Dispar Anthias (Pseudanthias dispar)

The Dispar Anthias (Pseudanthias dispar) known to tropical fish keeping enthiusiasts as the Redfin Anthias, Lyretail Anthias, Peach Anthias, Nemanthias Lyretail, or Madder Seaperch, is widely distributed throughout the tropical Indo Pacific.

Its range extends from the Red Sea and Christmas Island in the east Indian Ocean to the Line Islands, north to the Yaeyama Islands, and south to the Great Barrier Reef, Fiji, and Samoa.

The Dispar Anthias is a peaceful and quite social shallow reef species that is normally encountered in large schools or harems along the outer reef slopes, drop offs, and coral rich lagoons of their range grazing on drifting zooplankton and crustaceans at depths from 5 to over 50 feet.

Dispar Anthias (Pseudanthias dispar)

Pseudanthias dispar exhibit sexual dimorphism.   Male Dispar Anthias have a bright orange-purple red to pink body color with a distinct bright red dorsal fin and a yellowish or pale lower body that becomes more vibrant during courtship displays.

Female Dispar Anthias (Pseudanthias dispar)

Females are smaller and have a more subdued yellow to orange upper body color that fades into a pale lavender, magenta, or white underbelly.   Color variations exist depending on area of collection.

Dispar Anthias can be kept as a mated pair, as a small school of females, or in larger harems of a single male with several females in odd numbers.    Avoid keeping two males in the same tank, as it can lead to extreme aggression.

A pair or single Pseudanthias dispar is best housed in a mature reef or well established FOWLR aquarium of at least 80 gallon capacity with a coralline sandy substrate, plenty of live rock arranged into caves, crevices, overhangs, and crevices for hiding, and lots of free swimming space.

A powerhead or wavemaker is required to ensure the heavy water flow and proper oxygenation necessary to mimic their natural reef environment.   An aquarium chiller should also be considered to maintain water temperatures in their recommended range, and because they are excellent jumpers; a tight fitting mesh lid or glass cover is essential to prevent them from jumping out of the tank.

Dispar Anthias are reef safe and fully compatible with corals and invertebrates. They can be kept singly, as a mated pair, or in small groups of females. Although they can become aggressive towards conspecifics when kept in small groups in smaller aquariums; housing them in larger groups or as a single male with several females is recommended to mitigate aggression. Dispar Anthias thrive in large schools of five or more individuals (preferrably one male and up to ten females), in a 150 gallon or larger tank.

Compatible tank mates in a FOWLR setting include cardinalfish, gobies, several species of blennies, jawfish, tangs, and wrasses.

Although Dispar Anthias spawn in an aquarium environment and release their pelagic eggs, successfully rearing the larvae is rare and requires hatchery type setups.

Spawing behavior is similar to the Bartlett’s Anthias (Pseudanthias bartlettorum).

They are protogynous hermaphrodites that spawn in harems where one male dominates several females. The male becomes more vibrantly colored and performs a dance like courtship display that starts above the reef with some fin flicking and dives towards the bottom while flashing his red dorsal and ventral fins. The eggs are released by the females into the water column and fertilized by the male, usually during a daily feeding frenzy, close to dusk.

In the wild, they spawn in large schools where the eggs are swept away by strong currents. In an aquarium environment, the floating eggs are usually sucked into the filtration system or eaten by other fish in the tank before they can be collected. The microscopic newly hatched larvae are almost impossible to raise and require copepod nauplii that are hard to culture.
For this reason the majority of specimens sold to tropical fish keeping enthusiats are wild caught.

In their natural habitat, Dispar Anthias are omnivores that seem to be constantly feeding on zooplankton and small crustaceans. In an aquarium environment, the biggest challenge to feeding them is their high metabolism. They require consistent daily feeding to prevent starvation, especially in the first few weeks.

Dispar Anthias should be fed a variety of meaty foods like finely chopped seafood, vitamin enriched frozen mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, copepods, and amphipods 3 to 4 times a day.

Over time they will accept high quality flake foods or pellets but to keep them thriving, a refugium is recommended for cultivating a continuous food supply of nutritious live copepods and amphipods.

The Dispar Anthias (Pseudanthias dispar) is sporadically available to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts from a number of online wholesalers, trans shippers, and retailers, usually by special order at approximate purchase sizes: Small 1-1/2″ to 2″; Medium 2″ to 3″; Medium/Large: 3″ to 3-1/2″; Large: 3-1/2″ to 4″.

Prices vary by size and area of collection but run around $35.99 to 49.99 for small Sri Lanka individuals to $54.99 or more for medium Marshall Island specimens.

Dispar Anthias (Pseudanthias dispar)

Minimum Tank Size: 80 gallons
Aquarium Type: Reef or FOLR
Care Level: Moderate
Temperament: Semi Aggressive
Aquarium Hardiness: Delicate but hardy after acclimated
Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8 to 12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025
Max size: 4″
Color Form: Orange, Purple, Red, White, Yellow
Diet: Carnivore
Compatibility: Reef
Origin: Australia, Indonesia, Central/West Pacific
Family: Serranidae
Lifespan: 5 years
Aquarist Experience Level: Intermediate/Advanced