Another Anthias Question

[hoopsdaddy]

Not the same fish as the previous post though.

My LFS has a Red Fairy Anthias aka Tri-Color Anthis. Has anyone kept these? I ask this for two reasons. I know Capt says always to treat anthias with caution and maybe he, or someone else, can remind me what to watch for and what to treat. Also if I want to have at least 3 if not 5 of these fish in my tank can I add them one at a time or should I just wait and get them as a group? MY LFS only gets them in occasionally and usually only one at a time.
Thanks for the help on this.

 

[yote]

Tri-Color Anthias are pretty fish.
From what I've read,all Anthias are prone to internal parasites.I cant remember whats good to treat that though.
They also require a lot of food.They need to be fed small meaty stuff at least a couple of times a day.So I'd start with a pair and see how they do,then later on add another one or 2.

 

[dustin_P74]

as long as you dont add two males, you can keep adding after the first introduction into your tank

 

[ccCapt]

Very pretty fish, but also very difficult to keep. The most common problem with all anthias is internal worms. The fish will eat, but slowly waste away. It's best to treat them with PraziPro in a qt before putting them in your display. There is also medicated pellet food you can buy which contains praziquantel (PraziPro).
It's best to add 1 male and at least 2 females, or 3 females at the same time. They can change from female to male in as little as 2 weeks. If you put in 2 females, in 2 weeks you can end up with 1 of each. Once they change to a male, they can't go back.