Purple queen anthias

The purple queen anthias is a marine fish of the family Serranidae (subfamily Anthiadinae), native to reefs of the western Pacific. Males are an intense violet-purple, sometimes with yellow highlights, while females are pinkish-purple with yellow on the back; the species forms large aggregations in the wild. It is a peaceful, shoaling planktivore best kept in groups with a single male and several females, mirroring its natural harem structure. Like other anthias it is a protogynous hermaphrodite, with the dominant female changing into a male. It requires a spacious, well-established reef tank with strong flow, open water for swimming and abundant live rock. It is a planktivore that needs frequent small feedings of zooplankton-type foods such as enriched brine, mysis and finely prepared frozen foods to maintain condition. It can be delicate and a poor shipper, and is best suited to experienced keepers able to meet its feeding demands.