Ventralis Anthias info please "im thinking about getting"

MrineLfRlz

Active member
hello everyone
ive been tring to get my girlfriend more into this reef tank hobby she is starting to be pulled in alittle @ a time!
well i was on the internet as usual and was looking at threads when i noticed someone had a really neat looking fish on there avatar well it ended up being a Ventralis Anthias
she thought it was the prettiest fish she has seen so i thought ow yah reeling her in people!
i think im going to get one a male and please any help would be appreciated on info about these fish with ones that accually own them
and honestly i think they are really cool looking to but i dont want to buy and not know any info on them either
im going to use my head and not just jump into this and wind up with a bueatiful dead fish
these things are so colorful!
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they are found in deeper waters I believe, and prefer dimly lit tanks with a lot of hiding places... multiple feedings per day
 
Never kept them myself because several other reefers have told me that while they look great, they have very low survival rate.
 
i got a pair of this 2 weeks back but they never make it. They were feeding well and swimming around and within a few hours they will be on the sandbed dead with red patch on the stomach. The whole shipment was thought to have some infection which they might have contacted when they were caught.

yes they are really beautiful but sadly beautiful things dont last.

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I've always heard/read that small females are a much better bet. Even then, a really tough fish to keep, needing a very mellow, dim, and IMO cooler temp tank.
 
Difficult

Difficult

Difficul to keep.

They like cold dim waters. My couple eate very well for 3 weeks and then suddenly died.
 
has there been anyone that has successfully kept one of these fish in a warm water reek tank then?
i want to keep asking because i want as many opinions as i can get and learn from the people that have good outcomes
but if it comes down to it i wont purchase one just to find out for myself and have them die because i feel that would be cruel
i want my reef inhabitants to live a long happy life

thanks, Jim
 
I have had mine for roughly a year. I originally bought a trio of a male and 2 females. One of the females never made it through the first night. But the other two (male and female) have done really well. I have had them under 2x250w lights, and now under 2x150w lights. They did fine in both lighting conditions and are always out swimming in the open. They probably do best on a diet of 2x a day feedings, but I only feed mine once per day. They are not 'fat', but they have been healthy for a year now, and retained their nice color. I feed a mix of brine, mysis and formula 2 flake, alternating days for variety. They were picky eaters for a good while, only wanting brine, but now they eat all types. My water stays between 78.5 and 79.5, but has been to 80 and 80.5 on occasion with no issues with them.
 
I have had mine for roughly a year. I originally bought a trio of a male and 2 females. One of the females never made it through the first night. But the other two (male and female) have done really well. I have had them under 2x250w lights, and now under 2x150w lights. They did fine in both lighting conditions and are always out swimming in the open. They probably do best on a diet of 2x a day feedings, but I only feed mine once per day. They are not 'fat', but they have been healthy for a year now, and retained their nice color. I feed a mix of brine, mysis and formula 2 flake, alternating days for variety. They were picky eaters for a good while, only wanting brine, but now they eat all types. My water stays between 78.5 and 79.5, but has been to 80 and 80.5 on occasion with no issues with them.
thank you for the response:thumbsup:
the feeding thing isnt a problem for me to do but my tank some times reaches 81 degrees
 
To be honest, first and foremost, you'll need to break the cycle of buying livestock because the significant other thinks its "pretty". You'll get into a bad situation inevitably.

Can you tell Im single??!!!! :)

Anyway, as mentioned, they ahve a very poor track record, and I think 81 degrees would stress them in short order.
 
To be honest, first and foremost, you'll need to break the cycle of buying livestock because the significant other thinks its "pretty". You'll get into a bad situation inevitably.

Can you tell Im single??!!!! :)

Anyway, as mentioned, they ahve a very poor track record, and I think 81 degrees would stress them in short order.
i hear you thats why i wanted to start this thread to hear from people that know:)
anyways i think im going to get her one of these
its a bartletts anthias still has alot of colors easy to care for doesnt get real big and i myself like them
see i do care
but like i said i want her more involved to make my future upgrades and money out of my pocket easier then hearing what do you think you are doing wasting our money:D:D:D
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Fathead anthias, though larger, are similar to ventralis in that they are more "mellow" than many of the more common anthias. They are pretty hardy, too.
 
Here is alittle history on 10 that I bought about 8 months ago.
They all came in looking great and were very active. It was slow to get them to eat, so I slowly lost 3 of of the 10.
I keep the tank temp at 76 and try to feed the tank at least 3-4 times a day. They are living in a 300 reef tank with MH and now swim out and about in the open.
 
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