Care and Husbandry

Tank maturity and size

• Keep only in a mature tank with stable chemistry and established biological filtration; avoid adding to newly cycled systems.

Water parameters

• Maintain stable reef parameters: temperature ~78–82°F (22–28°C), specific gravity 1.025–1.026, pH 8.1–8.4, low nutrients (nitrate and phosphate), and consistent alkalinity and calcium for overall reef health.

Lighting and placement

• Provide strong, aquarium-grade lighting (LED/metal halide/T5) and give the anemone a placement where it can receive medium to high light; many specimens will move to find their preferred light and flow level. Anemones will move around your tank and find where they like best. So where you put it in is likely not where it will end up. BTA’s typically like rockwork with good light and flow.

Flow

• Aim for moderate, variable water flow so tentacles gently sway rather than being blasted; avoid direct, constant strong jets against the anemone’s body.

Feeding

• Feed meaty foods (mysis, brine, chopped shrimp, or similar) 1–2 times weekly for small specimens; target food to the oral disk/tentacles with tongs or a turkey baster when possible.

• Alternatively, anemones will filter feed and grow off good light only. Feeding manually directly impacts growth and splitting.

Acclimation and handling

• Acclimate slowly to tank lighting and chemistry through drip acclimation. Minimize direct handling. Avoid exposing the pedal disc to air and avoid squeezing the body. Wear gloves and safety glasses when handling. Anemones can sting and cause different degrees of allergic reactions.

Propagation

• Bubble tips can reproduce by splitting, budding, and spawning under varying conditions. We will only recommend to allow these natural splitting methods to take place.

Precautions

Avoid Nipper Breeds

• Avoid pairing with breeds known for picking at anemones or soft coral, these often are prone to nipping and stressing the anemone.

Stinging and interactions with other corals and livestock

• Bubble tip anemones have potent nematocysts and will sting nearby corals, sessile inverts, and small reef animals if tentacles contact them; provide adequate space (several inches) from other corals or use barriers/placement strategies to prevent contact, but understand that anemones are animals that can move on their own, so they could still move and sting in new locations.

• Some anemones will sting or eat small fishes and inverts that stray too close; don’t house with very small, delicate species unless you monitor closely.

Compatibility with clownfish and other hosts

• Clownfish can form symbioses with bubble tip anemones and may help the anemone by bringing food; ensure clownfish species are compatible and that close monitoring follows introduction.

Health warning and monitoring

• Watch for tissue recession, loss of bubble tips, excessive drifting, or lack of response to feeding; these are signs of poor water quality, inadequate lighting, or stress and require immediate investigation and correction.

Pumps and Motorheads

• Avoid exposed moving parts on aquarium equipment. Anemones are prone to finding the source of their water movement, and without a protective cover, could be sucked in and chopped up. This not only could result in the death of the anemone, but the contents could spread through the tank and decay, causing ammonia spikes and effectively poisoning your tank. In the event something like this happens, it is imperative to remove the debris as soon as possible.

Quick Care Checklist

• Tank maturity: Mature, stable system only.

• Water: 72–82°F, SG 1.025–1.026, pH 8.1–8.4, low nutrients.

• Lighting: Moderate to high aquarium-grade lighting.

• Flow: Moderate, variable flow; no direct blasts.

• Feeding: Meaty foods 1–2× weekly; target feed for best results.

• Placement: Adequate space from other corals; expect some movement.

• Compatibility: Avoid large, aggressive, or hyperactive fish; clownfish are common hosts.