hkhsiao Posted April 27, 2017 Share Posted April 27, 2017 I purchased two dispar anthias from Cuttlefish and Corals this Sunday. I am a little bit worried that they both look different in color from the other in my DT, which were also purchased in Cuttlefish and Corals. I am sure the two in DT are females but wonder if the two new ones are males or turning into males. Any thought? Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashy Fins Posted April 27, 2017 Share Posted April 27, 2017 It's possible the bottom two are transitioning to males, but i's also possible they are ignitus anthias, a sister species usually sold as dispar. Look for a yellow/red horizontal color split on the back half of the dorsal fin, yellow pectoral fins (as opposed to clear), and the top half of the eyes being purple. Those are indications of ignitus. If those things don't apply, you either have nicely colored dispars (there can be a lot of variation in color depending on collection locales) or transitioning males. Regardless, they'll mix fine with the females you have. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkhsiao Posted April 27, 2017 Author Share Posted April 27, 2017 Thanks for the detailed information! If they do both turn to males, should I only keep one? If they are both ignitus, will they be happy and schooling with dispar in DT? What if one of each group turn males later? Will they fight each ?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashy Fins Posted April 27, 2017 Share Posted April 27, 2017 If they both turn into males, they may develop a pecking order that allows them to tolerate one another, or one may refuse to tolerate the other and force him into hiding to die. There's no way to be sure of one outcome over the other, but these types of anthias are not one of the more aggressive species, so I would take the chance myself. If you had two indisputably mature males, I would say keep just one, but that doesn't appear to apply here. Even if they are ignitus, they will likely interact and shoal with the dispars as if they are the same species. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashy Fins Posted April 27, 2017 Share Posted April 27, 2017 Oh, and it's highly unlikely all 4 fish will turn male. That does tend to happen with groups of bartlett's anthias, but no others I can think of. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkhsiao Posted April 27, 2017 Author Share Posted April 27, 2017 I just checked the new comers again and they don't seem to have those telling signs of ignitus. Hopefully they are just different coloration of female dispar! If they are both, unfortunately, turning into dispar male, how soon would I know that they either get along or start fighting each other?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CuttleFishandCoral Posted April 27, 2017 Share Posted April 27, 2017 They are definitely dispars. They might have come from a different region and can have slightly different color. You are always welcome to come back and pick out a different pair if you like. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkhsiao Posted April 27, 2017 Author Share Posted April 27, 2017 They are definitely dispars. They might have come from a different region and can have slightly different color. You are always welcome to come back and pick out a different pair if you like. Thanks! They are beautiful! I am just worried if they both will be male. If that happens, I might need to exchange one out for a female or other fish!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashy Fins Posted April 27, 2017 Share Posted April 27, 2017 7 hours ago, hkhsiao said: I just checked the new comers again and they don't seem to have those telling signs of ignitus. Hopefully they are just different coloration of female dispar! If they are both, unfortunately, turning into dispar male, how soon would I know that they either get along or start fighting each other? No way to answer that, unfortunately. The fish decide in their own time what's going to happen. I think your chances are good they will work it out. Those are very nicely colored, so even though I see Jeff has offered to let you trade them, I would keep them. Just my opinion, though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasquatch Posted April 27, 2017 Share Posted April 27, 2017 If they are introduced together it should be fine. When your drop a new male into an established tank that one will likely perish. Go for the group, it's your only chance to have two beautiful males in one tank if they are. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkhsiao Posted May 12, 2017 Author Share Posted May 12, 2017 No way to answer that, unfortunately. The fish decide in their own time what's going to happen. I think your chances are good they will work it out. Those are very nicely colored, so even though I see Jeff has offered to let you trade them, I would keep them. Just my opinion, though. [emoji4] [update] It seems that the new pair are females dispar but with different coloration so I transferred the new pair into DT few days ago. At first all fours are doing fine, but suddenly the bigger one of the old pair start acting weird. She will either float at the top surface or hide at the bottom or rock without much response. She still swims out and eats while eating but sometimes she won't notice it's eating time and just stayed under the rock. I am worried if she is sick or just under some kind of stress because the newly added are all bigger than her? But the smallest one is happy swimming with the new pair. Any thoughts?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stugots Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 She's pouting? Beautiful fish. I hope she gets over it soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkhsiao Posted May 12, 2017 Author Share Posted May 12, 2017 She's pouting? Beautiful fish. I hope she gets over it soon. I think she is sick but I can't figure out what the cause is. She is not responding to feeding and just stay at bottom of that corner without much response. She jumped a little when I took her out to Hospital tank just few minutes ago. I am using paraguard now to see if it helps. :(Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exodus Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 (edited) You will know if there is aggression when 1 begins to hide, keep a close eye on the tail to ensure the crested shape stays sharp indicating its not getting attacked. Also with Dispar they require 75G + and multiple feedings daily due to their tiny stomach tract. Good Luck, hope things turn out ok oh btw, try not to move these fish back and forth between tanks, every time they are caught and moved it's just additional stress added. Edited May 12, 2017 by Exodus 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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