Dispar Anthias
Scientific Name : Pseudoanthias Dispar
Origin : Indo-Pacific
Temperament : Semi-Aggressive
Temperature : 72F - 82F
Maximum Size :4 Inches
Diet : Carnivore
Difficulty : Medium
Reef Safe : Yes
Tank Size : 100 Gallons
The Dispar Anthias are some of the most popular members of the Anthias family along with the purple queen anthias and the lyretail anthias. They are also known as the peach anthias, madder seaperch and the redfin anthias.
Like other popular anthias, they are a shoaling fish in the wild. They can be found in the hundreds together as they ride the currents of the reef. Dispar anthias are somewhat common in the marine aquarium hobby but are usually more expensive than the cheaper varieties.
Their scientific names are Pseudoanthias Dispar and you can expect to pay up to $30 per specimen. Collected specimens usually come from Fiji, Indonesia and the Maldives.
Dispar anthias are usually found in a group consisting of a single male and a harem of females. Always keep a single male to a single tank in captivity. Two males will harass each other continuosly which may result in the death of one of them.
Dispar anthias, like other members of the family are a somewhat difficult marine fish to keep in captivity due to their natural diet. Getting them to feed may be difficult initially and usually takes live foods to get them eating.
Male and female specimens each have their very own distinct coloration. Females are usually orange on the upper half of their bodies and a pale purple on the bottom half. males are orange with a bright red dorsal fin. They are hermaphrodites that start off life as females and have the potential to become males in appropriate conditions. This is very much like Dwarf Angelfish.
Smaller groups are unable to properly disperse and absorb the aggressive nature of the males. As the dispar anthias is an open swimming species that can reach a length of about four inches, they require large aquariums. The bare minimum required to house these jewels is a hundred gallons. However, larger tanks above 200 gallons are recommended if a small group is desired.
In the wild, all pseudoanthias are planktonivores that ride the heavy currents of steep drop off areas while preying on passing morsels of plankton. This behavior is conducted throughout the day. As such, the difficulty in keeping these fish have to do with ensuring they are feed enough every day.
Frequent feedings of meaty foods are required everyday. The recommended rate of feeding is no less than two times a day to be on the safe side. Like most marine aquarium fish, these fish tend to accept frozen perpared foods for more frequently than they will dry foods initially.
Some great choices for them include * Mysis Shrimp, * Cyclopeeze, * Prime Reef and * Frozen Krill. Cyclopeeze is probably the closest match to what they would normally consume in the wild as they are small planktonic feed that are very nutritious. PE Mysis Shrimp is the standard in high quality mysis shrimp and Prime Reef is a nutritious blend of a variety of blended seafoods with vitamins and additives added.
