Purple queen anthias

Lonnie · Dec 9, 2016

Any one have luck keeping purple queen anthias. Lfs has a special going right now that I can't pass up.

DeniseAndy · Dec 9, 2016

They do not generally survive long term in systems. Unless you have food running as you would a nps system. I had one for a while with a special set up and it was eating and great, but came down with an infection and was gone in a day after months of having it. Really sucked. They are beautiful, but buying them only perpetuates LFS buying them. JMO

eatbreakfast · Dec 9, 2016

The situations in which I have seen success withthem is 20+ individuals and they got started on live baby brine. They also need frequent feeding.

tripdad · Dec 9, 2016

It's a very tough one to get eating. I failed, won't try them again.

Lonnie · Dec 9, 2016

Cool thanks for the heads up. They have been at the lfs for just about two weeks eating and everything. when I saw 3 for $65 I've been watching harder ever since l. Might do it for the experience I have auto feeders so that should help

eatbreakfast · Dec 10, 2016

They were eating dry food? That would be pretty uncommon. So unless they are taking dry food, an auto feeder won't be of much help.

Paul B · Dec 10, 2016

I want to get 4 or 5 more of these but the LFS I normally go to puts them in their reef tank where they can't catch them. I got this one about a year and they have almost the same requirements as a mandarin. I find him to be no trouble but they will not live in a normal tank which is fed flakes and pellets. They need very tiny food like new born brine shrimp but they will eat frozen baby brine shrimp also.
Mine eats all day from my new born brine shrimp feeder and being my tank is not very sterile, he has the opportunity to pick in the water column continousely as that is what that fish needs.

You can see her here at the feeder

Brad Vaughn · Nov 22, 2017

Paul B said:
I want to get 4 or 5 more of these but the LFS I normally go to puts them in their reef tank where they can't catch them. I got this one about a year and they have almost the same requirements as a mandarin. I find him to be no trouble but they will not live in a normal tank which is fed flakes and pellets. They need very tiny food like new born brine shrimp but they will eat frozen baby brine shrimp also.
Mine eats all day from my new born brine shrimp feeder and being my tank is not very sterile, he has the opportunity to pick in the water column continousely as that is what that fish needs.

You can see her here at the feeder ?

Beautiful wrasse and pipes, too. Did you make the feeder?

anit77 · Nov 22, 2017

I've had one for about 14 months now. It is doing very well. Had I known how hard they were to get eating after being moved I wouldn't have got him. Shortly after I got mine a guy that worked at a lfs tried to keep 3 at home and lost them all. PQA'S are notoriously picky eaters and most don't make it.

I think I lucked up because he was in QT with a Kole Tang and Blue Throat Trigger. I believe that watching them eat triggered it's feeding responce. At least that's my theory.

They will not eat pellet and will only eat smaller frozen foods, mostly small mysis. I mix PE mysis and Hikari mysis. The PE is larger and he will only occasionally eat it but the smaller Hikari is its primary staple. I soak the thawed, drained and rinsed mysis in selcon, vitachem, vitamin C & M. Now the feeding part... they are not only taste & texture eaters but highly visual. So if it doesn't look right they won't eat it, then if it doesn't taste right they spit it out. They will only eat food moving in suspension in the mid level of the water column. I have never seen it pick anything off the bottom or from the surface. I mostly feed twice a day but it will eat more often if offered. They can go a day without eating but not often and after which it's much less picky.

It's rewarding having him in the tank and I've thought about getting 2 females but I don't want to lose them in QT so I haven't done it as I'm not sure I can do it without a different type fish in there too. So knowing all of this you will need to decide if it's a commitment you're willing to take on. If you don't want or think you can feed frozen every day I would recommend not getting them.

Paul B · Nov 26, 2017

Brad Vaughn said:
Beautiful wrasse and pipes, too. Did you make the feeder?

Thank You, and Yes I did.

Brad Vaughn · Nov 26, 2017

Paul B said:
Thank You, and Yes I did.

Never saw that before. Do you put eggs in it and then they hatch out?

ca1ore · Nov 26, 2017

I think unless you are willing to feed them the very small food they require, and frequently, don't try. Oh, and they won't compete well in a typical community tank. I kept a quartet for about a year in my NPS tank by feeding live baby brine, calnus and nutramar ova 5 times a day. Even with all that I could not ultimately keep,them at a survivable body weight.

Sonam · Nov 26, 2017

Fascinated by the feeder as well.

JaimeAdams · Nov 26, 2017

They are only my very short list of fish that I will not ever get at the store that I work. $65 for a trio is an excellent price, but I would rather keep $65 in my pocket then to flush them shortly after acquiring. Unless you are basically going to do a species tank and really know what you are doing I wouldn't buy the for $6.50 for the trio let alone $65