Anthias Quarantining?

[tundraguy1106]

I’m currently ordering 2 lyretail anthias (female) and 5 Randall’s anthias (also female) from LA general stock. I’ve been reading all the posts on quarantining fish but there’s just sooo much to know. I know anthias can be tough and require different things. I currently have a 20 gallon long Quarantine tank with an aqua clear filter, powerhead aimed at surface and heater in place. On hand I have; Copper Power, prazi, general cure, focus and garlic. I also have a Hannah copper test kit and an air pump just in case I need more aeration well. I’m looking for any tips or tricks for quarantining anthias specifically (when to dip, add copper, get eating and other medications). I’ve read some rough reviews on anthias general stock as of late. I appreciate any and all advice

 

[Old Fritz]

its kinda redundant to treat both prazi and general cure seeing as general cure has prazi in it. I'd say the normal qt process is two weeks copper, two weeks general cure and/or prazi and/or metro. When running any medication use the air pump, and keep a close eye on the ammonia levels as 7 fish right into a 20 is a big jump in bioload. I only do freshwater dips for flukes, but if you treat with prazi you don't really have to do freshwater dips.
After those four weeks I also do another 2 weeks of paragaurd which isn't as strong as copper but will generally kill of anything left in the tank without being nearly as stressful as copper

 

[Flippers4pups]

It would be best to split them up into two qt's. 7 anthias in one 20 long may be pushing it.

@HotRocks

 

[Auto-pilot]

hey i have some experiance and want you to know that you can pull it off even though some are tricky. one thing that helped me alot was hatching and feeding baby brine shrimp. I would start them with copper but not full dose right away. work them into the copper as they will stop eating if they get stressed by it. someone told me they dont like copper power but ive never used it so i cant confm that

 

[Old Fritz]

It would be best to split them up into two qt's. 7 anthias in one 20 long may be pushing it.

@HotRocks

I mean it's possible if there is no aggression, but I imagine water changes would have to be done daily

 

[tundraguy1106]

I’m still finalizing my order. I have 3 lyretails in my 120 gallon display (1 male, 2 females) but the male is so aggressive I wanted to add a few more. The Randall’s I just really like and they have small females in stock. I went with 5 figuring with what I’ve read I would have some deaths. So copper Power is a no go for anthias? I thought I read on here that’s the less potent copper?

 

[tundraguy1106]

Oh I also have biopellets and a sponge running in the filter that were soaked in my sump for over a month. I also added some biospira just to be on the bacteria safe side. I also added an ammonia alert badge.

 

[jsvand5]

With that many anthias I’d treat for uronema from day one even if you don’t see any signs initially.

 

[tundraguy1106]

With that many anthias I’d treat for uronema from day one even if you don’t see any signs initially.

What meds treat for uronema? I also read another member here does an initial bath in ruby reef upon receiving shipment.

 

[tundraguy1106]

I mean it's possible if there is no aggression, but I imagine water changes would have to be done daily

What’s an ideal number of fish for a 20 gallon quarantine? I could just do the Randall’s and wait on the lyretails?

 

[Old Fritz]

What’s an ideal number of fish for a 20 gallon quarantine? I could just do the Randall’s and wait on the lyretails?

what size do they come in as?

 

[tundraguy1106]

what size do they come in as?

The Randall’s are small females listed as 1.5 - 2”

 

[rkpetersen]

There's no ideal number; if they're small and your biofilter is well-established, you could probably get away with 5 in a 10 gallon.
I don't think anthias are particularly susceptible to uronema; you see it most often in chromis.
Uronema can be treated with an initial bath in acriflavine or formalin, then metronidazole in the water.
Treating for flukes with General Cure will also treat for uronema, although you should add extra doses of metro between and after the 2 GC doses.
One issue with anthias is that they're high energy fish which do best if they can eat frequently, which isn't ideal for a QT.
Especially if the QT is overstocked.
One high energy food that anthias will almost always eat is roe (fish eggs).
I rinse roe first so I'm just feeding the eggs, and not the thick liquid they come in.

 

[tundraguy1106]

There's no ideal number; if they're small and your biofilter is well-established, you could probably get away with 5 in a 10 gallon.
I don't think anthias are particularly susceptible to uronema; you see it most often in chromis.
Uronema can be treated with an initial bath in acriflavine or formalin, then metronidazole in the water.
Treating for flukes with General Cure will also treat for uronema, although you should add extra doses of metro between and after the 2 GC doses.
One issue with anthias is that they're high energy fish which do best if they can eat frequently, which isn't ideal for a QT.
Especially if the QT is overstocked.
One high energy food that anthias will almost always eat is roe (fish eggs).
I rinse roe first so I'm just feeding the eggs, and not the thick liquid they come in.

I have ROE in my refrigerator. My lyretails and clowns love it. It does come in a thick liquid. How do you rinse it without losing the eggs? My other foods on hand are LRS reef frenzy nano, pe mysis, and pe calanus. I’m think I might need other foods (live, or frozen)??

 

[rkpetersen]

How do you rinse it without losing the eggs?

You can use a fine mesh screen.
If you don't have that, put the roe in some tank water, mix it up, and pour off most of the liquid.

 

[suta4242]

With anthias in quarantine it’s important to use a power head to mimic the tides that bring the plankton in, especially if they’re fresh from the wild. High flow when you add the food, low when they have finished feeding.

If you are feeding roe keep an eye on ammonia or better still nitrite, as detectable nitrite indicates the presence of ammonia. Maintaining high water quality will prevent a lot of opportunistic bacterial infections, too.

On a positive note, both those species are pretty hardy so hopefully you won’t have too many issues.

Good luck with them!

 

[rkpetersen]

With anthias in quarantine it’s important to use a power head to mimic the tides that bring the plankton in, especially if they’re fresh from the wild. High flow when you add the food, low when they have finished feeding.

If you are feeding roe keep an eye on ammonia or better still nitrite, as detectable nitrite indicates the presence of ammonia. Maintaining high water quality will prevent a lot of opportunistic bacterial infections, too.

On a positive note, both those species are pretty hardy so hopefully you won’t have too many issues.

Good luck with them!

Agree except that measurable nitrite does not imply the presence of measurable ammonia.
Ammonia is always being generated in any reef tank, excreted by fish and other animals.
First phase nitrification (NH3 to NO2) is generally established quickly and more robust.
Measurable nitrite means that the second phase nitrification (NO2 to NO3) bacteria aren't up to the demand on them.

 

[suta4242]

Point taken but imo the tank is still cycling and that’s an added stress for fish in quarantine.

 

[tundraguy1106]

Point taken but imo the tank is still cycling and that’s an added stress for fish in quarantine.

My QT has a HOB filter with a seeded sponge and bio media that were soaked in my display fuge for over a month. The QT has been up and running for about a week now with no fish added. I tossed in a pinch of pellet food and some biospira just in case. The water I filled it with cane straight from my display. I thinking I might just do the 5 Randall’s only. Not sure if 2 less fish will make a difference. I was ordering more expecting to have losses on my first quarantine.

 

[maroun.c]

I'd be ready to feed them multiple times a day even if they're not feeding to try to stimulate them to. This will require daily siphoning of the Qt if they're not feeding as well as water changes to deal with parameters. a skimmer in Qt can help a bit with this and also in oxygenating the water.
having some fish that are already eating with them might help entice them to feed.
splitting them into two Qts might be best to maximize their chances by limiting disease spread as well as minimizing the effect of the number of fish and amount of food over a limited water volume.