Should I get this fish?

Alemoki · Jul 29, 2019

Hey everyone.

So I have the opportunity to get a sunburst anthia. I know it's not super fancy for all of you but here in South Africa it's pretty rare. I have always wanted one and now that I have the chance I just want to ensure that I'm not making a mistake.

I currently have a cube mixed reef. 24inch x 24inch x 19 inch.

Current reef inhabitants are a Tailspot Blennie, Bangaii Cardinal and an Azure Damsel.

If I do get it, it will go into my QT to get feeding and once eating my foods will be put into my main DT.

Do you guys think I should go for it or not??

Thanks in advance

Peach02 · Jul 29, 2019

Alemoki said:
Hey everyone.

So I have the opportunity to get a sunburst anthia. I know it's not super fancy for all of you but here in South Africa it's pretty rare. I have always wanted one and now that I have the chance I just want to ensure that I'm not making a mistake.

I currently have a cube mixed reef. 24inch x 24inch x 19 inch.

Current reef inhabitants are a Tailspot Blennie, Bangaii Cardinal and an Azure Damsel.

If I do get it, it will go into my QT to get feeding and once eating my foods will be put into my main DT.

Do you guys think I should go for it or not??

Thanks in advance

You always wanted it and it seems compatible with your stocking so go for it

mattzang · Jul 29, 2019

why wouldn't you? :)

if it's tank size i believe most people agree they do ok in smaller tanks since they're not as active as other anthias nor as social

Alemoki · Jul 30, 2019

Thanks for the responses! I think I may definitely go ahead with it!

vetteguy53081 · Jul 30, 2019

They’re peaceful And good eaters.
Get it my friend

Marco S · Jul 30, 2019

When I was initially starting my fish stock wish list I wanted to keep a small school of Anthia's and one of my LFS owners informed me that they need a very special diet, (Like Mandarins only eating Pods) and most people that get them end up starving them to death since they won't eat the food they feed them. I am not sure if this applies to the one you are asking about but I just bring this up so maybe someone with more knowledge on the topic can verify if this is true of the species you are asking about or not. You may want to ask them to feed it and make sure it is eating well before you get it, just in case.

Alemoki · Jul 30, 2019

Marco S said:
When I was initially starting my fish stock wish list I wanted to keep a small school of Anthia's and one of my LFS owners informed me that they need a very special diet, (Like Mandarins only eating Pods) and most people that get them end up starving them to death since they won't eat the food they feed them. I am not sure if this applies to the one you are asking about but I just bring this up so maybe someone with more knowledge on the topic can verify if this is true of the species you are asking about or not. You may want to ask them to feed it and make sure it is eating well before you get it, just in case.

Thanks for your input. I do intend to make sure of it's health before purchase and plan to keep it in QT until it is eating prepared foods. Hopefully this will increase my chances with it in the main tank. However it seems many have been able to get these onto prepared readily so shouldn't be too much of a problem I hope.
I will do more frequent smaller feedings for it and my tank has a fairly decent pod population.

Dp916 · Jul 30, 2019

quarantine your fish, velvet and fluke are on the rise.

Tamberav · Jul 30, 2019

I have one in a 25g and it is a lovely fish. Very beautiful....mine has become bold and is a good eater. I would definitely recommend.

Just make sure your damsel doesn't bully it. These fatheads like overhangs and caves....and so do damsels who will defend their little area fiercely at times.

I have never seen mine eat any pods. It likes small chopped frozen foods...LRS...mysis and fish roe are it's favorite.

It won't eat a ton in one sitting and prefers small frequent meals.

Alemoki · Jul 30, 2019

Tamberav said:
I have one in a 25g and it is a lovely fish. Very beautiful....mine has become bold and is a good eater. I would definitely recommend.

Just make sure your damsel doesn't bully it. These fatheads like overhangs and caves....and so do damsels who will defend their little area fiercely at times.

I have never seen mine eat any pods. It likes small chopped frozen foods...LRS...mysis and fish roe are it's favorite.

It won't eat a ton in one sitting and prefers small frequent meals.

Thanks for your input!

My only concern is my damsel. However since adding my Tailspot, I've noticed that he acts tough but gives up on a fight very easily. So with this in mind I doubt it will be an issue. My tank has a few nice overhangs and quite a tall scape so should give space for them to find their own territory.

vetteguy53081 · Jul 30, 2019

Marco S said:
When I was initially starting my fish stock wish list I wanted to keep a small school of Anthia's and one of my LFS owners informed me that they need a very special diet, (Like Mandarins only eating Pods) and most people that get them end up starving them to death since they won't eat the food they feed them. I am not sure if this applies to the one you are asking about but I just bring this up so maybe someone with more knowledge on the topic can verify if this is true of the species you are asking about or not. You may want to ask them to feed it and make sure it is eating well before you get it, just in case.

That's crazy- I have two tanks that have anthias with my largest tank having 7. They are 3-4" and would need a pound of pods to fill them. They eat everything under the sun- Flakes, pellets, all frozen- even nori !!

Marco S · Jul 30, 2019

vetteguy53081 said:
That's crazy- I have two tanks that have anthias with my largest tank having 7. They are 3-4" and would need a pound of pods to fill them. They eat everything under the sun- Flakes, pellets, all frozen- even nori !!

What's crazy is the amount of bad advice you get from LFS's...

But I did actually find a few articles talking about certain Anthia's requiring several feedings a day of Zooplankton and not being able to adapt to normal feedings of frozen or pellet food so I figured it was valid. Either way, the only reason I posted was to bring it up and see what you people with actual experience had to say about it. If it was an issue then it could have saved some fish from starving, but if not then we can chalk it up to another instance of bad advice from an LFS.

Alemoki · Jul 30, 2019

I have appreciated everyone's input here! Thanks for all the comments. Will update once I get the fish and any progress etc.

rkpetersen · Jul 30, 2019

They can be pretty shy around boisterous fish in a small tank.
Not saying don't try it, but be prepared for possible issues.
Most anthias like multiple feedings of energy rich food each day.
When people say they eat zooplankton, they mean larger plankters, like fish eggs, not nearly microscopic forms like copepods.
Fish eggs actually are a good choice, as they're rich in lipids/calories for their size, and anthias usually love them.

Alemoki · Aug 1, 2019

So I got the fish and it's in the QT. Been hiding under the rocks in the QT and it's scaring the crap out of me coz I keep thinking "aah that's it he's dead"

Has not been swimming around. Hopefully I can entice him to eat tomorrow morning with some garlic soaked food

Marco S · Aug 1, 2019

Alemoki said:
So I got the fish and it's in the QT. Been hiding under the rocks in the QT and it's scaring the crap out of me coz I keep thinking "aah that's it he's dead"

Has not been swimming around. Hopefully I can entice him to eat tomorrow morning with some garlic soaked food

Is he in any medication or just observation? I always keep my new arrivals in a non medicated QT until they start eating so I can fatten them up a bit before medicating them, (unless they are showing signs of disease). I had a hard time with my Powder Blue Tang and actually thought he was going to die because I could not get him to eat anything and he was getting pretty skinny. He finally started eating live Brine shrimp and then frozen Mysis. It took a while to get him to eat pellet food and Nori, but now he eats anything I put in the tank and is growing pretty fast.

Maybe try some live food if he doesn't start eating soon. Good luck, hopefully he starts eating and makes it through QT.

bhuyett · Aug 1, 2019

Get ready to be diligent about changing your QT water out frequently. The Fat heads are one of the more finicky when it comes to getting them to eat in the beginning. But once they start eating, they are very hardy in the tank. Once eating you will also want to medicate him using Focus and Metroplex mix for 14 days straight. Or do a Focus and General Cure for the same 2 weeks to make sure he doesn't have any sort of parasite.

I usually start out feeding 4-6 times a day with live Brine or Tigger pods, then move to PE Calanus. Then mix in the Calanus with frozen bryne and then move to the Kikari Bio-Pure Frozen Mysis because it is much smaller than the PE Mysis.

I have had success with this method with my Evansi, Pascalus and Ventralis (longfin) Anthias. My male longfine when I got him.. I was sure he was going to die in my 120 gallon tank. He was a mere 3/4" max, and has been thriving in the tank running around with hunks of mysis hanging out of his mouth like a pipe. ;Joyful

Alemoki · Aug 2, 2019

Marco S said:
Is he in any medication or just observation? I always keep my new arrivals in a non medicated QT until they start eating so I can fatten them up a bit before medicating them, (unless they are showing signs of disease). I had a hard time with my Powder Blue Tang and actually thought he was going to die because I could not get him to eat anything and he was getting pretty skinny. He finally started eating live Brine shrimp and then frozen Mysis. It took a while to get him to eat pellet food and Nori, but now he eats anything I put in the tank and is growing pretty fast.

Maybe try some live food if he doesn't start eating soon. Good luck, hopefully he starts eating and makes it through QT.

Currently only in there for observation.

Going to also start a brine shrimp culture

Alemoki · Aug 2, 2019

bhuyett said:
Get ready to be diligent about changing your QT water out frequently. The Fat heads are one of the more finicky when it comes to getting them to eat in the beginning. But once they start eating, they are very hardy in the tank. Once eating you will also want to medicate him using Focus and Metroplex mix for 14 days straight. Or do a Focus and General Cure for the same 2 weeks to make sure he doesn't have any sort of parasite.

I usually start out feeding 4-6 times a day with live Brine or Tigger pods, then move to PE Calanus. Then mix in the Calanus with frozen bryne and then move to the Kikari Bio-Pure Frozen Mysis because it is much smaller than the PE Mysis.

I have had success with this method with my Evansi, Pascalus and Ventralis (longfin) Anthias. My male longfine when I got him.. I was sure he was going to die in my 120 gallon tank. He was a mere 3/4" max, and has been thriving in the tank running around with hunks of mysis hanging out of his mouth like a pipe. ;Joyful

Thanks for this. I plan to WC often yes, this feeding is definitely going to foul the water