Puple queen anthias

ladylinn

Member
anyone familiar with them. Did an impulse purchase without reading on them. Hides alot is it normal? :notsure:
 
K

kalied20

Guest
I got three of them about two weeks ago. I got them to eat but soaking their food in garlic. They do hide a lot, but mine will come out when no one is at the tank. Everyone said they are hard to keep, but so far so good for me.
I ordered some zooplankton for them to eat and they love that stuff. I got them to eat with cylcopeeze.
 

promisetbg

Active Member
Originally Posted by kalied20
I got three of them about two weeks ago. I got them to eat but soaking their food in garlic. They do hide a lot, but mine will come out when no one is at the tank. Everyone said they are hard to keep, but so far so good for me.
I ordered some zooplankton for them to eat and they love that stuff. I got them to eat with cylcopeeze.
You are one of the very few. I think key to this fish may be other very peaceful tankmates, and none that outcompete at feeding time. They also do best in extremely large reef tanks. As a rule they usually don't make it due to refusal to eat. Gorgeous fish though. Anthias need to be fed several times a day, it's what makes keeping them very difficult when trying to also keep nutrients down in a reef.
 

puffer32

Active Member
I purchased 2 once, neither would eat, and i tried everything...............150 gal tank didn't help, i believe my other fish frightened them into the rockwork and they were afraid to come out to eat.
 
K

kalied20

Guest
I think mine are doing good so far because they have taken up with the 5 chromis. They feed and swim around with them for a couple of days now.
 

stanlalee

Active Member
You wont find 5 people on the planet that have been able to keep them past the 6 month mark in a home aquarium setting.
 

ladylinn

Member
Thanks for the input. But if once you get them eating, why are they hard to keep? Mine comes comes when there is food floating around, looks like he wants to eat but just looks around. Do have a wrasse that is pretty fast, but theres still food. how long before its starves?
 

stanlalee

Active Member
I'm not exactly sure why they dont do well in captivity but before I purchased my four lyretail anthias I did alot of research including purchasing scott michaels reef fishes and accounts of trying to keep them on reef central. I dont think anyone knows for sure but some theories/problems:
a) dont acclimate well to well lit tanks. Most commonly found at depths of over 100ft sometimes associated with juvi tile fish. scott michaels recommends these fish not be kept in shallow reef aquariums (which is basically any reef tank that isn't more than 24" deep);
b) difficult to feed
c) fragile and prone to parasitic infections
d) stong current natural envirnment hard to duplicate
anyhow this species is given a suitability index rating of 2 (1-5) with 2 being described as: "Most individuals of these species do not acclimate to the home aquarium, often refusing to feed and wasting away in captivity. However the occasional individual may adapt if kept in optimal water conditions and housed on its own or with noncompetitive tankmates. These species are best left in the wild or ordered only by the experienced aquarist with the aptitude and willingness to devote the time and energy to maintaining them.
only barlett and lyretail anthias score 4 and no anthias score a 5 (most psuedochromis, hawkfish, groupers ect score 5). for comparison square spots and pictillis (the one Murph145 has) have scores of 3 and most score somewhere between 2-3.
 

rykna

Active Member
Originally Posted by ladylinn
Thanks for the input. But if once you get them eating, why are they hard to keep? Mine comes comes when there is food floating around, looks like he wants to eat but just looks around. Do have a wrasse that is pretty fast, but theres still food. how long before its starves?

Hi, Black sheep of the family forum here.....
That is baloney!!!!
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...ot_parent_id=4
Minimum Tank Size: 70 gallons
Care Level: Moderate
Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.020-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12
Max. Size In Aquarium: Up to 6"
Color Form: Orange, Pearly, Pink, Red, Red Tip
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Compatible: Yes
Diet: Carnivore
Compatibility: View Chart
Origin: Maldives
Family: Serranidae
The Purple Queen Anthias is one of the Anthias groups that is moderately easy to keep. Once thought to be the same fish as the Striped Anthias, this was resolved by territorial identification with the Striped Anthias being endemic to the Red Sea, while the Red Fairy Anthias is found in the Red Sea, Maldives and along the Great Barrier Reef. The Red Fairy Anthias is also referred to as the Tricolor Anthias, Cooper's Anthias, Red Fairy Basslet, Silver Streak, or Kashiwae Anthias. A well developed lateral red bar and a red caudal fin differentiate the male from a female which only has red tips on the caudal fin and a pinkish-orange body color.
This is one of the few Anthias that can be kept with other varieties, e.g.; the Lyretail, Squarespot, and Purple Queen. Use caution when introducing the Red Fairy Anthias to a tank. If there is aggressive or deadly behavior, the fish should be separated. It is best kept in a 25 gallon tank as a single specimen, or in a minimum of 70 gallon tank for a group. The Tricolor needs a large amount of room in which to swim.
Anthias species all share the trait of being hermaphroditic.
The Red Fairy Anthias does best on a diet of zooplankton and benefits from the presence of a gorgonian coral in the tank.
:happyfish got pics of the little queen?
 
K

kalied20

Guest
I got this fuzzy pic of mine....
I have turned up all my 820 sieos and upgraded my return pump to about 900gph and put two hydro coralina 400gph each . The flow is strong just about everywhere. they are in my 90 gallon and are doing pretty good so far.
 

promisetbg

Active Member
Originally Posted by Rykna
Hi, Black sheep of the family forum here.....
That is baloney!!!!
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...ot_parent_id=4
Minimum Tank Size: 70 gallons
Care Level: Moderate
Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.020-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12
Max. Size In Aquarium: Up to 6"
Color Form: Orange, Pearly, Pink, Red, Red Tip
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Compatible: Yes
Diet: Carnivore
Compatibility: View Chart
Origin: Maldives
Family: Serranidae
The Purple Queen Anthias is one of the Anthias groups that is moderately easy to keep. Once thought to be the same fish as the Striped Anthias, this was resolved by territorial identification with the Striped Anthias being endemic to the Red Sea, while the Red Fairy Anthias is found in the Red Sea, Maldives and along the Great Barrier Reef. The Red Fairy Anthias is also referred to as the Tricolor Anthias, Cooper's Anthias, Red Fairy Basslet, Silver Streak, or Kashiwae Anthias. A well developed lateral red bar and a red caudal fin differentiate the male from a female which only has red tips on the caudal fin and a pinkish-orange body color.
This is one of the few Anthias that can be kept with other varieties, e.g.; the Lyretail, Squarespot, and Purple Queen. Use caution when introducing the Red Fairy Anthias to a tank. If there is aggressive or deadly behavior, the fish should be separated. It is best kept in a 25 gallon tank as a single specimen, or in a minimum of 70 gallon tank for a group. The Tricolor needs a large amount of room in which to swim.
Anthias species all share the trait of being hermaphroditic.
The Red Fairy Anthias does best on a diet of zooplankton and benefits from the presence of a gorgonian coral in the tank.
:happyfish got pics of the little queen?
Experience wins out over this written description trying to encourage you to buy them. It is a fact that they just don't do well. Besides, if you read that description carefully, it appears whoever wrote it is somewhat confused about which anthias they are talking about. It begins describing a purple queen, and then speaks of a red anthias. A purple queen anthias is just that...PURPLE.
 

rykna

Active Member

Originally Posted by promisetbg
Experience wins out over this written description trying to encourage you to buy them. It is a fact that they just don't do well. Besides, if you read that description carefully, it appears whoever wrote it is somewhat confused about which anthias they are talking about. It begins describing a purple queen, and then speaks of a red anthias. A purple queen anthias is just that...PURPLE.
Okay...you want the scientific version??? :mad:
The Pseudanthis Bartlettorum other wise known as the "Bartlett's Anthias" IE the information I gave above, Which is in the same family as the Pseudathis Pascalus other wise known as the "Purple Queen Anthias". The PQA is a difficult species to care for, however, NOT impossible, The best way to keep PQA is to have a plankton-laden refugium attached to the tank. The PBA, which IS realted to the PQA is a eaiser fish to keep but has similar needs for care and food.
If you have information regarding the captive care of a Purple Queen Anthias I would be very happy to hear more, however you might consider using Constructive
criticism.
 

rykna

Active Member
Originally Posted by ladylinn
best I can do with pix

Beautiful fish!!! Corals look happy too
 

promisetbg

Active Member

Originally Posted by Rykna
Okay...you want the scientific version??? :mad:
If you have information regarding the captive care of a Purple Queen Anthias I would be very happy to hear more, however you might consider using Constructive
criticism.
Whoah....hold on. You are reading much more into what I have written. One of the problems with the internet, you cannot see intention. Mine is never to chastise or belittle. My post was constructive. I am trying to stress to you this fish is extremely hard to keep, anything written to the contrary is incorrect. Please don't take my comments as anything more than what I have learned from experience.
Here are some things to consider, which may explain why some fish just don't take to captive care. This fish comes from deepwater, it schools by the thousands, it is then caught, taken to the surface, transported several times before it reaches your LFS. During this time chances are the fish is'nt eating due to stress. It is placed in a small holding tank, where it is now surrounded constantly by people. Enter the hobbyist, who then takes this fish home, acclimates it again to chances are different parameters , flow patterns, lighting, tankmates, food choices.....the list goes on.During all this stress the fish has to be resistant to parasites, pathogens, bacterias.... It almost makes you wonder sometimes how any fish can survive all this. :thinking:
 

rykna

Active Member
promisetbg said:
Whoah....hold on. You are reading much more into what I have written. One of the problems with the internet, you cannot see intention. Mine is never to chastise or belittle. My post was constructive. I am trying to stress to you this fish is extremely hard to keep, anything written to the contrary is incorrect. Please don't take my comments as anything more than what I have learned from experience.
QUOTE]
My apologies promisetbg
You're absolutely right. We have all been misinterpreted, especially online. Everyone has also been the target of people online who have nothing better to do than make trouble. Again I apolgize for the misunderstanding. Thanks for being openminded and willing to forgive.

Since you have tons of info about Anthias. I'd love to hear more. I once thought about purchasing them, but did not due to the contents of my tank.
They are beautiful fish.....and are sold at many salt water stores. And as you said, most places will tell you any "fish" story to get a sale. What are the difficulties with housing Anthias? :happyfish
Thanks again
RYkna
 

joojoo

Member
In my limited Anthias experience, to do well in captivity, they need several things to be comfortable:
1) At least a group of 3. I had my LFS feed the Anthias tank before I bought one and there were 4 in there, they all gobbled up the Mysis Shrimp, but once home, the single fish did not eat again.
2) They need to be fed at least twice a day. They are natural planktivores, consuming tiny amounts of food at a time, so several small meals during the day will be needed to sustain a healthy fish.
3) Peaceful tankmates. Since the tank is now being fed to the Anthias' needs rather than the other fish, small amounts of food are being offered, instead of the usual feeding time. Any other fish will hurriedly race to and most likely beat the Anthias to any food present.
4) Excellent filtration. This also goes hand in hand with the excessive feeding. If the tank has any other fish than Anthias, and they are all being fed so often everyday, water quality will be harder to maintain.
 
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