Bubble-tip anemone

Bubble-tip Anemones are a species of sea anemone (Entacmaea quadricolors) named for the bulbous ending on their tentacles. They form symbiotic relationships with clownfish like other anemone, and are one of the most common anemones kept as a pet.

Anatomy
The Bubble Tip Anemone’s anatomy is much like other anemones, but a little different. The Bubble Tip Anemone, along with all other anemones, have a special feature of their anatomy, a nematocyst, that makes them belong in the phylum Cnidaria. The nematocyst is also called an anemone’s stinging cell, since it’s a capsule inside specialized cells of some animals in the phylum Coelenterata, that has a tube that’s barbed and threadlike, and when it’s thrust into an animal as prey or an attacker, the nematocyst gives a sting that paralyzes it. It also has two body layers, like all other cnidarians, the ectoderm and the endoderm, with the jelly-like mesogloea in the middle. The Bubble Tip Anemone has a coelenteron, which makes the digestive, nutrient absorption, and gas exchange functions work. The coelenteron is a single sack-like body cavity. The only opening in the Bubble Tip Anemone is the mouth, and the only things that are supposed to go through the mouth are food, water, and gametes (reproductive cells).

When a Bubble Tip Anemone is fully grown, it’s diameter is usually 12 inches, but when it lives in the deep sea, it has a diameter that’s usually around 20 inches. Bubble Tip Anemones can be tan, orange, brown, and can sometimes be red, pink, maroon, and some common green colors. It’s tentacles are short and the bulb looking parts at the end of the anemone’s tentacles are what gives the anemone the name the Bubble Tip Anemone. When it’s feeding, the anemone’s tentacles become sweeper tentacles to catch food.

Reproduction
Bubble Tip Anemones breed sexually and asexually, usually within a period of weeks. During asexual reproduction, the anemone will usually insert itself in a rock or crevice that would keep it safe, and then a second mouth would start to appear, and then eventually the anemone starts to split. When the anemone splits, the second anemone pulls itself away from the first anemone. Bubble Tip Anemones can split a bunch of times like that.

When an anemone moves, it means it doesn’t like something about that place, and it’s looking for a better place to settle. Bubble Tip Anemones are a little aggressive, and will sting other animals if they get too close, they have really strong stings, unless the anemone close by is the anemone that was from that anemone when it split.

Ecology
There’s lots of things to know about the ecology of a Bubble Tip Anemone. The Bubble Tip Anemone originated from the Indo – Pacific region. It will live in one of two levels in the water, which effects the color of the anemone, either deep inside the water, or close by the surface of the water. A Bubble Tip Anemone needs a good amount of light, performing photosynthesis by way of an endosymbiotic algae (zooxanthellae). They are also omnivorous, consuming almost anything.

Clownfish always have host anemones, and the maroon clownfish’s favorite anemone is the Bubble Tip Anemone. If the Bubble Tip Anemone is being kept in a tank, and you don't have any clownfish there, it’s best to feed the Bubble Tip Anemone some little bits of underwater animal food, like fish, squid or shrimp. Most of a Bubble Tip Anemone’s nutrition is from photosynthesis. Clownfish and Bubble Tip Anemones work together wonderfully, in return for protecting clownfish from predators, clownfish will chase away the fish that eat Bubble Tip Anemone. 

In the wild, Bubble Tip Anemones live for a very long time, in captivity, they don’t live as long, and die quickly if they have the wrong lighting or something like that. They like to live on ledges on live rocks. Clownfish that might use the Bubble Tip Anemone as a host anemone are the Barrier Reef Clownfish, Clark’s Clownfish, Tomato Clownfish, Red and Black Clownfish, Ocellaris Clownfish, and Maroon Clownfish.

Living as a pet
Bubble Tip Anemones are very different in the wild than in captivity. In the wild, they only live in certain places, with the conditions that they like. In the wild, if something changes in the conditions, and they don’t like it, they can move as they wish. In captivity, if something happens they don’t like, they can only go so far, before they have to stop. Bubble Tip Anemones perform photosynthesis, and when living as a pet, they need certain lighting levels, recommended to have at least 50/50 power compacts in tanks, when the tank is 2 feet deep. When tanks are deeper than 2 feet, there needs to be stronger lighting, otherwise the Bubble Tip Anemone would probably die. In a tank, the smallest okay size for a tank is thirty gallons. It’s thought when Bubble Tip Anemones are fed supplements about twice a week they're more likely to split. In a tank with other underwater animals, if too close to something else, they will most likely sting it, they’re nicer to other anemones so there’s less of a chance of another anemone being stung by a Bubble Tip Anemone. Bubble Tip Anemones can get an anemone disease, and when the light is too little, or they aren't fed right, within a few months they’ll wither away and die. 

When they die, they pollute the tank, and then especially if it’s a small tank, it will hurt the other animals in the tank.