dispar/purple queen anthias any1 have these?

[Ironsheikh]

I've been getting into anthias fish lately --any1 have these in their tanks? comments on how fragile?

I'd probably like 1 male w/ 2 female ---looks like it'd run around $110 w/ shipping

I cant decide between dispar and purp queen I like both shapes

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Ive had dispar before. they are nice, but Id go with bartletts- they look realistically similar, and are better suited. Purple queens are heartbreakers (from what I hear)

 

[Ironsheikh]

yeah, all the sites I ve seen have rated them poorly so far

 

[eskymick]

A local fish store has two Purple Queens in stock. They're beautiful and apparently healthy in every way. BUT .. they do not eat anything !!

I do have a 4.5" squareback anthius. He's the pig of the tank .. and he has been from the day I got him.

I'd like to get a harem of Dispars but am unsure of their willingness to eat in captivity.

 

[anydarnthing]

I would go with Dispars I have 2 and they now eat anything, when I first got them they would only eat brine but my bartletts taught them to eat everything. I tried Purple queens I got a trio and had live brine, rotifers, daphnia, and frozen mysis they wouldn't eat anything. My 120 reef is only anthias and fairy wrasses and none of them bothered them. It was kind of pathetic watching them slowly die, I felt so bad I will never try them again. Actually I would like to hear from someone who actually kept them long term and what they did that I didn't.

 

[Jens Kallmeyer]

HI

Dispar are a bit tricky to get to feeding, they also like to be in larger groups. I had 6 or 7 in my 250 gal, they were just great, eventually ate anything. They are planktivores so you need to feed them fine foods, lots of it and often. At least in the beginning I would try at least 4, better 6, feedings a day. Newly hatched brine shrimp is always a good thing to have.
IMO the main problem is the fact that they arrive at the LFS completely starved, even if they start feeding, they may already be so weak that they eventually fade away. If you can get some that are nice and round, go for it, otherwise I would be cautious.
BTW: they can be very bad jumpers, so have your tank covered.

Jens

 

[Serioussnaps]

Dispar...what size tank? no to a queen.....if you have a 75 g i would say maybe but probably not best or ideal setting but 3 may be fine but definitely not a harem of like 7 or 8 though...

to get them feeding it is tricky..you need live brine to get a feeding response and when you get it dump food in with it to get them associating that response with the prepared food..

also dispars like very fine food..and i mean fine...they will take large food and spit it out at the beginning...anything you feed you need to chop up(in a blender very fine so they will swallow and make it easy to start eating)

they like cyclopeeze, piscene energetics mysis shrimp, sweetwater zoo all mixed up in a blender with some supplements

reef away

 

[Serioussnaps]

oh and cover up your tank...my 2 dispars were jumpers(this is why i said i HAD dispars)