True Colorado Sunburst anemone

Description

Colorado Sunburst Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor)

Ahhh, same species as the bubble tip in every shop tank — I know. Read on.

The Colorado Sunburst is a named, aquacultured line rather than a wild colour form — one animal that turned up in a Denver shipment years ago, and every Sunburst in the hobby since is a split off that original. Like torches, bubble tips run in named varieties — Chicago, Black Widow, Lemon Drop, Inferno — and the Colorado is the one people chase.
The colour is the point. A neon orange-to-red body opening into bright yellow-gold tips, a green-teal mouth, white speckling through the body and a marbled foot. Under blue light it doesn’t just look bright, it looks lit from inside. Put one next to a standard rose or red bubble tip and the red one disappears. That comparison is the whole pitch — photographs, including ours, undersell it.
Because supply is entirely captive-grown, there’s no shortcut. Nobody collects these; someone grew this one out. That’s why a standard bubble tip is £30 and this is typically £250–350.
Keeping it: hardy as anemones go, and it’ll host clownfish as readily as any bubble tip. Wants a mature, stable system — not a new setup — with moderate flow and medium-to-high light (roughly 150–350 PAR). Photosynthetic, but feed it weekly. Guard your powerheads and overflow; it will move until it finds a spot it likes.
One thing to know before you buy: high-end bubble tips have a reputation for not tolerating other anemones sharing their water — not just their rock, their system. Plenty of people mix them successfully, plenty have lost one overnight. If you already keep anemones, go in knowing that.

Why ours is £160
You’ll usually see Colorado Sunbursts listed at £250 and up. Have a look on the UK Reef Market and compare — we’d rather you did.
We’re not charging less because there’s something wrong with it. We’re charging less because ours are growing well, we’re not paying an importer, and this hobby is expensive enough already. £160 is what this animal is worth to us. If it splits and we have more, they’ll be £160 too.