what makes a bubble anemone bubble?

Glxygirl1208 · Dec 27, 2011

I got a new GBTA a couple days ago and it is still trying to settle into my tank. In the store it didn't have bubbles either and only one of the RBTAs did in store. I still have yet to see any bubbles form. Any idea what helps to make them bubble?

GR808 · Dec 28, 2011

not sure!! that's the million dollar question. I have an RBTA and I have seen a few tentacles bubble but not the whole thing. Kinda weird but I don't think anyone really knows what causes them to bubble. I'll be tagging along to find out what everyone has to say.

CJO · Dec 28, 2011

Some people say salinity, some people say flow, some people say lighting, some people say feeding, some people says it depends on the anemone... no one knows for certain!

CJ

swannyson7 · Dec 28, 2011

CJO said:
Some people say salinity, some people say flow, some people say lighting, some people say feeding, some people says it depends on the anemone... no one knows for certain!

CJ

+1, but I disagree that it depends on the nem. In my previous setup, none of my BTA had the bubble tips, but once they were moved into my 180, they bubbled up within a few weeks and have stayed that way for about a year and a half.

akabryanhall · Dec 28, 2011

Every one I've gotten to bubble has been in low flow. Could be coincidence

clowns101 · Dec 28, 2011

Low flow is key IMO. Worked for me, aswell as DD, and Bryan.

redtop03 · Dec 28, 2011

my only bubbling anemone is almost directly in front of my MP60 and seems to love the strong flow,it almost died once,my clowns were very aggressive in it,I had to remove it and nurse it back to health,it didn't bubble much before that,now it stays bubbled.....my 2 RBTAs never bubble :(

Glxygirl1208 · Dec 28, 2011

that's interesting! I wonder if mine ever will. It has moved 3 time since I put it in my tank. still not sure where he'll end up!

redtop03 · Dec 28, 2011

Lynnmw1208 said:
that's interesting! I wonder if mine ever will. It has moved 3 time since I put it in my tank. still not sure where he'll end up!

once they finds a place they're happy with,they'll normally stay put....just watch it and don't let it get near any powerheads or pump intakes

Glxygirl1208 · Dec 29, 2011

redtop03 said:
once they finds a place they're happy with,they'll normally stay put....just watch it and don't let it get near any powerheads or pump intakes

yeah I zip-tied some foam onto my koralias just in case :angel:

Nicks387 · Dec 29, 2011

I have mine in pretty high flow and they have been bubbled for 3 yerars now so its not the flow. I don't know what it is really, I dont feed them either, although they do catch some pellets that fall on them. Its strange that some don't bubble, when I first got mine it was bubbled and then it lost the bubbles for about 6 months, then it bubbled up again and has split twice, all the splits have bubbled and stayed that way for years now. I noticed that when bubbled they are more aggresive, or sticky to the touch. Maybe feeding them often is what makes the bubbles go away as its not aggressively looking to feed since food is coming easy. Just an observation with mine, I dont feed mine and they are bubbled and sticky to touch.

nicodim55 · Dec 29, 2011

+1 I have gbta's and rbta's and I don't feed mine either and they all bubble up except the rbta.

Glxygirl1208 · Dec 30, 2011

Interesting about feeding. I have heard from a lot of people that's it's not really necessary to feed them. so far any food that comes close my cleaner shrimp steals anyway... lol. My anemone is getting close to my acros.... hopefully the flow will be too high up there for him

Aquaph8 · Dec 30, 2011

Mine went from really bubbled in my 125 to no bubbles in my 225. I really miss the bubbles.

REEFKEEPER10 · Dec 30, 2011

I have read that bubble up when happy and don't when hungry but from what you guys have said it can't be true. the three anemones I have all bubble either way but one found a power head, one found my overflow and the other went into hiding and died so I gave up on keeping one.

spscrazy · Dec 30, 2011

I got a gbta about 4 yrs ago lfs had just gotten it so was still in the bag got it home no bubbles 3 1/2 years later no bubbles last summer I decided to pull everything that was not sps & put it into a 40 g tank it developed bubbles in about 2 weeks to my surprise flow was about the same but the lighting was not as good nothing was happy under the pc light & I missed all the stuff in the main display so put it all back bubbles were gone in a few days but everything was happier so for mine it gets bubbles when it's unhappy

chestnud · Dec 30, 2011

Mine finally bubbled after swapping lights. In the shop it had nice "bubbled" tentacles. Took it home and tossed it in my personal tank and the tentacles got stringy under the AI's. Stayed that way for a while. Swapped over to the ecotechs and two weeks later the tentacles fattened up and have stayed that way ever since.

Glxygirl1208 · Dec 30, 2011

Aquaph8 said:
Mine went from really bubbled in my 125 to no bubbles in my 225. I really miss the bubbles.

What was the main diff between the tanks? or was everything entirely different?

spscrazy said:
I got a gbta about 4 yrs ago lfs had just gotten it so was still in the bag got it home no bubbles 3 1/2 years later no bubbles last summer I decided to pull everything that was not sps & put it into a 40 g tank it developed bubbles in about 2 weeks to my surprise flow was about the same but the lighting was not as good nothing was happy under the pc light & I missed all the stuff in the main display so put it all back bubbles were gone in a few days but everything was happier so for mine it gets bubbles when it's unhappy

very odd you had an opposite reaction

chestnud said:
Mine finally bubbled after swapping lights. In the shop it had nice "bubbled" tentacles. Took it home and tossed it in my personal tank and the tentacles got stringy under the AI's. Stayed that way for a while. Swapped over to the ecotechs and two weeks later the tentacles fattened up and have stayed that way ever since.

I wish I could get the ecotechs... I run T-5 on my tank and the anemone was under MH in the store. I never saw bubbles on this anemone so I may not ever see them. Right now he's being dumb and traveling towards more and more flow...

niftyjosh · Dec 30, 2011

I'm running a mp10 and a 40 for flow and 2 Radions with a 8-10" RBTA and a 3/4" RBTA.

The big one, which is on the very bottom of my tank, will puff randomly in moderate flow while the small one (which is the only "split" I've ever had and it was so small I thought it was a majano at first) is 6" away from the mp10 and bubbled at all times.

I never directly feed them.

mohamad ali · Jan 7, 2013

Help here too

swannyson7 said:
+1, but I disagree that it depends on the nem. In my previous setup, none of my BTA had the bubble tips, but once they were moved into my 180, they bubbled up within a few weeks and have stayed that way for about a year and a half.

Hey man what do u think of those s