Bubble Tip Anemone

[cbayer]

Why do some BTA's have shrunken bubble tenacles and others have long extended tenacles. I am in the market for one but I dont like the traditional bubble tip look. I have seen several that have the longer tenacles and thats what I am after. Is there something that causes this or is every anemone different and you just never know what your going to get.

[Texreefer]

all depends on light, water movement, nutrients in water and most importantly MOOD :D mine most of the time has the traditional bubble tip, but stretches out quite a bit mostly when its hungry

[captexas]

There is also a difference between a bubble tip anemone and a long tentacle anemone.

[jroescher]

I have 2 bubble tip anemones. (Had 3, but one recently disappeard, never to be seen again.) They all were the classic green bubble with the pink tip. Over time, the tentacles have grown long. One has tentacle that sometimes stretch out about 6 inches.

[edawgm]

I have what I thought was a gren tip BTA but shortly after getting it it split into two and both now have long tentacles and are red/marron in color. but also have a 4" clown that never leaves them alone.

http://www.maast.org/modules.php?set_albumName=album33&id=nemo1&op=modl oad&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

[JimD]

You can always tell an LTA by the white spots on its underside, BTA's wont have them.

[Bill S]

I have 7 BTAs, 6 are RBTA that are all from one original anemone. And, they are each a bit different! As noted above, when full & happy, the tentacles will become bulb shaped. When hungry, they become longer and thinner.

[edawgm]

Question? What does everyone feed their BTAs? I spot feed mine once every 3 days with brine shrimp and bloodworms. Can I go and get shrimp from the grocery store and feed them that? or what else is there
thanks

[JimD]

Silversides, small pieces 2-3 times a week, or, nothing at all, they do fine on their own with tank scrapins and light.

[cbayer]

Thanks for the feedback on the BTA. I dont like the long tenacle anemone but have considered the Ritteri(Heteractis Magnifica) to host my percula. Any thoughts on the Ritteri?

[edawgm]

Here is a page I found that might help a little and a copy of the section from it about Ritteri
http://fins.actwin.com/species/anemone.html

Heteractis magnifica, Ritteri, African, yellow-tipped anemone
This anemone is usually rather large. Their tentacles are long with very blunt tips that are lighter in color than the shafts. The base may be red or purple but brown is more common.
Good Points- They are relatively common in the market. They are accepted by almost every variety of clownfish.

Bad Points- They tend to move to the highest point in the tank, often up the sides of the glass very near the water return pipe. In nature they tend to be found at the highest parts of the reef exposed to strong light and currents. In the aquarium they will need very strong lighting (metal halide) and very strong alternating (wave) currents to do well. They also have a reputation for being able to catch and eat medium sized non-clownfish.

[Viet-Tin]

I just purchased a ritteri from aqua-tek and so far so good. I placed it on top of the tank and it moved under the rock in a cave right under my metal halides and in front of my wave box current. Also looks like its ready to split. It has opened up a whole lot larger than when at the fish store looks to be about 7-8" across and its a real nice purple with green tips.

[erick]

My BTA, was real small with nice bubble tips when I first got him about 8 mos. ago. Now he's a real brute and has stung anything he can stretch out to touch, he's been elongated for quite some time now and I wonder if he will ever get bubble tips again. He was the size of a golf ball when I got him, now he's more like cantelope (or larger!).
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q316/erick_swanson/DSCF0021.jpg

[caferacermike]

I've had a ritteri for about 6 months or longer. It is doing very well. It lives half in the water and half out. After the bashing I took for saying I had one, I wouldn't recommend anyone else buying one. They are considered extremely difficult for reef tanks. I cannot offer any sort of advice as to how to keep it alive, I've just been lucky. I bought it just thinking "wow that looks nice and I know anemones like high light and I have high light". Several people scolded me after the purchase saying they are impossible to keep alive in captivity. Do your homework and decide if they are right for you. I'm not going to tell you yes or no since mine is doing the exact opposite of what I was yelled at about. I know another reefer with a much nicer tank than mine who bought one and does not think it will pull through.

[jroescher]

Mine looks exactly like erik's. Been that way for about 2 years now.

[brewercm]

My experience was the same as Bills. When nice and full they bubbled up really nicely, when hungry they'd extend out looking for food was my guess.

[cbayer]

Well im hoping to find a bubble tip that resembles a ritteri but it seems theres way to many varibles to count on for that to happen. I imagine just because it extends at the LFS it might not for me due to the different water parameters.

[JimD]

And light.

[jroescher]

If it doesn't look like what you want today, just wait until tommorrow. They have more moods than a woman. It'll look like something you've never seen before.

[sharkboy]

My bubble tip extends during the day as if reaching for light and retracts to the nice oval bulbs during actinic lighting and at night time....