Breeding the Dispar Anthias (Pseudanthias dispar)

Pseudanthias dispar is a haremic, sex-changing anthias of outer reef slopes whose pelagic spawning and planktonic larvae make home aquarium breeding effectively impractical.

Overview

Pseudanthias dispar (family Serranidae), the dispar anthias, is a reef fish reaching about 9.5 cm total length that lives along the upper edge of steep outer reef slopes with moderate currents at depths of about 1-15 m. FishBase notes it occurs in large mixed-sex aggregations when feeding in currents sweeping the reef, and Wikipedia describes the genus Pseudanthias as zooplankton-feeding and haremic.

Sexing

Like other anthias, this species is a protogynous hermaphrodite: individuals mature first as females, and a female changes into a male when the dominant male is lost from the harem. Males are typically larger and more intensely coloured, which is the practical cue to sex within a group.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

Anthias form harems led by a single dominant male and spawn as pelagic broadcast spawners, releasing eggs and sperm into the water column above the reef where the buoyant eggs and resulting larvae drift as plankton. There is no nest and no parental care of the eggs.

Common Challenges

The combination of a strong-current schooling habitat, a high zooplankton feeding demand, pelagic eggs and a long planktonic larval phase means the open-water spawning conditions and continuous tiny live-food supply cannot realistically be reproduced in a home aquarium.