Recent 7 Dispar Anthias Order Photos

[King-Kong]

Just wanted to show-off some pictures of my Dispar anthias. They arrived Friday around noon.

I purchased 7 for my 90g bare bottom SPS tank. Got them eating on the second day using my home made blended food, and am trying to fatten them up.

They are very beautiful, and are becoming less shy as the hours pass.

Packing was trippled bagged and everyone came out healthy. The fish themselves have good meat on their bones, but could use some bigger stomachs (always an issue with Anthias).

Thanks LA

 

[DFS/LA1]

King-Kong,

Thank you for sharing your pictures! These beautiful Anthias will be a great addition to your tank for years to come. We take pride in the specimens we send and are always happy to see them in their new homes. Please keep us informed and let us know if you have any other questions.

Kris W.
LiveAquaria Supervisor
Drs. Foster and Smith

 

[King-Kong]

Thanks Kris,

We are actually having a discussion right now about this, but it appears within the 7 "Dispars", 3 might actually be P. Ignitus, as shown in this image from Wet Web Media's Anthias ID page: http://wetwebmedia.com/BassPIX/Anthiines/Ignitus_Anthias_small.jpg

You'll notice the similiar coloration on 3 of them one of my above photos: the zoomed out version. Specially, the bottom 2 on the right (note the yellow/green at the split in their tail and the upper right one). Their tails and dorsal colorations are obviously different than the others.

I do not have any issue with this.. I've seen Dispars and Ignitus swapped and shipped as one another before.. so far they seem to all be getting a long and have become less shy, and more ravenous.

It was just an FYI to you... you guys may be able to isolate these two in the future, and actually sell Ingitus (Flames) and regular Dispars.

I am feeding them mutliple times per day with very high protein diets, and giving them plenty of time to eat as much as they want.

Good thing I've got such a huge skimmer

 

[dfs/la2]

King-Kong,

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We have forwarded the pictures of the Anthias you received to our holding facility for review. If you are at all dissatisfied please give us a call and we will be happy to assist you.

Joyce F.
Technical Support
Drs. Foster & Smith

 

[King-Kong]

For now I dont have any issue with it, but thanks for the concern.. They are both beautiful and the differences are obviously subtle (though, really, I think the Ignitus are prettier )

What I'll be watching for, however, is behavior, and making sure everyone gets a long with one another. That's the important part, I feel.

 

[SDguy]

Maybe you guys could track down their collection origin. According to fishbase, dispar don't go past Christmas Island, so any "dispar" coming from the Maldives/Indian Ocean would be ignitus....

 

[dfs/la2]

King-Kong and Sdguy,

Thank you for bringing this important observation to our attention. We are checking with our facility and will make any necessary corrections to our website. Two Anthias species may be housed together with caution; yours were introduced together at the same time and therefore should be fine. We recommend watching their behavior for any aggression so you can remove any offenders to a quarantine tank.

Please keep us posted if you have any other concerns with these beautiful Anthias in your aquarium.

Stacie R.
Technical Support
Drs Foster and Smith

 

[King-Kong]

Just to keep everyone updated, I just came home and found one of the dispars dead.

They have all been eating great and are total pigs, so I am very surprised by this. His stomach looked healthy and he had good meat on, so I dont think it was from diet. Everyone else seems fine though, but Ill be observing them closely. Let's hope its just an isolated incident.

 

[dfs/la2]

King-Kong,

Thank you for your update on your Anthias. If you would like to discuss any questions or concerns with us, please feel free to call us at 1-800-334-3699.

Nate M.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster & Smith

 

[dfs/la2]

We apologize for the double-post.

 

[King-Kong]

Thanks Nate.. no concerns or questions now...

I saw no outside trauma, and the body overall looked healthy and vibrant.. I hadnt noticed any of them exibiting any swimming issues or seeming lethargic.. very surprised.

..and no need to apologize for a double post

 

[King-Kong]

Well.. lost another Dispar today.. in exactly the same fashion as the one before. Had been eating; body looked well proportioned, no weight loss, etc. Just dead..

Shortly after the first dispar passed (10/08), I noticed odd behavior from two others; one out of the 7 isnt/hadn't been eating. Since some time had passed, I could begin to see the signs. He was thin around the eyes and especially in the stomach. He would stay out and swim, and test food, but wouldnt eat anything, while his buddies would chow down.

Another one would not come out to eat at all. He would just sit behind the rock... no matter what I fed, I couldnt entice him out.

Now, the latter behavior has spread to all the others in a matter of days (this behavior had only been exhibited by one of the dispars, but he had been doing it for many many weeks). A few days ago, all 5 would be out swimming (1 died, and then the 1 loner). Now, only 1 stays out to swim and eat. The others, who HAD been eating great up until a couple of days ago are now hiding, and arent coming out.

Not sure what to do about that.. nothing has changed in the tank since I put them in. No other fish have been introduced, and theyve been fed the same foods.

 

[dfs/la2]

King-Kong,

Thank you for your post. We sincerely apologize to hear about the loss of your Anthias. We are currently researching this matter for you, and we will post here tomorrow with further information for you.

Michelle L.
Live Aquaria
Drs. Foster and Smith

 

[King-Kong]

Lost another one this morning.. this one, however, was the one that I now believe NEVER ate.. not even from when first introduced.

It took me a long time to notice this, however, because with 7 anthias all swimming in a chaotic pattern in front of your face, you cant be sure ALL of them are eating and swallowing.. so, this one isnt such a mystery why; he never ate. He would try, he would taste, but not swallow. Kind of odd, though, considering all the anthias around him would eat.

 

[dfs/la2]

King-Kong,

We’re very sorry to hear about your losses. We have several possible scenarios as to why a group of Anthias slowly stopped eating and moving about.

Our first inclination is to check for pathogens, if found, QT and medicate. A second possible cause could be aggression. Anthias are very territorial so aggression among themselves, (they create a pecking order) can result in losses. This behavior can be witnessed by observing the tank for extended periods of time. A third potential reason for the problem is that Anthias require 3-4 feedings per day as their metabolism is very high. We feed our Anthias at least 3 times per day in our 120 SPS tank. If Anthias don’t receive sufficient food they can become very weak and perish or succumb to aggression from other tank mates. A fourth reason could be dietary issues, Anthias need a varied diet, however we recommend the staple of the diet to be vitamin enriched Mysis.

We’ve included links we received via a PM from a fellow poster, to threads where different ideas on this issue have been discussed/posted.

We hope this information helps.


http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/s...hreadid=1204099

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1080917&highlight=sad+times

http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic74727-10-1.aspx


Ginger K.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster & Smith

 

[King-Kong]

Thanks for the post, Ginger.

The anthias got a varied diet from me.. occaisional Cyclop eeze and seafood medley, with their staple being an enriched mysis from Hikari.

I do not feel this issue is diet related (except for that one who starved). The others have meaty bodies and balanced stomachs.. There is still one left who is very aggressive when he eats, and stays out. No matter how many times I feed, he is still hungry and looks beautiful.. the others were the same exact way up until a few days ago... we'll see what happens..

Thanks DFS

 

[King-Kong]

Lost the 6th Dispar yesterday with symptons similiar to SDGuy's (odd motor functions)

Last one remains out, eats like a pig, and is very active. Kind of sad, going from 7, to that 1, in these months.

...and appearantly he has taken a liking to my new cardinals -- he swims in the middle of their little school.

 

[dfs/la2]

King-Kong,

It is sad to hear about the loss of your 6th Dispar Anthius, though it’s good to know that the last is eating and doing well with the addition of the Cardinals.

Joyce F.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster & Smith