TankBud

Dispar anthias

Pseudanthias dispar

Also known as Peach Anthias, Redfin Anthias, Peach Fairy Basslet, Madder Seaperch

SaltwaterFish

Dispar anthias (Pseudanthias dispar)
Nhobgood Nick Hobgood · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
3.7 in
9.5 cm
Minimum tank
70 gal
265 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Serranidae
Origin
Western Pacific reefs, from Indonesia and the Philippines to Fiji and the Great Barrier Reef

Overview

The Dispar anthias is a peaceful, active anthias for a reef tank with plenty of open water. It suits keepers who already have some reef experience.

Did you know

A male Dispar anthias flushes a deeper red across his dorsal fin during courtship, flaring it while looping above the harem. The display is so distinct that he can look like a different fish from the one resting in the rocks minutes earlier.

Caring for the Dispar anthias

Plan on a tank of at least 70 gal (265 L) for the Dispar anthias, with plenty of open swimming space. Build a rockwork base beneath the open water, riddled with caves and crevices. Run moderate to strong water flow with good surface agitation, because anthias come from well-oxygenated water and can struggle in stagnant tanks.

Keep the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. This active planktivore picks food out of the water column all day. Feed several small meals a day rather than one or two large ones. Underfeeding is the most common reason it declines in captivity.

The Dispar anthias is peaceful and does well with other peaceful reef fish, such as clownfish, gobies and dartfish. Avoid boisterous or fast-eating tank mates that can out-compete it at feeding time. It is fully reef safe around corals, clams and ornamental shrimp. Keep one fish on its own or, better, one male with several females.

Males are larger and more colorful than females, with a long, flat, deep red dorsal fin and a violet-pink body. Females are yellow-orange, fading to a pale magenta belly. Breeding it is hard.

Good to know

The Dispar anthias, Pseudanthias dispar, belongs to the family Serranidae. Like other anthias, it is a protogynous hermaphrodite, so every fish starts out female. If a harem loses its male, the largest, most dominant female changes sex within a few weeks. A harem is normally one male defending a loose territory over several to a dozen or more females.

In the wild

The Dispar anthias lives on western Pacific reefs, from Indonesia and the Philippines to Fiji and the Great Barrier Reef. It stays along the upper edges of steep outer reef slopes and drop-offs, usually at 1 to 15 m. Strong currents there sweep in a steady supply of zooplankton. It gathers in large groups over branching coral, using the coral heads as cover at night and when startled.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Dispar anthias is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a Dispar anthias need?

A Dispar anthias needs at least 70 gal (265 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Dispar anthias need?

A Dispar anthias is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a Dispar anthias eat?

A Dispar anthias is a planktivore that picks its food out of the water column. Feed it several small meals a day rather than one or two large ones.

How big does a Dispar anthias get?

An adult Dispar anthias reaches about 3.7 in (9.5 cm).

How can you tell a male Dispar anthias from a female?

Males are larger and more colorful, with a long, flat, deep red dorsal fin and a violet-pink body. Females are yellow-orange, fading to a pale magenta belly.

Related species