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Interesting Facts about Bubble Tip Anemones
[Bubble-tip Anemone Phylum: Cnidaria] [Class: Hexacorallia] [Order: Actiniaria] [Genus: Entacmaea]
The hardy Entacmaea quadricolor is a popular choice of sea anemone in marine aquarium trades. But its bulbous tips also make it one of the most striking in oceanic ecosystems.
This section contains information about the bubble-tip sea anemone, including where they thrive best, what they eat, and how they regenerate asexually.
Entacmaea Quadricolor Habitat and Range
Besides being fairly widespread throughout the Indo-Pacific region, you can also find bubble tip anemones in:
- Australia (including the Solomon Islands)
- Eastern Africa
- Japan
- The Red Sea
In a natural environment, they anchor themselves to dense underwater structures, such as coral reefs and rocky boulders.
The smallest specimens exist in colonies (small groups) in only a few metres of water. Yet, it is also quite common to find them living in clusters in much deeper water - approaching forty metres (130 feet).
Bubble-tip sea anemones thrive best in areas with a plentiful supply of sunlight to support microscopic algae (also called zooxanthellae) and where the flow of water is not too strong.
Pro Tip: Like most of the sea anemone species (Actiniaria), the bubble-tip anemone also supports some species of anemonefish in symbiotic relationships, hosting 14 different classifications of anemone fish, glass anemone shrimp (Periclimenes brevicarpalis), and even the juvenile domino damsel (Dascyllus trimaculatus).
Characteristics of Bubble-tip Anemones
It's true to say that some of the weird fish names chosen by scientists bear little (or no) resemblance to the actual appearance of the creature. For example, the Jack Dempsey fish does not look like a 1920s American boxer.
However, the bubble-tipped anemone is clearly a marine invertebrate animal with distinctive bulbous blue coloured tips on its tentacles. Even so, some of the species display subtle shades and hues of green, orange, and purple.
Here's the thing:
For the most part, the colouration comes from zooxanthellae (symbiotic algae) that live inside their tissues. The relationship also provides the sea anemone with energy through the process of photosynthesis.
This particular species of sea anemones is also able to inflate their tentacles into bubble-like, rounded shapes.
In general, doing so signifies that the creature is healthy and not stressed.
Likewise, deflating their globular tips makes the tentacles appear more slender and usually means they're making an adjustment to the environment (e.g. it feels threatened).
What Do Sea Anemones Eat?
When they're not using the stinging cells (cnidocytes) to ensnare prey, most sea anemone species can retract their tentacles back inside the body cavity.
So, they get their nourishment from various kinds of symbiotic relationships with other organisms, but especially:
- Anemonefish (clownfish)
- Hermit crabs
- Green algae
- Single-celled dinoflagellates
- Zooxanthellae
Ocean anemones are carnivorous predators. They use their stinging tentacles and lips to devour large crustaceans (e.g. crabs, sea urchins), and various kinds of marine molluscs.
Pro Tip: Despite not generally being a danger to human life, it's best not to touch bubble-tip anemones with bare hands because their stinging nematocysts can cause a burning sensation.
How Do Sea Anemones Reproduce?
In fact, sea anemones can reproduce sexually, by casting sperm and eggs into the water column, and by asexual reproduction (e.g. the regeneration of new polyps).
After fertilisation, the eggs drift with plankton until they have developed into free-swimming larvae. At this point, they will find a suitable place on the seabed to settle and grow into juvenile polyps.
Threats and Predators
Our fish aquarium beginners guide explains why some hobbyists are using sea anemones in reef aquariums. As a consequence of that, some sea anemone populations are decreasing in certain regions around the world.
Aquarium Care for Bubble-tip Anemones
Unless you're a complete beginner as a fishkeeping hobbyist, you should find bubble-tips among the easiest living anemone species to take care of in an aquarium. They also make compatible tank mates for the vast majority of popular aquarium fish kept by hobbyists.
Besides stable water conditions (e.g. temperature around 80° Fahrenheit), and salinity between 1.023 and 1.026, they will need strong lighting - but only a moderate water flow.
In case you were wondering...
Adult bubble-tip anemones can grow up to thirty (30) centimetres in diameter in the wild (about 12 inches). But, the specimens kept in home aquariums tend to be notably smaller.
So, what eats sea anemones in the wild? In fact, their common enemies include a range of fish families (especially pufferfish), sea snails, sea stars, and sea turtles.
Important: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is a comprehensive source of information about the global conservation status of animals, fungi, and plants. Currently, the IUCN lists most sea anemones species as Least Concern (LC).