Dispar Anthias

The dispar anthias is one of the small anthias that hover like a cloud against the current on Pacific reefs. Males have a body ranging between peach-orange and golden yellow; the dorsal fin is bright red and the pelvic fins are very long. Females are plain orange, with yellowish tails and a pink line running from the snout to below the eye.

It was long known in the genus Pseudanthias; a revision in 2022 moved it into the genus Nemanthias, though it is still sold under its old name in the trade. Individuals are wild-collected. It is smaller and more docile than the lyretail anthias, but its need for frequent feeding is the same.

It lives along the upper edges of outer reef slopes, in places with moderate currents, mostly in water shallower than 15 meters. It feeds on plankton carried by the current in large groups of mixed sexes.

• Volume: at least 300 liters for a group of one male and 3–5 females; 500 liters or more for larger groups.
• Water: salinity 1.023–1.026 specific gravity, pH 8.1–8.4, temperature 24–27°C. High oxygen and moderate to strong flow.
• Decor: open water in the upper part, rock and coral structures below to take shelter in.
• Lid: it may startle and jump when the lights go out at night; a lid is recommended.
• Reef compatibility: reef safe; it does not touch corals or invertebrates.

Carnivorous; a plankton picker. Offer frozen mysis, enriched brine shrimp, copepods, fish roe and small granules. It should be fed small amounts at least 3 times a day; an automatic feeder and a copepod population in the aquarium are a great help.

Peaceful and somewhat nervous; with aggressive tankmates it hides and cannot feed properly. Males constantly display at each other; in a small aquarium two males will fight.

Good companions: clownfish, cardinalfish, fairy and flasher wrasses, gobies, calm tangs, dwarf angelfish, cleaner shrimp.

Avoid: lionfish, groupers, dottybacks, large wrasses and triggerfish, very fast and greedy fish that snatch the food.

Lives in a harem arrangement. The easiest approach is to buy a group of 4–6 females only; if there is no male, the dominant female turns into a male within a few weeks. All fish in the group should be added on the same day.

A protogynous species (starting out as female). In the late afternoon males display to the females by spreading their fins; pairs release pelagic eggs in the water column. Fry are not raised in home aquariums.

• Underfeeding: the most common problem; it shows up as fading color and a sunken belly.
• Marine ich and velvet: quarantine is essential.
• Shipping stress: a dim, calm environment in the first days makes acclimation easier.

Clear: males have a red dorsal fin and very long pelvic fins. Females are plain orange and lack the red dorsal fin.