Warp Drive Bubble Tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor)

The Warp Drive Bubble Tip Anemone is a premium color morph of Entacmaea quadricolor, valued for its vivid contrasting coloration and the dynamic movement characteristic of Bubble Tip Anemones. Its fleshy tentacles can develop rounded, bulb-like tips, creating the classic “bubble” appearance, although tentacle shape naturally varies depending on the individual and aquarium conditions. Under blue-spectrum reef lighting, its fluorescent pigments can become especially pronounced.

Unlike stationary corals, the Warp Drive Bubble Tip Anemone anchors its muscular foot within protected rock crevices while extending its oral disc and tentacles into the water column. Once established, its combination of color, expansion, and constant gentle movement can make it an impressive focal point. Like other Bubble Tip Anemones, it may also host compatible clownfish, though hosting behavior is never guaranteed.

Recommended Care

Scientific Name: Entacmaea quadricolor
Common Name: Warp Drive Bubble Tip Anemone, Bubble Tip Anemone
Care Level: Moderate
Lighting: Moderate to High — approximately 100–250 PAR
Water Flow: Moderate — varied, indirect flow that provides gentle tentacle movement without continuously blasting the anemone
Placement: Middle to Upper aquarium; final location is ultimately selected by the anemone
Temperament: Semi-Aggressive
Growth Form: Solitary anemone; established specimens may reproduce naturally through fission
Feeding: Primarily photosynthetic; occasional supplemental feeding with appropriately sized marine foods is beneficial

Placement & Flow

Place the Warp Drive Bubble Tip Anemone in a mature, stable reef aquarium with plenty of rockwork and deep crevices where its foot can attach securely. While you can choose its initial placement, Bubble Tip Anemones may move until they find their preferred combination of light, flow, and protection.

Provide moderate, indirect and varied water movement. The tentacles should sway naturally rather than being pushed continuously in one direction. Excessive direct flow may cause the anemone to remain contracted or relocate.

Because Bubble Tip Anemones can wander and have stinging tentacles, provide adequate separation from neighboring corals. Powerhead and wavemaker intakes should be properly guarded, particularly when introducing a new specimen that has not yet settled into a permanent location.

Lighting

The Warp Drive Bubble Tip Anemone generally performs well under approximately 100–250 PAR, with moderate to moderately high reef lighting being ideal for most established specimens. Individual anemones can have different preferences, so expansion, coloration, and positioning should also be used to evaluate whether the lighting is appropriate.

Gradually acclimate newly introduced specimens to stronger lighting, particularly if their previous lighting conditions are unknown. Blue-spectrum reef lighting can emphasize the fluorescent pigments associated with this morph, while a balanced spectrum provides a more natural representation of its overall coloration.

Feeding

The Warp Drive Bubble Tip Anemone is primarily photosynthetic, receiving much of its energy from symbiotic dinoflagellates living within its tissues. Under appropriate reef lighting, heavy supplemental feeding is unnecessary.

Occasional feeding can support healthy growth and overall condition. Small portions of mysis shrimp, finely chopped shrimp, clam, or other marine-based meaty foods can be offered directly to the tentacles. Avoid oversized portions and excessive feeding, which can result in rejected food and unnecessary nutrient buildup.

The Warp Drive Bubble Tip Anemone combines vivid reef-light coloration with the natural movement and distinctive form that make Bubble Tip Anemones such desirable centerpiece animals. For an established reef aquarium, it offers a dynamic display and the added possibility of a natural hosting relationship with compatible clownfish.