75 gallon Anthias

[NanoReefer123]

I was thinking of setting of setting up a 75 gallon display with a 75 gallon sump because I found the two tanks in my parents' garage. I was wondering how many anthias of which types I could keep exclusively in this system.
Thanks!

 

[Zack K]

Dispar and Bartlett's Anthias are going to be the most common at that tank size although due to the amount they need to be fed i would tread with caution unless your up for a good maintenance routine. Sunset anthias and Sunburst anthias would also make a great addition, Although me personally, i have no experience mixing species of anthias together. I know there are many reefers who have though and there are a large variety of threads i would recommend reading before mixing.

 

[NanoReefer123]

And how many do you think I could keep if it was just them in the tank?

 

[Zack K]

Just them, it depends on how you want to run the tank. Some people like to run a more conservative stocking of only a few fish to keep the bio load down and other like to run a full reef with tons of bio load. Its all personal preference of what kind of filtration you want to have and what kind of maintenance you want to do.

 

[Haydn]

As Zack says the issue with keeping anthia in a small volume of water is the amount of waste you will need to deal with, remember anthias will only take food in the water column so any that settles won't be eaten and will rot. You will need a goodly amount of CUC to clean-up. Having said that you may consider setting up a species tank with Ventralis anthias, they like cooler temperatures and more subdued lighting than the 'normal' anthias, so you could set the thermostat lower and have less powerful lights. They are more of a rock or cave dweller so don't need so much swimming space. Tank mates could include Catalina Gobies and Bluehead Jawfish and maybe a Kamohora fang blenny. OK no light loving corals but decorative algae and a gorgonian or two would look stunning.