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11 Reasons Your Bubble Tip Anemone Is Dying And How To Fix It!

Our regular readers will probably be aware that we are huge fans of the bubble tip anemone and with its recent spikes in popularity, it definitely seems as though the fish keeping community agrees with us.

Over the last couple of years, a large number of people have added a bubble tip anemone to their reef tank or general marine tank with more and more people doing the same each month.

This has resulted in a number of people reaching out with various questions each month too and we already have articles going over a bubble tip anemone closing up and a bubble tip anemone deflating.

For today’s article though, we are going to be tackling the ultimate problem, why your bubble tip anemone is dying as well as how you can fix the issue!

Why Do My Bubble Tip Anemones Keep Dying?

As with the majority of problems that anemones can end up having, the majority of issues that can cause your bubble tip anemone to start dying are usually all based around water quality.

Still, there are a few niche issues that we see time and time again that are listed in our list below and we will cover all of them in more detail throughout the article:-

  • Low Quality Water!
  • A Lack Of Nutrients And Food!
  • Unsuitable Water Flow!
  • Issues With Water Salenity!
  • 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!

Low Quality Water!

The biggest issue that can often cause your bubble tip anemone to start dying is actually the quality of your water as a whole and not just one specific parameter.

A number of reef keepers forget that all of the different water parameters in their aquarium are interconnected and what might be considered as a small change in one, could lead to big changes in another.

This is why, if you want to keep a bubble tip anemone or any anemone for that matter, you need to make sure that the quality of your water is as close to perfect as possible.

The easiest way to do this is by using a high-quality reverse osmosis filter system which will remove any impurities from your water before it even enters your aquarium.

A Lack Of Nutrients And Food!

Another big issue that can often cause a bubble tip anemone to start dying is a lack of nutrients and food in the water.

Even though bubble tip anemones are capable of catching their own food, they will still benefit from you supplementing their diet with regular feedings of marine based foods.

There are a number of different foods that you can feed your anemone but we would recommend using a mix of mysis shrimp, brine shrimp and krill as this will provide them with everything they need.

Unsuitable Water Flow!

Water flow is one of those parameters that a lot of reef keepers often overlook but it is actually extremely important, especially for anemones.

Bubble tip anemones need a moderate water flow in order to help them digest their food and expel any waste from their bodies and if the water flow in your aquarium is too low, they will start to struggle.

If you think that the water flow in your aquarium might be too low, we would recommend increasing it gradually until you find a level that your anemone is happy with.

Issues With Water Salenity!

Another big issue that can cause your bubble tip anemone to start dying is an issue with the salinity of your water.

Bubble tip anemones are very sensitive to changes in salinity and even a small change can often lead to them becoming stressed which can eventually lead to them dying.

For this reason, it is important that you make sure that the salinity of your water is as stable as possible and we would recommend using a high-quality auto top off system to help you with this.

Sudden Change In Water Flow Parameters!

One of the biggest mistakes that reef keepers make when it comes to keeping anemones is not acclimating them properly before adding them to their aquarium.

Bubble tip anemones are very sensitive to changes in water parameters and if you add them to your aquarium without acclimating them first, they will likely start to die.

The best way to acclimate an anemone is by slowly adding small amounts of water from your aquarium to their container over the course of an hour or so until they are fully acclimated.

The Placement Of The Anemone!

Another big mistake that reef keepers make when it comes to keeping anemones is not paying attention to where they place them in their aquarium.

Bubble tip anemones need a moderate water flow in order to help them digest their food and expel any waste from their bodies and if they are placed in an area of your aquarium with low water flow, they will start to struggle.

In addition to this, bubble tip anemones also need a lot of light in order to photosynthesize and if they are placed in an area of your aquarium that is too dark, they will also start to die.

For this reason, it is important that you place your anemone in an area of your aquarium that has moderate water flow and is well lit.

Unsuitable Light!

As we mentioned above, one of the most important things that a bubble tip anemone needs in order to thrive is light.

Bubble tip anemones need a lot of light in order to photosynthesize and if they are placed in an area of your aquarium that is too dark, they will start to die.

For this reason, it is important that you place your anemone in an area of your aquarium that is well lit.

In addition to this, we would also recommend using a metal halide or LED lighting system as these are the best types of lighting for reef tanks.

Most bubble tip anemones need a moderate to high lighting intensity in their tanks to thrive so keep this in mind when placing your anemone and choosing the lighting unit for your tank.

Non-Reef Safe Tank Mates!

One of the biggest mistakes that reef keepers make when it comes to keeping anemones is not paying attention to the other inhabitants in their aquarium.

Bubble tip anemones are very sensitive to changes in water parameters and if they are placed in an aquarium with non-reef safe fish or invertebrates, they will likely start to die.

For this reason, it is important that you make sure that all of the other inhabitants in your aquarium are reef safe before adding a bubble tip anemone.

You can find a list of reef safe fish and invertebrates here.

Feeding Your Anemone!

Another big mistake that reef keepers make when it comes to keeping anemones is not feeding them enough.

Bubble tip anemones are carnivores and they need to be fed a diet of small meaty foods in order to thrive.

In addition to this, bubble tip anemones also need a lot of light in order to photosynthesize and if they are not fed enough, they will start to die.

For this reason, it is important that you feed your anemone small meaty foods at least once a week and we would also recommend using a high-quality lighting system to help them photosynthesize.

Water pH Levels!

One of the biggest mistakes that reef keepers make when it comes to keeping anemones is not paying attention to the water pH levels in their aquarium.

Bubble tip anemones are very sensitive to changes in water parameters and if the water pH levels in your aquarium are too high or too low, they will likely start to die.

For this reason, it is important that you test the water pH levels in your aquarium on a regular basis and make sure that they are within the optimal range for bubble tip anemones.

The optimal pH range for bubble tip anemones is between 8.0 and 8.4.

Ammonia And Nitrate Levels!

Another big mistake that reef keepers make when it comes to keeping anemones is not paying attention to the ammonia and nitrate levels in their aquarium.

Bubble tip anemones are very sensitive to changes in water parameters and if the ammonia or nitrate levels in your aquarium are too high, they will likely start to die.

For this reason, it is important that you test the ammonia and nitrate levels in your aquarium on a regular basis and make sure that they are within the optimal range for bubble tip anemones.

The optimal ammonia and nitrate levels for bubble tip anemones is 0ppm.

Water Temperature!

One of the biggest mistakes that reef keepers make when it comes to keeping anemones is not paying attention to the water temperature in their aquarium.

Bubble tip anemones are very sensitive to changes in water parameters and if the water temperature in your aquarium is too high or too low, they will likely start to die.

For this reason, it is important that you test the water temperature in your aquarium on a regular basis and make sure that it is within the optimal range for bubble tip anemones.

The optimal water temperature for bubble tip anemones is between 74 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the biggest mistakes that reef keepers make when it comes to keeping anemones are not acclimating them properly, not paying attention to where they place them in their aquarium, not using a suitable lighting system, and not feeding them enough.

If you can avoid these mistakes, you will be well on your way to successfully keeping bubble tip anemones in your reef tank!