success with purple queen anthias anyone?

[lildraken]

I've had my purple queen anthias for couple of weeks now and have never observed them eating. I've tried live brine shrimp, frozen mysis, formula one, angel formula, and raw shrimp. They just slowly swim around like they're in a trance while all the other fish are in a feeding frenzy. Anyone here has had success with them? thanks.

[coryjac0b]

i have had a single one in my tank for about 6 months, eats like a pig, i started him on live brine, then weened to frozen, he wont touch any pellet i throw at him. there's actually 2 different ones, ones called purple anthias, and ones called purple queen.

[isistius]

i had one a while back. finally got him to start eating frozen cyclopeze

[lildraken]

thanks for recommending the cyclopeze. I will try that also. I tried feeding newly hatched brine shrimp and it seems to work for only one of the two that I have. The food particles are so small i hardly think that it's enough to sustain them.
I think the food size is the key. I will keep an update. In the meantime. I don't know which kind I have. The pet store sold them to me as "purple queens"
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q112/Syford/myanthia.jpg
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q112/Syford/anthia.jpg

[SDguy]

I hope you guys give us updates on your successes/failures. To date, the record on RC for tuka's is about 1 year I think (adddo).

[Goodwood]

ive tried a few times, they will eat very small things but always wither aways after several months

[lildraken]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9470671#post9470671 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by coryjac0b
i have had a single one in my tank for about 6 months, eats like a pig, i started him on live brine, then weened to frozen, he wont touch any pellet i throw at him. there's actually 2 different ones, ones called purple anthias, and ones called purple queen.

So are what I have pictured, turkas? purple anthias? or purple queens? regardless, today I tried feeding frozen brine shrimp nauplii and frozen cyclopes with no success.

[zemuron114]

im getting one from marshalls tomorrow just to see if i can get it to eat. I will post a pic if i can, and hopefully will have some good news to follow :)

[SDguy]

Generally, tuka's are referred to as "purple queens", while pascalus are "amethyst anthias". FWIW, my vote is for pascalus in those pics above. AFAIK, they have pretty much equal longevity records in captivity (being virtually none :( )

[Angel*Fish]

Lildraken, female tukas have an unmistakable yellow stripe dorsally and the males have a red spot on their dorsal fin - it's hard to tell because often fish can be in sexual transition, but yours look like male tukas to me

[Angel*Fish]

oops double post

[lildraken]

Thanks for your replies all! as of today both fish are eating live brine shrimp nauplii. I've had them since february 25th and they are about 5 inches long. Feeding them bs nauplii will not sustain them so hopefully they will graduate to eating other things.

[Angel*Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9495238#post9495238 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Angel*Fish
Lildraken, female tukas have an unmistakable yellow stripe dorsally and the males have a red spot on their dorsal fin - it's hard to tell because often fish can be in sexual transition, but yours look like male tukas to me Sorry! I meant to type pascalus - yours look like male P. pascalus :)

[lildraken]

Thanks angel*fish. yeah they don't have any yellow dorsally or a red spot on their fins so they must be P. pascalus. Today I turned off the filter so that food particles can stay suspended and they started eating frozen cyclops. maybe they'll live if the green chromis would stop pigging out!

[mattyice]

a better idea would be to get them started eating in a QT tank, then once they eat with enough gusto move them into your display

[lildraken]

okay Just an update on my P. Pascalus. It's been a month and they're still alive! they still do not eat hardily. They only snap at minute particles of frozen cyclops or frozen brine shrimp nauplii. they stomachs are shrinking, but do not look excessivly unhealthy.

Yeah I should have started them in the QT tank, but unfortunately I have corals in that tank and it has to remain fallow for a month to let the parasites die off.

[BrianD]

:(

[Creade]

My purple queens are extremely skiddish around the larger fish in the tank, but when I feed I crank up one of the Tunze's that blows at their overhang and they come out at the food in a frenzy.

However, mine started eatting within 20 minutes of entering my 210.

As mentioned, they are extremely shy fish, but they do seem to eat aggressively.

When I hit the one year mark Ill give an update.

I am curious however...does anyone know how long they take to change to male? I have one female that is nearly twice the size of the others, and then I have one female that is the smallest, and most aggressive. I have seen no change in color from any of them to date.

[SDguy]

Honestly, I don't think anyone has kept them long/healthy enough to see them change sex. Maybe you'll be the first?

[eskymick]

My LFS has had two Purple Queens in a tank by themselves for a couple months now ... they eat very well ... frozen brine and mysis. It leads me to believe they would do rather well in a species tank. As noted, they are very shy when housed with aggressive competition.

[mike777vick]

I had 3 purple queens and they all died within a month and a half, they never ate well, ( I heard you had to feed them like 4-5 times a day and I just could not do that). I should have done my research instead of finding out they were hard to keep after I bought them. Actually 2 of them starved and one of them went hard wood floor surfing.

[Creade]

Just thought I would update, because I saw something amusing today.

My purple queens have a rock island they normally hang out under during the brightest parts of the day. (all 3 halides on)

Today, my purple tang decided to join them under their overhang.

They crazily chased him out!

Purple anthias chasing a purple tang. It was a sight.

[SuAsati]

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q284/SuAsati/IMG_0703.jpg

Here is a male and a female.... Mine eats, live brine shrimp and frozen daphnia... and some mysis....

[Creade]

How long have ytou had them?

[Angel*Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9764807#post9764807 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Creade
Just thought I would update, because I saw something amusing today.

My purple queens have a rock island they normally hang out under during the brightest parts of the day. (all 3 halides on)

Today, my purple tang decided to join them under their overhang.

They crazily chased him out!

Purple anthias chasing a purple tang. It was a sight.
Funny :D Thanks for sharing

[SuAsati]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9766123#post9766123 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Creade
How long have ytou had them?

About seven months, so not there at the year mark yet...

[adddo]

Mine are still alive and eating like hogs (Formula 1 & 2 pellets, artemia, mysis, flakefood just about anything i put in there thats big enough to fit their mouths). I moved them from a 75g to a 135g a couple of months ago and was a bit worried, but they seem to have settled in nicely.

Still keeping the temp on the lower side.

[Creade]

Mine arent a huge fan of the bright lights mid day, but the temp doesnt seem to bother them that I can tell.

[fourts1]

Just added 8 tukas to my 300G reef that is stocked with many other fish. They are only 1 in. in size. They are out schooling among the other fish. The other fish have not harassed them. I normally feed my tank 6 times a day, 5 times via automatic feeders with dried foods and once with frozen foods. All of the dry feedings contain freeze dried cyclops for the anthias. Frozen feedings include reef plankton(SFB) and frozen cyclops for the anthias. Currently, I am adding some freeze dried cyclops and garlic extract to the frozen food. The tukas are eating but not vigorously. I am unsure which of these foods they are actually eating. I have a large sump which conains live rock and a large amount of mysis shrimp. This is on reverse lighting so the shrimp spawn during main tank day time. The tukas are clearly feeding off of particules in the return water which i presume is spawn. Hopefully with this setup I'll have success. I'll keep you posted.

[Creade]

Sounds good. The fact that your feeding so often should definately be helping them out.

Mine are quiet a bit larger, (the largest being atleast 3") and they eat nonstop when they are out swimming.

I personally believe that if your husbandry is solid, these fish will do fine in a captive reef. But then again, maybe I just havent had mine long enough to say for sure.

The problems arrise when people purchase them because they see a purple fish in the store and just HAVE to have it. No research, etc.
Then, of course, people throw them in a small tank, with no fuge, no self producing foodsources, and no intention of being able to feed as vigorously as is required.


On a side note.. Fourts1, How long as your tank been up? Do your nutrient levels stay in check feeding that much? How heavy is the tank stocked other than the Tukas?

[fourts1]

Tank has been setup for about six years but was a relatively low nutrient primarily coral tank till about a year ago when I decided to go with more fish. I have been trying more demanding species many of which require frequent feedings. Current fish are emporator angal, regal angel, blueface angel, moorish idol,yellow tang, powder blue tang, blue tang,vlamingi tang, CBB, 2 percula clowns, flame hawk, six line wrasse, foxface, 3 blue chromis, 3 lyretail anthias, 4 dispar anthias, pseudochromis fridmani, yellow clown goby and the 8 tukas. I'm current struggling alittle with the nutrient levels part of which was due to a failing deep sand bed in one of my 4' x 2' sumps which I just replaced.

[Angel*Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9785439#post9785439 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Creade
I personally believe that if your husbandry is solid, these fish will do fine in a captive reef. But then again, maybe I just havent had mine long enough to say for sure.

The problems arrise when people purchase them because they see a purple fish in the store and just HAVE to have it. No research, etc.

No way :) - These fish are very difficult to keep, at least in the US. We either don't know something important, like temperature issues or we don't know/can't provide the correct diet or they are very susceptible to shipping stress - or a combination

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=695884&highlight=tuka

If you are successful with these long term, posting every little thing you can think of about your tank may be very helpful for these fish