Ventralis Anthias Primer

[tcmfish]

Hey guys I have a trio of females coming Wednesday and I would like to get a bunch of info on them in one spot. I will update this thread with my experiences and hope others chime in. Here are some pics of the fish I am getting. They are eating mysis and pellets but prefer mysis. I am pretty pumped!

 

[mark54321]

Beautiful fish,good luck.I will be looking in your experience with them,always wanted a group of those.

 

[jporter]

These all look like females. I have one male with two females in my 150 gallon. They have been great fish for the month I've had them. They swim out in the open during the day and stay in the same rock overnight. They eat everything I feed and are the prettiest fish in the tank. I will try to add some pics of mine later this week. I understand these fish stress easy and are on the harder scale of keeping.

 

[NexDog]

Any long-term success stories with this Anthias? Always wanted a trio but thought the success rate was quite low.

 

[freedive43]

Those ventralis pictured are the ones imported from the Marshall islands. Their coloration differs from the Hawaiian variety (which are less common). They do, however, seem to do well in captivity. Frozen mysis should work just fine. Nice fish.

 

[tcmfish]

They are eating mysis and pellets apparently but prefer the mysis. Im pretty pumped.

 

[michael_cb_125]

Very Nice!

I hope they do well for you!

~Michael

 

[snorvich]

Gorgeous. You might try Nutramar Ova as this is irresistible to all fish I keep.

 

[copps]

I got three of these female Marshallese ventralis last year and not only did they adapt well, one of the females did not take long to turn male... I keep these in my subtropical tank in the high 60s in the winter to ~72-73 in the summer... they've adapted great and are in with some tough company and do well... getting them in good shape and keeping them cool is key... some shots are below...

And some group shots...

The male has continued to change and blossom into the most beautiful non angelfish I have!

A shot from a few days ago... this guy's a stud!

And with the boss of the tank...

Copps

 

[tcmfish]

Amazing copps! I was planning on running the tank 73-75 is that okay? I have it running at that now. They are going into QT first for a while which is at 72 now.

 

[copps]

Thanks Tim. They should be fine at that temp...

I dug up some photos I took of the fish Rufus mentions above... the ventralis cousin from Hawaii... Pseudanthias hawaiiensis (previously known as Pseudanthias ventralis hawaiiensis)... I photographed these guys at about 120 feet at Lehua Rock off the coast of the island of Niihau, the furthest northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands and about 20 miles to the West of Kauai... great diving by the way...

The site is called "Vertical Awareness" for obvious reasons... the ledge starts at about 40 feet and goes to over 200... the ventralis were at 120 and below there... the divemaster was banging her tank for me not to go very deep, but it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission (especially underwater)...

... and a shot (this one not mine) to show Lehua Rock, with Niihau towards the back...

Copps

 

[tcmfish]

John you are the man! I can't wait for mine to get here. Those are sweet pics of the P. hawaiiensis but I actually prefer the ventralis so good thing they do better and are easier to obtain. That male shot of yours is stunning!

What foods do yours prefer? Even if the list is very long I'd like to know what you offer them.

 

[roktsintst]

Incredible pictures John!

Here are mine i've had for a few months that came from PIA as well. I recieved 2 females and QT'd them for over a month. One of the females changed into a male quickly and continues to improve coloration. They hid mostly at first but now are always out in the water column looking for bits of food!

 

[copps]

Ryan that is a sweet male you have! Cool to see others with these...

John you are the man! I can't wait for mine to get here. Those are sweet pics of the P. hawaiiensis but I actually prefer the ventralis so good thing they do better and are easier to obtain. That male shot of yours is stunning!

What foods do yours prefer? Even if the list is very long I'd like to know what you offer them.

In all honesty Tim feeding is not a big deal... these guys will eat anything they can fit in their mouth... have some Hikari mysis and good frozen mixes at the ready... be more mindful of bacterial infections with these guys and have antibiotics ready... they are tough to ADAPT, but not tough to keep as I always say...

 

[tcmfish]

I was waiting for you to chime in Ryan. You're the reason I got these!

 

[tcmfish]

John these guys were going to get cupramine and prazi after I have some time to observe them. I wasn't going to treat with anything else unless something popped up, would you agree that is sufficient? I have nitrofurozone and erythromycin on hand.

 

[copps]

Yes... just keep a close eye on them and be at the ready... good flow in the QT tank is also important as these guys need to feed from the water column... if the food just drops to the bottom they won't touch it...

 

[tcmfish]

Dang... day before shipping all three were belly up. I am getting refunded, but hope to try again soon.

 

[roktsintst]

Thanks John and Tim.

Tim that really sucks but that has happened to me before with this fish as well as others. Better to happen there than in your QT tank. They are a difficult fish. More will pop up and I am sure you will have another shot... I'd like to get another 6 or so one day as well. They are just so breathtaking!!!

Keep your head up Tim, It will all work out in the end.

 

[pookstreet]

... these guys will eat anything they can fit in their mouth...

And what BIG mouths they got :eek2: