Need help with 3 Dispar Anthias

[timrellis]

I just added 3 Dispar anthias three days ago but so far they have only hidden in the rocks and above my powerheads. Aren't these supposed to be open water fish? Is this normal behavior days after adding them? Also what should I feed them? I know in the wild they eat zooplankton but people say either mysis or brine in the aquarium. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

[minhvu]

it'll take a few days before they swim around. Very shy fish. I started mine with mysis, now they eat anything including NLS pellets

 

[timrellis]

Thanks for the reply! It's good to know this is normal. How long did it take to get them to eat at first?

 

[smoothdog]

All anthias can be difficult to transition to frozen/prepared foods. The key is to go with variety. Don't just stick to one or two kinds of food. Rod's food has a good mix of many different things that may encourage them to eat. Dispars also tend to go after smaller items and cyclopeze has worked well for me to get them started. If you can't get them to eat within 2-3 days hatch some baby brine, the live food will almost always trigger a feeding response. You could also do the live baby brine and mix in some other food at the same time, if they grab the other food while eating the brine they will usually realize it's food and start eating it.

 

[R.W.]

Mine also hid for a while too until they got the courage to come out into the open. Take a peek at your tank when there is no one around, they might be swimming around.

 

[timrellis]

Cool! Alright thanks! I just picked up some Kent marine zoo plex so hopefully they will go for that. If not I do have brine I can hatch for them but I'd rather not set all that up if I don't have to lol!

 

[harlequin tusk]

yea when i first got my dispar they would only swim around when noone was near the tank. I also started mine out with cyclopeeze for the first couple days and they eventually got the message to eat anything that goes into the tank haha. If you can you might wanna try to feed them a couple times a day tho if possible, unless you have a refugium, which should give them food throughout the day

 

[lostintheocean]

they should be in QT

 

[mykil]

^^ ditto to harlequin tusk..I've been lucky with cyclops,reefbugs,frozen brine, mysis & various flake foods.

 

[Merfin70]

Mine only came out of hiding when I added a couple of green chromis to draw them out from the rocks. Now they enjoy swimming with the chromis. Interesting that they have bonded in that way and all now swim together as a pack.

 

[timrellis]

Mine only came out of hiding when I added a couple of green chromis to draw them out from the rocks. Now they enjoy swimming with the chromis. Interesting that they have bonded in that way and all now swim together as a pack.

Hmmm that's strange! Right now mine just hide behind the rocks together amd the only thing I can get them to come out and eat is the live baby brine.

 

[anbosu]

With time they will get more comfortable.

 

[Hdhuntr01]

I am glad I found this post. I just put 4 Anthias (2 Mirolabrichtys ignitus + 2 Mirolabrichtys bartletti) in a 120 gallon tank that will be dedicated to SPS. They are the only fish in this tank. They have only been in the tank 3 days and will only dart out of the rocks when food comes within a few inches of the rock. Fortunately, they will eat pellet foods as well as frozen. I hope they get over their shyness soon! I also plan on adding 2 or 4 Pseudanthias squamipinnis to the group.

 

[tchndie]

If you read up on dispar anthias you would know you should buy 1 male and 7 females so a total of 8. They are a schooling fish. They are more likely to eat in a school than in small groups of 3 or 4. They are a very hard fish to keep alive!! They need to be fed a lot!!! I have dispars and I had some hide for 2 weeks before they would come out. Out of 9 I only have 2 left. My friend that have been in the hobby for 30 years had 8 and he only has 4 left. Good luck with yours.

 

[Hdhuntr01]

I am waiting on 4 Pseudanthias squamipinnis to come in. I am going will all juveniles and will let nature determine which one will turn Male.