Bubble-tip anemone

버블팁말미잘

An anemone whose tentacle tips swell into little bubbles, and a favourite home for clownfish. Algae living inside it make food from sunlight and share it, while the clownfish hides safely among the stinging tentacles.

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At a glance

Class: Jellyfish & corals
Diet: Meat eater (carnivore)
Habitat: coral reefs

Quick answers

Where does the Bubble-tip anemone live?

It lives in coral reefs of the Pacific and Indian oceans.

What does the Bubble-tip anemone eat?

Its diet: meat eater (carnivore).

The bubble-tip anemone is a sea anemone of the tropical Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea. Its name comes from the little bulbs at the tips of its tentacles. It comes in colours such as rose, orange, red and green and can grow up to 30 centimetres across.

It is a favourite home for clownfish. The fish gets shelter among the stinging tentacles, and the anemone gets protection from predators and some food. The anemones are related to corals and jellyfish and have a sticky, stinging touch. Its tentacles are used to filter food, and it also feeds through its algae partners. Different morphs of the animal live in the sea.

Sunlight and snacks

Most of the anemone's energy comes from tiny algae called zooxanthellae that live in its tissues and use sunlight. It also filter feeds with its sweeping tentacles and eats waste and debris cleaned from the clownfish. The clownfish brushes against the tentacles to build up a coat of mucus that keeps it safe. Because algae live in its tissues, bubble-tip anemones need good light and live in sunny reef waters.

Two looks

Large adults often live deeper in dim water and have long, stringy tentacles. Smaller, younger anemones live near the surface in bright light, in groups, and show the round bulbs. The bulbs depend on things like water flow, light, bacteria, colour and whether it is hosting fish. In home aquariums, they are kept with medium water flow and medium light, but their natural reef home is the best place for them.

Fun facts

It is one of the anemones that clownfish live in; a coat of mucus protects the fish from its stings.
The bulbs on its tentacle tips give it its name.
It can host several kinds of anemonefish.
It can be rose, orange, red or green.