Ultra Sunburst Bubble Tip Anemone

The Ultra Sunburst Bubble Tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor) is an extraordinary color variety of the popular Bubble Tip Anemone, prized for its intense fluorescence, brilliant coloration, and distinctive tentacle formations.

This exceptional specimen displays a beautiful turquoise-green oral disc with intricate fluorescent green and yellow markings, surrounded by thick, richly colored orange-red tentacles. Many of the tentacles feature contrasting cream-colored speckles and pronounced bulbous tips, creating a spectacular combination of color and texture.

Native to tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific reefs, Entacmaea quadricolor is a photosynthetic sea anemone that maintains a symbiotic relationship with microscopic dinoflagellates living within its tissues. Through photosynthesis, these symbionts supply an important source of nutrition, while the anemone can supplement its energy requirements by capturing small marine prey.

Bubble Tip Anemones are particularly well known for their natural associations with several species of clownfish. Their distinctive tentacles may develop swollen, bubble-shaped tips or extend into longer, flowing forms depending on the individual specimen and environmental conditions.

The Ultra Sunburst coloration offers a remarkable combination of vivid orange-red tentacles and contrasting fluorescent green pigmentation, making this anemone a dramatic centerpiece for an established reef aquarium.

This WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) specimen is individually photographed, allowing you to purchase the exact anemone pictured.

Care Guide

Additional Care Notes

Aquarium Environment: The Ultra Sunburst Bubble Tip Anemone requires an established marine aquarium with stable water chemistry, appropriate illumination, and consistent water circulation. Maintaining stable temperature, salinity, and alkalinity is particularly important, as sudden environmental changes can cause stress and affect the anemone's expansion and attachment.

Placement and Attachment: Provide secure rockwork with natural crevices where the anemone can anchor its pedal disc. In natural reef environments, Entacmaea quadricolor commonly attaches within protected rocky structures while extending its oral disc and tentacles toward available light. The anemone may relocate until it finds suitable conditions.

Lighting and Water Flow: Bubble Tip Anemones contain symbiotic photosynthetic dinoflagellates and require sufficient illumination to support their nutritional needs. Moderate to high reef lighting is generally appropriate, although intensity should be increased gradually to allow acclimation. Research demonstrates that E. quadricolor can adjust to different light environments. Provide moderate, indirect water movement without exposing the animal to a continuous, concentrated current.

Cambridge Core

Feeding and Nutrition: Photosynthesis provides an important source of energy, but Bubble Tip Anemones can also obtain nutrients by capturing food. Offer occasional small portions of thawed mysis shrimp, finely chopped marine shrimp, or similar marine foods. A controlled study of E. quadricolor found that directed feeding reduced weight loss compared with some other experimental treatments, supporting the potential benefits of supplemental nutrition.

Wiley Online Library

Compatibility: Bubble Tip Anemones possess stinging cells capable of damaging nearby corals and other sessile invertebrates. Allow adequate room for expansion and possible movement. This species naturally associates with several clownfish species, although individual fish may not immediately accept an anemone as a host.

Handling and Safety: Avoid unnecessary handling and never forcibly remove an attached anemone from rockwork. Damage to the pedal disc can result in serious injury. Protect wavemaker and pump intakes with appropriate guards, particularly while the anemone is acclimating or moving.

Long-Term Care: Monitor the anemone for secure attachment, consistent expansion, feeding response, and healthy tissue condition. Temporary contraction can occur naturally, but prolonged deflation, tissue deterioration, persistent gaping, or loss of attachment may indicate stress. Color intensity and tentacle shape can vary with environmental conditions.