, lighting, etc causing them.

 

[Rue]

...well, at least I didn't miss any obvious info! Thanks!!!

 

[kar93]

nothing determines why they hav bubble tips people say its the presence of a clownfish but noone really knows ( at least i dont think they do )

 

[Slakker]

Well...SOMETHING determines it, but we don't know for sure yet what it is. Some say clownfish, others say they bubble up under low light, high light, moderate light, low flow, moderate flow, high flow, low feeding, moderate feeding, high feeding...

To cut myself off, lots of people have observed a lot of different things that make a difference with their particular BTA.

 

[RobsReefs]

I personally think it has to do with feeding. My GBTA's tentacles get long and skinny if I don't feed for 4-5 days and just the opposite if I feed every day. but this is just my experience with one GBTA.
i think it is trying harder to catch food. although my clown is the one that feeds it, I just hold a silverside in the water and up she comes and snatches it from me and takes it to her nem.

 

[garygb]

Whatever the case, most concede that long and thin or thick and bulbed, the anemones health is not in jeopardy either way. I have six BTA's (all clones, thus genetically identical) and sometimes one will have bulbs, right next to one that doesn't, and I feed the same days. Mystery!

 

[Rue]

...in my case it's not the presence of the clownfish...mine got the bubble tips before I got the clownfish...

 

[Eklikewhoa]

Mine had super bulb tips when I first got it and in the tank at the LFS there was no clown....got it home and it stayed that way for awhile but eventually lost the extreme bulbs and now just have a bump.

 

[sho]

Hi, guys... I got a question.

When the metal halide (150W) is on, my nems' tentacles are extremely bubbled-up and are close to the body. This is very true for the one directly under the light. The tentacles are so close together, so much that the clowns cannot swim in the nems.

When the light is off, the tentacles become long and less bubbled. And the clowns would start hosting the nems.

So, does this mean my light is too much for them? Previously, 1 nem is only under actinics @ the lfs and the other is under T5HO.