ANIMAL: Bubble-Tip Anemone Entacmaea quadricolor Type of Animal: Sea Anemone Habitat: Found from intertidal zones all the way to 131.234 ft deep-rocky crevices, coral rubble areas, areas w/ clownfish, solid reef crevices, adults found deeper than juveniles Location(s): Indo-Pacific Appearance: Come in variety of colors, bulbous tipped tentacles, longer tentacles on older larger deeper water specimens, looks somewhat like a bubble, some specimens don’t have bubble tip appearance Food/Diet: Shrimp, krill, worms, mussels, fish, squid, scraps from host animal food, clownfish waste, mussels, clams, scallops Status in Wild: Stable Lifestyle: Juveniles found in colonies of 40-50, adults found alone or smaller colonies of around 10 Additional Info: Called: Male Female Young: Planula Group: Colony Gestation: 3 days Life Span: 80-100 years Diameter: 0.98-1.64 ft Main predators are angelfish, more venomous anemones, some nudibranchs, & some sea stars. These animals can reproduce sexually & asexually. When reproducing sexually, male & female release sperm/eggs simultaneously. More commonly, they reproduce asexually by splitting in 2. These anemones host variety of clownfish/anemonefish species, forming mutualistic relationships in they protect each other from predators/intruders. Besides associating w/ clownfish/anemonefish, they also associate w/ juvenile Three-Spot Domino Damselfish & different kinds of anemone shrimp. They sting using nematocysts. These stings can sometimes be painful. Often absorb sunshine into body which they later use converting algae into food. They’re photosynthetic animals. Use stinging nematocysts & tentacles to obtain food. They reproduce very easily. Under optimal conditions, they can reproduce every few weeks all year round. Besides using nematocysts/tentacles to catch prey, they also act as filter feeders. Also called Bulb-Tentacle Sea Anemone, Bulb Anemone, Bulb-Tentacle Anemone, Hexacoral, Corn Anemone, Bulb-Tip Anemone, Rose Bubble-Tip Anemone, Maroon Sea Anemone, & Green Bubble-Tip Anemone. Fun Fact(s): These animals should not be handled with one’s bare hands. Preferably, they shouldn’t be handled at all. Due to asexual reproduction, they can live indefinitely. Without adequate lighting, they’ll expel photosynthetic symbiotic zooxanthellae. Many people hand-feed their anemones but it’s preferable to not hand feed. Keeping anemones not for beginner aquarists & these are one of the easier anemones to keep.
