Anthias and Automatic Feeding?

[Eienna]

OK, so an anthias (sunburst in particular) is my dream fish...aside from the mandarin dragonet...but I'm reading that they need to eat 4 times a day. Once I got it/them eating prepared food, could I use an automatic feeder for part of the day, and is there an autofeeder that handles frozen food? Also, what do you guys recommend as a minimum tank size for this fish? Instead of converting my 50g, I'm considering getting a bigger tank if that would allow me to keep one or perhaps a trio (or even a quad...)

They'll get along with a pair of ocellaris clownfish and a pair of mandarin dragonets, right? I'm thinking about getting a sand-sifting starfish and electric blue hermit crab, as well...maybe even a lettuce nudibranch...it's still up in the air exactly what's going in besides the clowns and mandarins.

One other thing, do you guys know a reputable store or website that carries tank-bred anthias? :) I would rather avoid wild fish if I can help it, especially with a species so touchy.

 

[nytegti]

bump, this is a question I have too.

 

[Eienna]

Thanks for that :)

 

[Pappy]

I have 2 lyretails I feed with pellets once a day and have had for almost 2 years.

 

[Eggs]

I have 2 lyretails, and use an autofeeder during the day. I'll feed the tank once at night also.

 

[Eienna]

OK, so maybe this could work. :)

 

[MIKE NY]

depends on the speices of anthias...my Lyretails and Bartletts are among the easiest anthias to feed eating everything right away, but the Sunburst, you mentioned, I find are among the more difficult to ween on to prepared foods...I have a pair that took many months to get them even to try pellets. I even got my Purple Queen to accept pellets quicker...

 

[Lionfish Lair]

My sunburst was a little slow at first too, come to think of it. I thought it was that we put her in with 3 blotched anthias..... they're mean.

Get a good feeder. The not so good ones clog, dump or fall in the tank. It's been a long time since I bought them, so I don't know what's reliable now-a-days.

Can you really only feed one time or do you mean only one.... section of time. Lemme try to reword that. Can you only feed in the evening, or one time at 6pm, for example. I only feed my Orange Spotted Filefish and all my anthias once a day..... in the evening. Several times a night, as I pass by their tank, I throw in a pinch of pellets. All of mine have really loved New Life Spectrum - Small Fish Formula. I give them a good frozen meal and then the pellets are supplements.

 

[Patrick Cox]

I have the same question and would like a few more comments. Would love to have an anthias but I would need to feed pellets during the day with auto feeder.

 

[tigrtraps]

My lyretail eats like a pig. He gets a few pellets early in the day. Then he gets the nighttime feeding maybe 4 hours later. Been doing this for 10 months and he is that healthy round weight that a fish should be.

 

[Eienna]

I generally end up feeding my freshwater guys more than once a day...but some of them are getting a bit fat, lol.

 

[dankreef]

Had sunburst for a long time I feed 2x. Feed cylops/cylopeeze they will eat it up.

 

[Eienna]

Actually considering a few different ones now. Go figure. XDD

 

[o2manyfish]

I use a Superfeeder on my Apex and feed a mix of pellets 5x a day. My Dispar are fat and healthy. I added some Evansi, and they eat pellets and are surviving (3 Months) but not thriving. I feed an assortment of other foods in the evening, but the Evansi just don't have a great feeding response.

Dave B