Need anthias help!

[AydenLincoln]

So I added a male squareback anthias with two females already in the tank on October 3rd and I have never seen him swimming out and he just hides. I’ve never seen him eat either. It’s hard to see him but I don’t see any spots and breathing seems normal. Could he just be taking awhile to warm up? Is it normal? Maybe he has a disease? I’m really not sure never had a fish act like this and not die immediately or have some other noticeable issue.

 

[OrchidMiss]

@i cant think ?

 

[KrisReef]

That's a long time not to eat. Are there pods in the tank that it might be working on?

I would add live food if you can, or chopped clams.

Maybe lower the lights.

 

[AydenLincoln]

That's a long time not to eat. Are there pods in the tank that it might be working on?

I would add live food if you can, or chopped clams.

Maybe lower the lights.

Yes there are. And live mysis I only leave the lights off for one to three hours at night! During the day they are off. Also just looked at him again he ha/ big white spots like way bigger than ich so maybe lymphocytes.

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

Mine go bananas for mysis

 

[AydenLincoln]

Okay so not white spots I managed to capture him and take some photos. He does have some discoloring/brown around the base of his pectoral fins. As well as a small red spot on his top and a white dot on his side. Some could be fin damage. Any ideas. @vetteguy53081 @Jay Hemdal I wonder if the red thing is a parasite though? Fin rot? Bacterial? Multiple issues?

 

[UMALUM]

Anthias can be notorious fin nippers. Looks to me like he's not welcomed.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Okay so not white spots I managed to capture him and take some photos. He does have some discoloring/brown around the base of his pectoral fins. As well as a small red spot on his top and a white dot on his side. Some could be fin damage. Any ideas. @vetteguy53081 @Jay Hemdal I wonder if the red thing is a parasite though? Fin rot? Bacterial? Multiple issues?

He's got a mechanical injury and damaged fin in same area. They typically are very active and eat aggresively which leads to possible aggression/intimidation, or condition such as flukes. I assume it was acclimated well and not quarantined?
How is its' breathing rate - Normal or rapid?

 

[i cant think]

So I added a male squareback anthias with two females already in the tank on October 3rd and I have never seen him swimming out and he just hides. I’ve never seen him eat either. It’s hard to see him but I don’t see any spots and breathing seems normal. Could he just be taking awhile to warm up? Is it normal? Maybe he has a disease? I’m really not sure never had a fish act like this and not die immediately or have some other noticeable issue.

Noticed any changing with the females? It sounds to me as though you’ve introduced a male to a potentially transitioning female and they’ve not been all too welcoming towards the new male.

 

[AydenLincoln]

He's got a mechanical injury and damaged fin in same area. They typically are very active and eat aggresively which leads to possible aggression/intimidation, or condition such as flukes. I assume it was acclimated well and not quarantined?
How is its' breathing rate - Normal or rapid?

Correct. Normal. I have seen no aggression and at one point the male/female were sleeping on top of each other snuggling.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Noticed any changing with the females? It sounds to me as though you’ve introduced a male to a potentially transitioning female and they’ve not been all too welcoming towards the new male.

No! I never considered the possibility of him being intimidated but definitely possibly.I always thought you could tell one transitioning physically? This is the three of them. What does it look like?

 

[AydenLincoln]

Wait is that one with the long white fins transitioning now that I look at it the two females definitely have different fins?

 

[i cant think]

Wait is that one with the long white fins transitioning now that I look at it the two females definitely have different fins?

Quite possibly yes, how long were the females alone?

 

[AydenLincoln]

Quite possibly yes, how long were the females alone?

Around 5 days so not very long lol. The females were added a day apart then the male.

 

[i cant think]

Around 5 days so not very long lol. The females were added a day apart then the male.

I would’ve said it could be that the female could’ve started to transition in the time you had it however it sounds more like a transitioning male was brought in instead of a male (which is all too common).

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Around 5 days so not very long lol. The females were added a day apart then the male.

Male square anthias have a pretty high early mortality rate - some just do not adjust and never start eating. It may be from transport stress during the supply chain, or more probably, collection with cyanide.

Do you know, was this a fresh import, or was it quarantined/conditioned before you got it?

Jay

 

[AydenLincoln]

Male square anthias have a pretty high early mortality rate - some just do not adjust and never start eating. It may be from transport stress during the supply chain, or more probably, collection with cyanide.

Do you know, was this a fresh import, or was it quarantined/conditioned before you got it?

Jay

He wasn’t just imported and shipped and he was confirmed eating. Also looking at him I think Hewbie intimidates/scares him. Because this is the most I’ve ever seen him out of his cave. He stays near the bottom and when Hewbie comes near him he goes right back. He comes out freezes near Hewbie and swims away. Hewbie is my porcupine puffer if you remember/for those of you who don’t know. He’s 100% my water puppy and he no longer gets rub marks. He loves to chase his reflection but it’s been less. He also happens to be a lot bigger than everyone else. I don’t think the other anthias are the problem I think he may be. And he’s so gentle and could care less about everyone else in the tank.

 

[AydenLincoln]

So I think he’s been eating something even if food is floating into his mouth. I’ve seen him look like he was chewing or eating so fingers crossed. I do think he is just intimidated after watching them this morning. Other than that I only really watch them in the evening after work and occasionally mid-day. I hope he warms up and doesn’t die on me from not eating/not eating enough.

 

[AydenLincoln]

The vendor has him for over a month eating so @Jay Hemdal thoughts?

 

[Tcook]

I had a male in the early 2000’s that did well. I haven’t had luck with males in the past few years. Even leaving them at lfs for 4-6 weeks they tend to wither away if they don’t go downhill after arrival like Jay mentioned. I would just buy females and let one transition. Of not, my lfs still has 2 females that have been there for several months. All the males that weren’t sold died.