{"product_id":"black-widow-red-bubble-tip-anemone-medium-entacmaea-quadricolor","title":"Black Widow Red Bubble Tip Anemone Medium | Entacmaea quadricolor","description":"\u003ch2\u003eDescription\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Black Widow is a dark colour morph of the Bubble Tip Anemone, \u003cem\u003eEntacmaea quadricolor\u003c\/em\u003e: deep red to burgundy tentacles finished with almost black-green tips. This is a medium specimen, and it offers clownfish a living home while the tentacles keep up a constant gentle sway. Bubble tips are the most forgiving of the true host anemones and the sensible starting point for anyone new to them, but they are still not beginner livestock. Give this one a mature, stable tank and it will reward you for years.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003eNatural Habitat\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEntacmaea quadricolor\u003c\/em\u003e is widespread through the tropical Indo-Pacific and Red Sea, including the Great Barrier Reef, and much of the Australian trade stock is locally collected or aquacultured. Two habits are seen in the wild: large solitary animals sit deeper in dimmer water, while smaller clustered individuals occupy bright, shallow reef flats and show the classic bulbed tentacles. Both anchor the foot deep inside a crack in the rock and extend the tentacles into open water, which is exactly what to provide in the aquarium.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003eAppearance\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTentacles are moderately long and swell into a bulb below the tip when the animal is content, though the bubbling comes and goes with lighting, flow, feeding and whether a clownfish is in residence. A perfectly healthy anemone can look stringy for weeks and then bubble again, so do not read too much into it. In this morph the tentacle bodies are a rich red through to burgundy, contrasting sharply with the dark tips, and the column is usually a deeper red still. A settled disc reaches roughly 30 cm across.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003eTemperament and Compatibility\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eSemi-aggressive. Any coral in direct contact will be burned by the nematocysts, and this is the practical difficulty with anemones in a mixed reef, they move. A newly added animal typically wanders for days or weeks until it finds a crevice it likes, and it may relocate again if lighting, flow or water quality shifts. Give it 20 cm of clear space in every direction, keep it away from prized LPS and SPS, and fit guards to every powerhead, return and overflow intake before it goes in the tank. An anemone shredded in a pump can crash a system.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003eFeeding\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhotosynthetic, so the majority of its energy comes from symbiotic zooxanthellae and lighting is genuinely part of feeding it. Beyond that, target feed meaty foods once or twice a week: chopped prawn, mussel, silverside or fortified mysis, in pieces the tentacles can fold over. A resident clownfish will often bring food to the anemone itself. Do not overfeed, as rejected food left to rot in the disc causes more trouble than a missed meal.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003eCare Requirements\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eProvide at least 100 L, with 200 L or larger recommended so the anemone has somewhere to move without reaching your corals. Hold temperature at 24-27 °C, pH 8.1-8.4 and salinity 1.024-1.026. Lighting should be moderate to high, around 150-250 PAR at the animal, increased gradually over several weeks rather than in one jump. Moderate, turbulent flow is ideal; avoid a direct pump blast. Offer rockwork with crevices and a sandbed and let it choose its own position rather than gluing or wedging it in place. A mature, fully cycled and chemically stable aquarium is essential, and this species should not be added to a system under six months old. Reef safe with caution.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003eBreeding\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis is one of the few anemones that reproduces readily in captivity. Healthy specimens divide by longitudinal fission, splitting into two genetically identical clones, often after a change in conditions or a heavy feed. Sexual reproduction is by broadcast spawning, recorded between January and April in eastern Australian waters, but the resulting larvae are not practical to raise at home. Aquacultured bubble tips originate almost entirely from fission.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003eSpecies Information\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003ctable\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eScientific Name\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEntacmaea quadricolor\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCommon Name\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlack Widow Red Bubble Tip Anemone\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOrigin\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eIndo-Pacific and Red Sea, including the Great Barrier Reef\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaximum Size\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAround 30 cm across the oral disc\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLifespan\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDecades, and effectively indefinite where it divides\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTemperament\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSemi-aggressive, stings corals it contacts\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDifficulty\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eModerate, the most forgiving host anemone but not beginner stock\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMinimum Tank Size\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e100 L\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRecommended Tank Size\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e200 L or larger\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDiet\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePhotosynthetic carnivore: zooxanthellae plus target feeds of chopped prawn, mussel, silverside and mysis\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWater Temperature\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e24-27 °C\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003epH Range\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e8.1-8.4\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSalinity\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1.024-1.026 specific gravity\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSuitable For\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMature, stable reef aquariums with good lighting and guarded pump intakes\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eReef Safe\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eReef safe with caution, stings neighbouring corals and will wander\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePlant Safe\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNot applicable for marine aquariums\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e \u003c\/table\u003e \u003ch2\u003eSuitable Tank Mates\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eBubble tips host more anemonefish than any other species, roughly half of all clownfish. Reliable partners include maroon clownfish (\u003cem\u003ePremnas biaculeatus\u003c\/em\u003e), tomato (\u003cem\u003eAmphiprion frenatus\u003c\/em\u003e), red and black (\u003cem\u003eA. melanopus\u003c\/em\u003e), Clark's (\u003cem\u003eA. clarkii\u003c\/em\u003e) and the Australian barrier reef anemonefish (\u003cem\u003eA. akindynos\u003c\/em\u003e). Ocellaris and percula clownfish will often accept a bubble tip in an aquarium, though they take to it less readily than to a magnificent anemone. Beyond clownfish it suits tangs, wrasses, rabbitfish, anthias, gobies and blennies in a system large enough that fish are not pushed into the tentacles.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003eAvoid Keeping With\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAvoid ornamental shrimp and very small or weak-swimming fish, which can be caught and eaten. Keep it out of reach of LPS, SPS and soft corals, and do not crowd it against other anemone species, which compete chemically. It is unsuitable for newly cycled tanks, low-light systems, aquariums with swinging nutrients or salinity, and any tank with unguarded powerheads.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis medium specimen is sold WYSIWYG, so the exact animal pictured is the one you receive. In-store collection and local delivery are both available. Not sure if it fits your reef? Get in touch, we are always happy to help you choose.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nick's Aquarium Oceanarium Terrarium","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55232767656227,"sku":"BA8805","price":450.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/nicksaquariumoceanariumterrarium.com.au\/products\/black-widow-red-bubble-tip-anemone-medium-entacmaea-quadricolor","provider":"Nicks Aquarium Oceanarium Terrarium","version":"1.0","type":"link"}