Disaster with Anthias! Whats wrong?

[hvacman250]

A year or so ago, I ordered 3 Lyretails from LA. All died in QT.
Shortly after, ordered a trio of Bartletts from DD. All withered away.
Since then, I have tried 3 more Lyretails from LA, then a few months ago 5 Ignitus from LA. They withered away 1 by 1.

On 2 separate occasions, I have had one die in the acclimation bucket being acclimated to the main tank!! Its like they have a heart attack. Act normal for 4 weeks, go to gently raise him out in a clear container for acclimation to the main, and they just roll over and die!

For the record, the QT is a fully cycled (over a year old) 29 gallon. It has caves made of clay pots, some live rock, and 3" PVC elbows. I try to make it somewhat natural looking for finicky fish. I have quarantined over 20 fish, with some being what I would consider WAY more delicate than an Anthias.

I really want a trio of Anthias in my 220, but am feeling really bad about killing so many! Any thoughts?

 

[SoloChromis]

They have a high metabolism, require high oxygen levels, and often come in with internal parasites. These are the 3 main things that people need to know about anthias in general, as well as some of the things that cause issues for some people who try to keep them. I know how absolutely frustrating it can be and how guilty it can make you feel when you keep losing fish over and over. Good luck :fish1:

 

[ca1ore]

Whether anthias are more or less likely to have internal parasites I cannot say as it has not been my own personal experience. But they are high strung and do need high oxygen levels. I'd consider a good sized powerhead an absolute requirement in any QT for anthias.

 

[hvacman250]

Well, they were fed 3-5 times per day a variety of foods, often soaked in VitaChem or Selcon.

The 29 gallon tank has a Koralia 1150 powerhead (1150 gph), small HOB filter, and an airstone on full blast. That should cover O2 levels all day long, and then some.

I'm really out of ideas. I want to try one more time, but last time I said enough killing. Still undecided.

 

[ca1ore]

We all have our personal 'edsel'. For me it's flasher wrasses. Just gave up on them.

 

[suta4242]

In your opening post you mentioned a number had 'withered away'.

When this happens with anthias the common reasons include:

-insufficient food of the right kind,
-hierarchy problems (wrong harem size) so the dominant fish pick on weaker ones sometimes forcing them to stay hidden and not feed, or are downright aggressive,
-tank bullies intimidating the fish (they may not feed),
-disease.

If you can determine the cause it's worth trying again and, provided you address the issue, you're more likely to succeed.

HTH.
:wave:

 

[CedzAquAddictio]

Possibly flukes. I had a similar experience with LA and BZ. My normal routine when I receive fish is to acclimate them to QT, and observe for a week or two while getting them used to the food I feed, and recover from shipping before I begin prophylactic medication with Prazi and Cuppramine. For the first 4-5 days, all would seem fine and everyone would eat like pigs. Then right at the 1 week mark, they would die at a rate of about 1 per day until there were none left.

I have a 75g QT and a webcam to observe for aggression, scratching, and flashing while away from the house, so I know that wasn't the problem. After about my 3rd order of 8 anthias, I ordered 2 more from LA, and began Prazi and Cupp on the 2nd day instead of waiting a week, and the fish actually lived. Kicked myself for not doing this sooner...

Edit: I did notice that they were hanging out in front of the powerhead swimming towards it, and harassing the cleaner wrasse with their gills open almost constantly after the first couple of days...