Bulb Hypothesis for Bubble Tip Anemones

[laverda]

There is a third major food source for BTA. That is the direct intake of nitrates from the water column. It is how some BTA farmers feed them.
My BTAs will have both bubbles and long tentacles on the same anemone. The long tentacles clearly have more surface area to be absorbing light then when they are bubbled.
I normally do not feed MY BTAs at all. I have high nitrates(20-30) and some get food when I feed the fish. I did a little experiment on feeding BTAs krill a while back as a couple insisted feeding them krill would make them bubble. I was skeptical but it was easy enough to try. I started feeding select BTAs krill every other day for over a month with no change at all in their bubbling behavior.
IT IS CLEAR TO ME AT THIS TIME IT IS NOT ANYONE THING THAT MAKES THEM BUBBLE!

 

[atlantean]

There is a third major food source for BTA. That is the direct intake of nitrates from the water column. It is how some BTA farmers feed them.
My BTAs will have both bubbles and long tentacles on the same anemone. The long tentacles clearly have more surface area to be absorbing light then when they are bubbled.
I normally do not feed MY BTAs at all. I have high nitrates(20-30) and some get food when I feed the fish. I did a little experiment on feeding BTAs krill a while back as a couple insisted feeding them krill would make them bubble. I was skeptical but it was easy enough to try. I started feeding select BTAs krill every other day for over a month with no change at all in their bubbling behavior.
IT IS CLEAR TO ME AT THIS TIME IT IS NOT ANYONE THING THAT MAKES THEM BUBBLE!

I imagine the nitrates are more relevant to the zooxanthellae than the anemone itself.

I agree with you that there is no one thing. I feel that it's not properly being acknowledged as an animal behavior, which implies there will be differences among individuals. Instead we get wrapped up in saying things akin to "the doorbell makes my dog bark therefore barking is because of doorbells." Behaviors are more likely under certain environmental stimuli, but aren't solely determined by them. So, its usually most helpful to start with what function it could be serving for the organism, which is what I was trying to do in this thread.

Granted, I'm a psychologist and I'm sure people of other backgrounds prefer the purely biological explanations.

 

[btackerman]

So I do have a strange case. My green bta is bubbled in the morning and extends as the lights come on, I thought originally that it was hunting but majority of my fish end up swimming though at least once a day. I have even touched the tentacles by accident and there was no sting. My roses on the other hand are always extended and do sting but not as bad. One thing I did notice though is where my clowns lay their eggs are where the btas are more clustered and extended. No clue if that plays a part as well.

 

[a hill]

Is anyone actually studying the differences of the tentacles more than saying they’re inflated or not? This likely is not a macro level phenomenon.

I will bet anyone that it’s more related to a microbial process making it inflate. I think studying the contents of the aqueous solution in the tentacles would also give you better results. The will definitely be different.

This is a living biochemical weapon, flow can’t inflate or deflate it, within the scope discussed.

Longer tentacles that flow around seem to have denser coloration and larger mass and larger surface area. I’m not sure how one can suggest bubbles are better for photosynthesis from a simple analytical viewpoint, it just doesn’t add up.

I think microbiome composition will end up being the determining factor. I personally have no knowledge of studies of this nature.

A few different thought,
-Andrew

 

[atlantean]

In my mind, the bubbles serve the same function as a tree that increases photosynthesis by growing branches out to its sides and doesn't only grow straight up.

An interesting update: My rainbow BTA's bubbles has been varying with my phosphate levels. If they fall around .03 or lower, it has much more stretched out tips. If I keep it closer to .04 or slightly above, the bubbled tips return. It's been visually alerting me when I need to be dosing more.