Anthias, beautiful fish but hard to keep?

[gtrigger]

Hi guys,

Do you keep anthias in your tank? What types of anthias are you keeping? Are they easy to keep? How long can they survive in a reef tank?

I am just curious since I have found some of my anthias are doing much better than the others. Currently I keep dispar anthias; purple queen anthias; tiger queen anthias, lyretail anthias and one yellow anthia.

Although almost all of my anthias are feeding well, but the purple queens seem to feed the least and are growing thinner day by day.

Any comments?

[nicky30092002]

tiger queen anthias

where & how much ..

[Chris]

Some species are easier than others.

My list:

Dispar : 1.5 years

Ventralis : 1 year

Sunburst : 9 months

Bartlett : 7-8 months

Tri-colour : 1.5 years

The above are all easy to feed and keep, provided water is good and tank is matured.

Squarespot and purple queen : at most 3 months

I stop trying after 2 times as they are difficult to sustain, even thought they were eating cyclopeeze.

Now that my refugium produces quite a lot of planktonic organism, I might try again PQ.

[gtrigger]

Hi Nicky,

Tiger Queen anthia.. I bought from sealife, about $7-8, don't quite remember liao.

Hi Chris,

You are really an expert on anthias. What do you feed besides cyclopeeze?

[corrado]

hi

I believe we are more than willing to feed anything to

anthias so long they eat.

Mine take Cyclops & golden pearls readily.

the trick is to starve them.

I know i am threading on ice. its been a year.

[Achilles Tang]

Starve them? Anthias need to be fed a few times a day or they will lose weight.

From the list of commonly sold anthias = from the easiest to hardest (in my experience), baring any problems with poor acclimatization, possible cynanide poisoning...

bartlett

dispar

squarespot

sunburst

purple queen

Purple queens are beautiful but they are the hardest to keep alive... which is a pity. Bartletts are expensive but worth every cent for their colour and that they are not fussy fish... everything also whack!

[FuEl]

You don't slimpy starve them..you got to wean them. I started my 2 purple queens on newly hatched brine shrimp..then mixed in a lil of cyclops..then now both are taking mysis already.

You won't believe where in the world i got my anthias from.

[Achilles Tang]

Reincarnation Shop?

[FuEl]

AHhaha..yea...AT knows me so well.. simply because i saw them pecking at stuff in the water...so I thought I would just try them out..so got 2 smaller size ones cause I think they would adapt better...starting got whitespot..but they recovered..after being fed garlic soaked food everyday.

Din know they were the hardest anthias to keep..hai...been with me for 2 weeks already..coming to 3 weeks...still to early to know if they will survive...well..hope the mysis keeps them full and fat..

[bawater]

Everybody left out the super duper robust

Truncate fairy Anthias ...........can almost feed out of your hand (or bite your finger off)

[giantbicycle]

Which anthias is easy for beginner like me. My beginner means that ...... easy to get it to feed and can last ..

[gtrigger]

My two Lyretail Anthias are always hungry for food; super active and quite aggresive. They should be quite hardy.

[FuEl]

Truncate and Lyretail anthias can be found at PR...saw their feeding response...very healthy!

[ryz]

Planning on keeping dispar anthias, bicolour anthias or fairy basslet anthias.

Which one best for 3 feet? Heard they do best in harems. 1 male many females.

How to differentiate between the sexes??

What are the special caare that anthias require?

How many of them do you reccomend I keep?

Thanks!

[Dispar_Anthias]

So far i have tried out few kinds of anthias.... Manage tyo get all of them to eat even for purple queen...

Easy to keep anthias

1)truncate fairy

2)lyretail anthias aka squaminpinnis

3)squarespot anthias

4)tri- color anthias

5)dispar anthias

6)barlett- never kept them before but read up on them and feedback from those who kept them was this anthias eat everything you throw into the tank.

Not so easy-

1)purple queen

2)sunburst- mine is doing very well, wack almost everything and has gorwn abit since i bought it at ard 1cm plus

[DeepBlue]

Is your purple queen still ard, talked to boss...heard very few cases survived more than 6 months

[Dispar_Anthias]

Is your purple queen still ard, talked to boss...heard very few cases survived more than 6 months

Yup still ard

[DeepBlue]

for how long??? do they go well with tiger queen anthias??

[FuEl]

Think the thing to getting harder species to feed is to purchase smaller to sub-adult specimens. Might be easier to train them.

Those who are keeping purple queen anthias..you might like to try feeding them bbs to initiate a feeding response. I've found that mine take mysis..but not the whole mysis. Lightly blending mysis might be a solution.

I feed mine 3 times daily..not sure if it is enough.

[bwilly]

Yup still ard

where u go dear.. miss an old fren like dat..

haha..

miss your quote when u view ppl tank

"ah.. I think overstock...3ft tank 8fishes.."

[FuEl]

Huh....8 fishes overstock meh..lucky he din see my tank..