Anthias Feeding

[puck3]

Have had 3 anthias in quarantine for 5 days now and cant get them to eat. Have 1 male 1 female lyretail anthias. and 1 sunburst (fathead) anthias. I have tried frozen mysis, formula 2 pellets, new life marine spectrum pellets, have also tried garlic to entice feeding. The male lyretail ate about 3 individual pieces for the first time today. but none of the others seem interested in food. All water parameters are good, and fish are out and swimming most of the time. Anyone have any advice or different foods I could try?

 

[klepto]

If possible, try to get ahold of some live brine (or even better live mysis). While the brine are nutritionally weak (and not a good long term option), they often can encourage wild fishes to start accepting prepared foods.

Enrich the brine in a vitamin to help provide more nutrition.

People also have great results with blackworms. I don't have experience with them.

If you don't want to go the live food route, then I would recommend focusing on small sized foods. Spectrum's small fish formula is a great food. Presoaking it in some tank water helps it break through the water's surface.

Nutramar's product; "Ova" (shrimp eggs) is one to look for. It prompts a great feeding response despite being expensive.

Also, Capelin roe (Mallotus villosus) which is available at some asian markets, is a great option. The particle size is perfect for many planktivores in my opinion. It is also negatively buoyant which I like.

I have heard a few cases where Fathead Sunburst Anthias (Serranocirrhitus latus) would only accept PE mysis. I would be interested to hear if others have differing experiences with the species.

 

[puck3]

Awesome ideas, I really appreciate it. Gonna head to LFS tomorow and see if they have live mysis. If they eat that I think I'll be able to ween them onto frozen. Otherwise I'll try the pellets u suggested

 

[Alaukik]

+ 1 on starting with brine shrimp or mysid.. I have my 3 Lyrentail anthias in Quarantine, wont take ny thing, then started with brine and now they eat frozen and marine pallets both...

 

[AfricaOffroad]

Not many anthias will take pellets staight away.
My advice is stick with the small frozen foods or freeze dried cyclopseeze.
(Live food obviously the best, but not accessable to most of us).
I typically use food like Ocean Nutrition Lobster eggs, cyclops, red plankton and cyclopseeze.
I defrost it all in a big syringe then squirt in front of a powerhead.
I have found that fast moving particles can trigger a feeding response. Stuff lazily floating in the water column can get ignored. Never seen an anthias pic a piece of food stationary on a rock or sand.

 

[tly]

You can grate the frozen mysis with knife to make food smaller size, then drop it where food can suspend in the flow. I even got my purple queen to eat that way

 

[snorvich]

If possible, try to get ahold of some live brine (or even better live mysis). While the brine are nutritionally weak (and not a good long term option), they often can encourage wild fishes to start accepting prepared foods.

Enrich the brine in a vitamin to help provide more nutrition.

People also have great results with blackworms. I don't have experience with them.

If you don't want to go the live food route, then I would recommend focusing on small sized foods. Spectrum's small fish formula is a great food. Presoaking it in some tank water helps it break through the water's surface.

Nutramar's product; "Ova" (shrimp eggs) is one to look for. It prompts a great feeding response despite being expensive.

I have had great luck with this product with anthias and difficult feeders

Also, Capelin roe (Mallotus villosus) which is available at some asian markets, is a great option. The particle size is perfect for many planktivores in my opinion. It is also negatively buoyant which I like.

Yes, this is an excellent idea which is nutritionally good, inexpensive, and easy to find

I have heard a few cases where Fathead Sunburst Anthias (Serranocirrhitus latus) would only accept PE mysis. I would be interested to hear if others have differing experiences with the species.

All my anthias eat PE mysis with gusto, but that is down the line after they start eating and they love frozen cyclopeeze (never tried the freeze dried)

 

[colbar]

Hopefully you will get them eating soon but I would also like to mention that Anthias HAVE to eat several times a day.

 

[SDguy]

Try frozen shrimp from the grocery store. Grate it, while still frozen, on a fine metal grater to make tiny bite sized pieces. Make sure the pieces fly through the water column with the help of a powerhead.

 

[Norberg]

I would also like to recomend to use scalop. Shred it when it is frozen, almost al finky anthias take it.

 

[SDguy]

I would also like to recomend to use scalop. Shred it when it is frozen, almost al finky anthias take it.

Yup, my fish love them too!

 

[71jeep]

My fathead and ignitus one thing they all ways eat hatched baby brine. What worked for me in the past to get fish that didn't eat is to put a couple of small chromis in the energy that they put out when feeding or maybe it was monkey see monkey do.

 

[jfoxx81]

My fathead and ignitus one thing they all ways eat hatched baby brine. What worked for me in the past to get fish that didn't eat is to put a couple of small chromis in the energy that they put out when feeding or maybe it was monkey see monkey do.

I agree I just recently acquired 4 lyretails and the ate right away but they were housed with other fish as well and they all eat like pigs