Why do bta’s lose the bubble tips?

sarcophytonIndy · Nov 20, 2019

I think it has to do with stress. Mine seem to go bubbly when there is any type of stress or change.

bigdeeezyyyy · Nov 20, 2019

I was wondering this the other day myself...I have 2 RBTAs next to eachother almost at same height in the tank but one has bubbles and other doesnt...been like that since I had both of em in there. The clowns love having 2 homes!

Frey · Nov 20, 2019

I thought this amusing as i was just wondering over the last week if there has been any more fact finding into the reason why sometimes the nems are bubbly and sometimes they are stretched out.
The reason i was wondering this is because my nems have been stretched out for a while. I had not been very good lately at testing and when i just did i noticed my dkh was low. I raised it back up over 3 days and when i was done all the nems were back to being bubbly there are 7 of them now from one minus the few i have given away.
I wouldn't have thought much of it if it were just one or two of them but all 7 shrunk back down.
I didn't adjust or change anything else during this time period, i also don't know if that's the real reason they all did it, but i would be interested in knowing if people raise their dkh and have noticed this as well....

ithk21620 · Nov 20, 2019

In my experience it has to do with the amount of flow, at least in my tank that is. The more flow the more they bubble up. I am sure there are probably other factors too but that has been my main observation. I run my MP's different throughout the day via my apex and when there is a lot of flow my BT's tend to bubble up, but when the flow is more gentle they tend to be more stringy.

I have also noticed that when they split the smaller nems seem to stay bubbly more than the large ones.

Superfizzo · Nov 20, 2019

I recently took the rock that my bubble tip on the left is on and scrubbed it for algae. Since he's been back in the bubbles are bigger than I've ever seen them. I am going to try the same treatment on the other one below it to see if it reacts similarly.

Chefwheredyougo · Nov 20, 2019

ithk21620 said:
In my experience it has to do with the amount of flow, at least in my tank that is. The more flow the more they bubble up. I am sure there are probably other factors too but that has been my main observation. I run my MP's different throughout the day via my apex and when there is a lot of flow my BT's tend to bubble up, but when the flow is more gentle they tend to be more stringy.

I have also noticed that when they split the smaller nems seem to stay bubbly more than the large ones.

Interesting.. if mine were in direct flow it would just shrivel up.

Frey said:
I thought this amusing as i was just wondering over the last week if there has been any more fact finding into the reason why sometimes the nems are bubbly and sometimes they are stretched out.
The reason i was wondering this is because my nems have been stretched out for a while. I had not been very good lately at testing and when i just did i noticed my dkh was low. I raised it back up over 3 days and when i was done all the nems were back to being bubbly there are 7 of them now from one minus the few i have given away.
I wouldn't have thought much of it if it were just one or two of them but all 7 shrunk back down.
I didn't adjust or change anything else during this time period, i also don't know if that's the real reason they all did it, but i would be interested in knowing if people raise their dkh and have noticed this as well....

My dkh is 8.7. I've also wondered the same - I wonder if it has something to do with a certain trace element that's higher in some tanks than others. I'd also like to see bubble tips both bubbled and stretched in the same ocean reef

Brad Vaughn · Nov 20, 2019

Haven't had bubbles in a while. I have friend whose seem to be in lower light and usually show bubbles.

moz71 · Nov 20, 2019

my Experience is opposite most and matches brads in previous post. My last tank was low flow and my light was a cheap marineland led and it grew big and bubbles. Now I have Kessil and lots of flow and they are long and stringy and splitting and growing fast. So who knows

DEWreefing · Nov 20, 2019

Some of mine at 350 par and sps extreme flow

petemichelle · Nov 21, 2019

i noticed when mine lost the bubbles and i fed the heck out of it with frozen mysis, after a while, it got it's bubble back, but only temporarily. I mean fed the heck out of it....

Savoury · Nov 21, 2019

My smaller ones bubble and my larger ones don't. Who knows why. They came that way and stayed that way. It's been several months

Nicholas Dushynsky · Nov 21, 2019

DSC reef said:
Same anemones, different parts of the day. They liked to move.

Hi is that in an evo 13.5 if so what lighting donuts have?

Lasse · Nov 21, 2019

Of cause - there is a reason why they change their physical appearance - we just do not know it for the moment. The only theoretical reason I can see have with the photosynthesis to do. A small individual can probably not compete with larger individuals according catching a prey - especially if the grow just beside them. They need to relay on light energy and bubbles will optimize the photon catching area of the anemone. Triggers for this can be low light, lack of food (weaker flow will bring less food) and some we do not know off. But - IMO - the reason why an individual will chose to bubble up must be connected with their desired energy source. In our tanks - there can be conflicted/strengthening triggers for their chose of phenotype, hence a rather chaotic results can been seen in our aquariums

Sincerely Lasse

Miguel Pxt · Nov 21, 2019

Don’t think it has something to do with the flow or light in the aquarium itself. I have 2 different BTA’s in the same spot (see pic below) and both have different tentacles. Probably it’s due to genetics. I have scuba dived several times in the Red Sea and what I could observe is that BTA’s at deeper spots(less light) have longer tentacles. In lagoon type areas they form bigger bubbles. (Attached pic from Marsa Alam/RedSea)

WallyB · Nov 21, 2019

I'm joining in on this thread. To maybe learn or discover the secret.

Got a BITA many week ago. All bubbly.

It didn't stay bubbly very long in my frag tank with two clowns I hoped would host it. That never Happened.

So I move the BITA to my display tank few weeks ago. It's been moving around like crazy.

Not sure if it has settled down but I see less movement and bubbles are coming back. Started yesterday!!!

No idea why....hoping to clue in on what it might be.

Lasse · Nov 21, 2019

Miguel Pxt said:
Probably it’s due to genetics.

Do not believe it is genetic more than that the genetic allow different phenotype. At least with the clone I have. Why - all of my experiences go back to the same individual that have clone itself (clone - the same genomes). In some aquarium - bubbles, some others not bubbles - in the same water (different aquariums) sometimes bubbles, sometimes not.

Sincerely Lasse

DSC reef · Nov 21, 2019

Nicholas Dushynsky said:
Hi is that in an evo 13.5 if so what lighting donuts have?

Yes, it's the 13.5 It had a current led light on it, non pro.

AdamB · Nov 21, 2019

AdamB said:
What I noticed about my rose bubble tip was it kept its bubble tips for 4 months until I adding sps and upped the flow in tank. RBTA started loosing bubble tips and it’s tentacles lengthened . My lighting stayed the same so I think the flow had everything to do with mine changing .. changed within 2 weeks of adding flow .

Whoops , didn’t post correct after picture with BTA after increased flow

Kevan Sharp · Nov 21, 2019

Jeeperz said:
I had mine for a few months and it was all bubbly, then i was told they should be fed or they could starve and die, was told to use a chunk of silversides. So i thawed one, cut in pieces maybe 1/2" long and fed it. One time i fed it. It lost all its bubbles within a couple days. Two years later, and 2 splits, it still has no bubbles. Just my experience.

I had a nice large rainbow BTA. After a few weeks it moved behind the rocks and a few days later two came out. Ever since then, they keep moving. Sometimes are right on top of each other. One is much smaller and has moved to the top and has been back behind the rocks. It looks like it isn’t going to make it but it keeps going. Neither of them have had bubbles since the split. I’ve heard that it’s best not to feed them and I’ve heard feeding them will make them thrive. I’ve tried both and neither approach seems to matter. I have no idea what’s up with them.

TexasReefer82 · Nov 21, 2019

Does anyone who does much SCUBA diving know if BTA's in the wild lose their bubble tips?

Also, in my experience as well as many others, BTA's often start off "well-bubbled" upon acquisition and then lose the bubbles over time. Perhaps it's due to a deficiency or accumulation of something in the water that builds over time. Trace element deficiency? Maybe they really need Zinc or Rubidium or something not commonly thought of that is present in freshly mixed saltwater (and therefore in newly set up tanks) but becomes deficient over time.