[youtube width=”680″ height=”420″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx6WRt81HwY[/youtube]
Sailfin anthias from the genus Rabaulichthys are very rarely seen in the marine aquarium hobby but the last few months have seen a small surge of these fish lately. We’ve had reports of sailfin anthias appearing in Singapore for very little cost, which is kind of strange considering the depths where they are typically found. Take this make specimen of sailfin anthias flashing in the video which will soon be on display at the Steinhart Aquarium; this individual was caught in the Phillipines at a depth of 130 to 160 feet (40-50 meters).
This flashing male sailfin anthias is possibly a Rabaulichthys suzukii since that species was first described from Japan in 2001, not far from the Philipines where this fish was caught. Although pictures of flashing males are rare, they don’t compare to this video by Matt Wandell documenting a male sailfin anthias responding to his reflection on the bottom of the tank. You can see this sailfin anthias not only flashing its tall dorsal fin but also changing its overall body coloration to a light lustrous blue. Matt has been one of the few aquarists dedicated to keeping delicate anthias species like the purple queen anthias, Pseudanthias tuka, and we have great faith that he’ll be able to get this specimen of sailfin anthias in top shape to put on display at the Steinhart Aquarium.
