If you plan to get a bubble tip anemone for your reef tank, you probably wonder how big bubble tip anemones get.
The majority of people enter this hobby with nano tanks and eventually move to larger systems.
Anemones are one of the reasons people love saltwater aquariums, so it’s natural to wonder whether they can keep in smaller systems.
Bubble tip anemones can grow quite large reaching sizes up to 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter. You need to provide them with enough space to grow and feel comfortable, otherwise, they will roam all around the tank.
These anemones can be kept in smaller aquariums, but eventually, they will need to be removed to a larger system.
If you want to learn more about the bubble tip anemone and how fast it reaches its full size keep reading.
Related: How to acclimate a bubble tip anemone
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How fast do bubble tip anemones grow?
Bubble tip anemones grow very fast, assuming all the right conditions are provided.
What do I mean by the right conditions?
Well, bubble tip anemones need stable water parameters and reef tanks that are at least six months old to thrive. Frequent feedings are also very important if you want to see faster growth of your bubble tip anemone.
However, all those things won’t matter if the lighting is not good. Bubble tip anemones can live without frequent feedings but won’t survive if the lighting is insufficient.
Make sure that you have appropriate light in your tank and stable water parameters and then you can decide how frequently you should feed your anemone.
Careful what you wish for because in no time you will have a lot of large bubble tip anemones.
Related: Bubble Tip Anemone Water Parameters
What is the best tank size for bubble tip anemone?
Bubble tip anemones require at least a 30-gallon tank size when are juveniles and more than a 100-gallon tank when they reach their maximum size.
However, bubble tip anemones are often sold as small juveniles a couple of inches in size, so most hobbyists keep them in smaller tanks.
Some people even successfully keep them in 10-gallon tanks for a short period of time.
The reason larger tanks are better for keeping bubble tips, even though they are successfully kept in smaller systems, is that in larger tanks is easier to keep stable parameters.
Related: Bubble tip anemone splitting
Why is my bubble tip anemone small?
There are various reasons why your bubble tip anemone is staying small and not growing at all.
The first thing you should check is your water parameters. They need to be stable and without large fluctuations. Never try to chase numbers, just make sure that everything is stable.
The second thing you should check is the lighting. The lighting is the most important source of food for the anemone, so appropriate lighting is a must for keeping anemones.
The third most important is the additional feeding. Target feed your anemone a couple of times a week to see better growth.
If all of those things are on point, most probably the problem is in the flow. In higher flow, bubble tip anemones may struggle fully expand giving them a small appearance.
Related: Bubble Tip Anemone Placement
Final Thoughts
Bubble tip anemones can get quite large, but you don’t need to worry because it won’t happen overnight.
Frequent feedings will definitely accelerate their growth but are not necessary because the bubble tip anemone will get most of the nutrients through photosynthesis.
If you want your bubble tip anemone to stay small for a longer period of time, try to feed it sporadically.
Keep in mind that nothing is guaranteed because they are a lot of different factors that affect the anemone growth rate.
In the end, it’s not the worst thing in the world for your anemone to grow uncontrollably.
You can sell it, return it to your local fish store for credit, or spread the love and share it with other hobbyists.