Borbonius Anthias Colour Fading

[Moray26]

Hey everyone,

I’ve had my new borbonius anthias for a couple months now. He is in a 225Gallon. Over the last couple weeks it appears his colours have faded a bit. Very noticeable between the eyes on the face as it’s almost white. Wonder why this is. There’s no aggression in the tank. He eats no problem and is always out and about swimming. Attached are some photos of him to show what I mean. Just curious if I should be concerned or not. Thanks in advance!

 

[Uncle99]

Looks like a tiny tail nip on first to pics, bottom of fin, fuzzy, so can’t be sure?

May lose some colour if stressed?

Stunning fish.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey everyone,

I’ve had my new borbonius anthias for a couple months now. He is in a 225Gallon. Over the last couple weeks it appears his colours have faded a bit. Very noticeable between the eyes on the face as it’s almost white. Wonder why this is. There’s no aggression in the tank. He eats no problem and is always out and about swimming. Attached are some photos of him to show what I mean. Just curious if I should be concerned or not. Thanks in advance!

This fish appears to be a victim of aggression and likely from other anthias or hawkfish (typical culprits) and color fade is likely due to stress. The fish is also slightly thin and should be eating periodically throughout the day as with most anthias fish.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Some of the fins are tattered. That can be from tankmate aggression (which you will likely never see happen) but can also be from flukes. This species is really prone to flukes, and pale coloration is also a symptom of that - was it given any anti-fluke treatment?

Jay

 

[Moray26]

Other anthias I have are lyretail and carberryi (all went through QT together and added at the same time). Haven’t seen any aggression when I watch the tank tho so not sure who would be the culprit. No hawkish in my tank. It did go through QT. No signs of flukes from an fish in the tank.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Other anthias I have are lyretail and carberryi (all went through QT together and added at the same time). Haven’t seen any aggression when I watch the tank tho so not sure who would be the culprit. No hawkish in my tank. It did go through QT. No signs of flukes from a fish in the tank.

But was it specifically treated for flukes, and if so, how?

Jay

 

[Moray26]

But was it specifically treated for flukes, and if so, how?

Jay

It was not treated for that.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

It was not treated for that.

You might consider Prazipro then - pretty safe, even for invertebrates. Dose it 2x, 8 days apart with good aeration. Turn off UV, run skimmers, but don’t collect the skimmate. I often do a 25% water change before the second treatment and then again, 3 days after the second treatment,.

Jay

 

[jackson6745]

Regular live black worm feedings brings back vibrant color in my anthias, including blotchy over the years.