Quarentining Anthias

[Ruskin]

I posted this in another topic but it isnt get much notice so I thought i would start a new thread. For those of you that generally do QT your fish, do you also QT Anthias? I've read a few different things, and seen a few people (B. Fenner) being one of them, suggest NOT to QT your Anthias. I have 3 in QT now and dont want to stress them out too much just by trying to make sure they are healthy! They eat well and have good colouration.

Looking for some experiences and comments.

Thanks,
Matt

[Sarcophyton69]

Yes, I quarantine everything. I am more worreid about introducing disease to an estblished system. You need a bigger tank and may need more then one tank depending on how many you are goung to buy

[cl2ysta1]

i QT them to get them wormed and eating

[pf1130]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12593473#post12593473 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cl2ysta1
i QT them to get them wormed and eating
I've wanted to know the answer to the same question. I've also read recommendations to deworm anthias, what do you use to deworm? Is this mixed in with their food? Dosage? Also how long do you quarantine them and what other prophylactic treatments do you use (dips etc)?

[cl2ysta1]

prazipro. use the instructions on the bottle. I do food and tank water.

i usually do a methalyne blue dip before they go in the tank.

it usually takes me a few weeks to get them eating. use really tiny minced mysis

[MMM33732]

May be a dumb question, but why would you not QT one if you QT all other fish? Whats diff about them?

[dadonoflaw]

they are very sensitive in general and have trouble adapting so ppl are more concerned about whether they will survive qt especially one without a skimmer and little water movement since anthias need lots of oxygen

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12592236#post12592236 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ruskin
I posted this in another topic but it isnt get much notice so I thought i would start a new thread. For those of you that generally do QT your fish, do you also QT Anthias? I've read a few different things, and seen a few people (B. Fenner) being one of them, suggest NOT to QT your Anthias. I have 3 in QT now and dont want to stress them out too much just by trying to make sure they are healthy! They eat well and have good colouration.

what species?

[Ruskin]

Lyretails. Sorry I forgot to mention that.

[Gary Majchrzak]

this is a case where I'll agree with Fenner

[Valab]

The anthias I've had, Bartletts, have done great in quarantine. I've had up to 5 of them for 6 weeks in a 17 gal Q tank.

I would never consider adding directly to the main tank.

[Snowboarda42]

Another cool way to get Anthias to eat is to buy at least one from your LFS thats already eating prepared foods. My LFS keeps at least one that eats prepared foods so that the others "learn" from watching him/her eat whatever lands in the tank.


As far as QT'ing them, I completely agree with putting them in QT for at least 6 weeks with no signs of illness.

Using a longer tank rather than a tall one is a must since these fish are avid swimmers.

Another good trick to being able to set up a QT on demand is to keep a sponge filter in your sump of your main tank (assuming it has no disease) and when it comes time to set up your QT, you simply put the sponge from your sump into the QT (don't wring it out) and you have instant biological filtration. I use one of the ones that has an airline input, but I don't hook it up when its in my sump.

[SDguy]

I had very good luck QT'ing bartletts and even ignitus anthias. Deworming is a must, IMO, for anthias.

[Ruskin]

Thanks all for the comments. It seems its a mixed bag here as well. Some saying not to, some saying to QT.

I've always QT'd my fish, from the very first one I bought. When I saw people saying the opposite of certain fish I always find it interesting. Those opposed to QT Antias aren't without reason (IMO) I can see how many QT tanks would lack exactly what Anthias deserve from water conditions. Myself I have a 20 long with a mj1200 running and a HOB with a sponge.

I think im going to pickup some Pazipro as was suggest too. Is that a LFS item, or special order?

Thanks Again,
Matt

[SDguy]

I think DFS carries it. I think a large LFS should also...

[janakaybravo]

Yes, definitely qt anthias. I have successfully qt'd Barletts and Dispars. I use Prazipro always and maybe hypo depending on how they look. It is true if one is eating the others will learn from that one. My qt tank is a 55.

Kay

[CarlC]

Never a problem QT'ing for me. Lori's, dispar, flavacauda, parvirostris, squamipinnis, cheirospilos have all done very well in my 29g and 55g set up. A couple of powerheads, sponge filter and some PVC pipes for hiding places are all I use. Water changes are done every other day.

Treatments depend on the issue present. PraziPro is used for deworming buy feeding it to live brine and also added to water for the first two weeks.


Carl

[Brad Black]

I agree completely. It is not worth the price of several fish vs the price of your whole display.
I have Qt'd dispars for a minimum of 4-6 weeks,sometimes longer because they are very difficult to get eating. The trick I use is to get fozen cyclopeez (the red stick, looks like the size of a stick of butter), I always buy them in groups whenever possible. They do much better with the shoal. Also use a 29g qt for swimming room with lots of PVC for hiding.
Adding them to the display, IMO, not only risks disease introduction, but also can starve the timid anthias while the are trying to learn to feed with an aggresive group of established fish. They just seem to hide and never learn. Very frustrating to watch. Good luck, they are beautiful fish to have. They also require extremely high water quality! They do not tolerate the least bit of unwanteds (nitrates, etc).

[Gary Majchrzak]

my experience is to the contrary:
timid Anthias learn to eat in an aquarium by watching other (established) Anthias eat.
Regarding Anthias (and all other fishes) I rarely (if ever) purchase any recent imports. I prefer that new arrivals remain at my LFS for acclimation for at least a week or two before purchase. (Some might consider this a QT period of sorts although it's technically not. I don't purchase fishes online). I've never QT'd Anthias and I've never had a problem with any of them (except some very timid Lori's that were kept with some boisterous tankmates and would not leave the rockwork to eat. I also had a male Squarespot that bullied a couple of females to the point of starvation.)
Any sick looking Anthias usually don't last more than a week once their final destination is realized IME.
FWIW what specific signs should one be looking for if worms are a concern?

I would be very hesitant to make generalizations about water quality for Anthias since I've seen certian Anthias species do fine in the presence of high nitrates. This is a highly variable family of fishes- some species are very resilient to less than optimal conditions. Water flow (oxygen saturation) would be a most important factor for something like Lyretails IME.

[Brad Black]

my experience is with the dispar anthas. They will not often (if at all) come out and eat with the fish in my diplay, and starve in the rockwork as a result. This is why I have always qt'd mine after learning the hard way. I have found that they need to learn in QT first (at least with the shy dispars).

[janakaybravo]

I got my dispars all eating in qt and moved them to the main tank. Then one would disappear and I would see it hiding on the bottom. I've had them go into hiding for weeks and then reappear starved and almost dead. They all used to school together and eat. I have a peaceful tank. I think they are just a hard fish to keep. Now after several months I have two left, one eating and one not.

Kay