Due to so many people starting to keep various types of anemone in their aquarium tanks we have seen a spike in the number of questions that people ask each month about what they should be doing to care for their anemone as best as possible.
Many people are generally just interested in setting up a reef tank with various types of coral and anemone where as others want an anemone in their tank for their clownfish to host.
Due to how beginner friendly they are by anemone standards, a huge number of people have added one of the various bubble tip anemones to their tank recently. Although they are considered “beginner friendly” you still usually have to have some experience in the aquarium hobby to successfully keep anemones in your tank.
This is why we see so many people reaching out and asking questions about why their bubble tip anemone closed up on them. We decided to write this article going over the more common issues that may cause a bubble tip anemone to close up on you to try and help as many of our readers as possible.
Why Has My Bubble Tip Anemone Closed Up?
There are a number of reasons that your bubble tip anemone may refuse to open but the most common ones are all usually based around issues with the water parameters in your tank.
There are still plenty of other potential problems due to how picky anemones can be so we will offer an overview of each of the more common problems below.
Low Quality Water!
The first and most common reason that your bubble tip anemone has closed up on you is due to the water parameters in your tank not being ideal for anemones.
Bubble tip anemones are very picky when it comes to water quality and they require pristine water conditions to stay healthy and open up properly. This means that you will need to have a very good filtration system in your tank as well as perform regular water changes to keep the water quality high.
If you do not have a very good filtration system or you do not perform regular water changes then it is very likely that the water quality in your tank is not ideal for bubble tip anemones.
You can use a water test kit to test the various water parameters in your tank to see if they are within the ideal range for bubble tip anemones. If any of the parameters are not within the ideal range then you will need to take corrective action to fix the problem.
In most cases, a partial water change of 20-30% should be enough to correct many of the common problems with water parameters to get your bubble tip anemone to open up again.
A Lack Of Nutrients And Food!
Another common reason that bubble tip anemones close up is due to a lack of nutrients and food in their diet.
Many people new to keeping anemones think that they are plants but they are actually animals as they are not able to make their own food internally and require external nutrients.
Another thing that beginners to anemone keeping often fail to realise is that they will almost always have to provide the anemone with some type of nutrients be it a suitable food or a commercial anemone food.
Anemones that are left to try and pull as much nutrients from the water in their tank as possible without being fed will often be malnourished and not open. Correcting any problems with the nutrition of your bubble top anemone can be an easy way to get it to open up again.
Unsuitable Water Flow!
The water flow in your tank is also very important for bubble tip anemones as they need a moderate amount of water flow to stay healthy.
If the water flow in your tank is too low then the anemone will often close up as it is not getting enough oxygen and nutrients.
On the other hand, if the water flow in your tank is too high then the anemone will also close up as it is being blown around too much and is not able to stay in one place.
You will need to find a happy medium with the water flow in your tank to keep your bubble tip anemone healthy and open with the moderate setting on most water pumps being ideal for most aquarium setups with a closed bubble tip anemone in it to get it to reopen.
Sudden Change In Water Parameters!
Another common reason that bubble tip anemones close up is due to a sudden change in one or more of the water parameters in their tank.
As we mentioned above, bubble tip anemones are very picky when it comes to water quality and they do not deal well with sudden changes to any of the parameters.
Therefore, if you have made any changes to your tank such as a water change, adding new fish or corals, or anything else that could potentially affect the water quality then it is possible that this has caused your bubble tip anemone to close up.
You will need to test the water parameters in your tank to see if they have indeed changed and take corrective action to fix the problem if they have.
As we mentioned above, a partial water change of 20-30% should be enough to correct many of the common problems with water parameters and get your bubble tip anemone to open up again.
In the rare situation where you have to do a 100% water change, expect your bubble tip anemone to be closed up for around a week until the ammonia cycle kicks in and then it should open up again.
The Placement Of The Anemone!
The placement of your bubble tip anemone in the tank is also very important as they need to be placed in an area where they will get the correct amount of light, water flow, and nutrients.
If you have placed your bubble tip anemone in an area where it is not getting enough light then it will often struggle but this is usually not enough to cause it to close up without there being other issues.
You will need to place your bubble tip anemone in an area of the tank where it will get the correct amount of light, usually near the top, and make sure that there are no other objects blocking the light from reaching it.
Unsuitable Light!
A bubble top anemone usually needs moderate to high light intensity depending on the rest of your aquarium setup.
This really wouldn’t be an issue for most people but a common issue is that the cheaper lighting units that some tanks come with are unreliable and even though their control setting says that they are putting out moderate or high lighting, it may actually be low.
Thankfully, the more modern lighting units tend not to have this issue but if you are using an order tank then this may be the issue.
The older your lighting unit is, the more likely it is that the bulb may have to be replaced to maintain the actual output setting for its light settings.
Non-Reef Safe Tank Mates!
In some aquariums, people may accidentally have a non-reef safe tank mate in there that will end up nipping or even eating their bubble tip anemone with this being a common cause that the anemone will close up.
If the offending tank mate that is eating or nipping your anemone is not removed from the tank then it may actually end up causing serious problems and potentially resulting in the death of the anemone in some situations.
Many beginners will only have one tank thought so they may not be able to separate the bubble tip anemone and the tank mate that is trying to eat is forcing you to choose between one or the other.
Water pH Levels!
One of the most important water parameters for bubble tip anemones is the pH level as they need it to be within a very specific range in order for them to thrive.
The ideal pH level for bubble tip anemones is between 8.0 and 8.4 with anything outside of that range causing problems.
If the pH level in your tank is too low then it will often result in the bubble tip anemone closing up as they are not able to get the nutrients that they need from the water.
You can test the pH level of your tank using a simple test kit and if it is outside of the ideal range then you will need to take corrective action to fix the problem.
There are a number of ways to raise or lower the pH level in your tank but the most common way is to use chemicals that you can buy from your local aquarium store.
Ammonia And Nitrate Levels!
Ammonia and nitrate levels are also very important for bubble tip anemones as they are very sensitive to these chemicals.
The ideal ammonia level for bubble tip anemones is 0 ppm with even a small amount being potentially harmful to them.
If the ammonia level in your tank is too high then it will often result in the bubble tip anemone closing up as they are not able to get the nutrients that they need from the water.
You can test the ammonia level of your tank using a simple test kit and if it is above 0 ppm then you will need to take corrective action to fix the problem.
The most common way to lower the ammonia level in your tank is to do a water change but you may also need to add chemicals to remove the ammonia if the levels are very high but this is usually not needed.
Water Temperature!
The water temperature is also very important for bubble tip anemones as they need it to be within a very specific range in order for them to thrive.
The ideal water temperature for bubble tip anemones is between 72 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit with anything outside of that range causing problems.
If the water temperature in your tank is too low then it will often result in the bubble tip anemone closing up as they are not able to get the nutrients that they need from the water.
You can test the water temperature of your tank using a simple thermometer and if it is outside of the ideal range then you will need to take corrective action to fix the problem.
Summary Of Why Your Bubble Tip Anemone Closed Up!
We have a summary below of the main reasons that your bubble tip anemone may be closed up:-
- Low Quality Water.
- A Lack Of Nutrients And Food.
- Unsuitable Water Flow!
- Sudden Change In Water Flow Parameters.
- The Placement Of The Anemone.
- Unsuitable Light.
- Non-Reef Safe Tank Mates.
- Water pH Levels.
- Ammonia And Nitrate Levels.
- Water Temperature.
