Skinny Anthias!!

[reefpatrique]

I just noticed today that my 4 dispar anthias are all looking very, very skinny. As in body sunken in past posterior of the skull, and intestines visible through skin. They were not like this Wednesday earlier this week, and I've had them a little over a month. (Attached is a picture from Wednesday earlier this week; they look normal, though not fat; no entrails visible from looking right at them.) I purchased them looking healthy, as well. I understand that underfeeding anthias is a common problem, but I have been feeding them and their tankmates 3x per day, and I have been feeding a frozen blend that has worked well. Over the past few days, my recollection is that I may have lightened up on the feeding a bit, but I can't be sure. No stringy white poop, only the healthy, solid brown stuff. Behavior is quite normal, and they are eager to eat as much as their tankmates are each time I feed them. They're out in the open and not hiding. Yesterday I noticed that they were very, very open to eating some dried food, like flakes. Still spitting out the pellets, but I'm hopeful.

Two questions.

1. Does this add up in such a short time? I'm ruling out sickness/parasites because of normal behavior and normal poop.

2. To fatten them back up, should I increase the number of feedings and stick with the flakes for now, since more nutrient dense? Should I do flakes plus frozen food? Should I focus on just frozen food, even though less energy per weight? Should I do flakes plus keep pushing pellets? Anyone have any successful tales of bringing anthias back from what appeared the brink of starvation?

Thanks!

 

[PicassoClown04]

Increase the feedings and try to target feed him specifically, try feeding multiple areas of the tank at one time to minimize competition between the fish

 

[ca1ore]

This is a common problem with many pseudoanthias species in captivity. They just don’t get enough to eat and slowly waste away. Whatever they are eating .....feed more of that more frequently. Doesn’t matter that flake/pellets are more nutrient dense if they aren’t eating it

 

[Haydn]

As above- newly imported anthias particularly from the subgenus Mirolabrichthys lose condition quickly and need heavy feeding of high protein, high fat foods which they can rapidly turn into body fats. They also have small gullets, so the food needs to be small. I start my new anthias on heavy feeding of frozen calamus, lobster and fish eggs, but be careful, keeep a check your nutrient parameters, they can pollute the tank.

 

[AMBER NICHOLS]

Try to find some Sera o-nips. Anthias have little bellies and need to eat numerous small meals several times a day. Mine are super fat from these. I do 2 a day and they go absolutely crazy for them they break apart in tank in tiny pieces. I also feed frozen and pellets. They do make a mess of your tank.

 

[reefpatrique]

Wanted to give a quick update with a follow up question. I essentially started feeding the fish 5-10 times per day, way overfeeding the tank, knowing that far less than what I actually put in would actually get eaten. I tried the O-nips (good notion, but it didn't take), continued my tropical flakes (they ate this but seemed to get bored of it), tried to get them hooked onto pellets (they didn't), and switched to LFS Reef Frenzy (they love this). As far as dry food goes, I settled on the Omega enriched flakes, since they have the highest fat content of any flake I know of. I also bought an Eheim autofeeder which does off 4x per day. I did 25g-30g weekly water changes and sand bed cleaning to try to keep my nutrients down. (These water changes did a good job of doing this.) I noticed 3 of the 4 putting some meat on the bones, and while I wouldn't call those 3 fat, I would say that I have a lot less concern for them. The fourth I just didn't see put on any weight, and I noticed this one seemed to be transitioning, as she was the biggest and would flash her dorsal a lot more than the others and start jaw locking with the next biggest. Anyway, flash forward to about a week ago this Sunday, before we left for the beach, the biggest was nowhere to be found at feeding times. I presumed she was dead. Until I went in and pulled out the rockwork to remove her, I found her flapping her fins, though subdued. She also looked like she had gained some weight. So, I pulled her out into a bucked to try to isolate her feeding.

Was this the wrong move -- should I put her back? Do dispar anthias hide out for a little while as they transition sometimes? Any insight #reefsquad?

 

[PaulRose1818]

Wanted to give a quick update with a follow up question. I essentially started feeding the fish 5-10 times per day, way overfeeding the tank, knowing that far less than what I actually put in would actually get eaten. I tried the O-nips (good notion, but it didn't take), continued my tropical flakes (they ate this but seemed to get bored of it), tried to get them hooked onto pellets (they didn't), and switched to LFS Reef Frenzy (they love this). As far as dry food goes, I settled on the Omega enriched flakes, since they have the highest fat content of any flake I know of. I also bought an Eheim autofeeder which does off 4x per day. I did 25g-30g weekly water changes and sand bed cleaning to try to keep my nutrients down. (These water changes did a good job of doing this.) I noticed 3 of the 4 putting some meat on the bones, and while I wouldn't call those 3 fat, I would say that I have a lot less concern for them. The fourth I just didn't see put on any weight, and I noticed this one seemed to be transitioning, as she was the biggest and would flash her dorsal a lot more than the others and start jaw locking with the next biggest. Anyway, flash forward to about a week ago this Sunday, before we left for the beach, the biggest was nowhere to be found at feeding times. I presumed she was dead. Until I went in and pulled out the rockwork to remove her, I found her flapping her fins, though subdued. She also looked like she had gained some weight. So, I pulled her out into a bucked to try to isolate her feeding.

Was this the wrong move -- should I put her back? Do dispar anthias hide out for a little while as they transition sometimes? Any insight #reefsquad?

Can you give an update on how things are going with your anthias and what seemed to be helpful.