Anthias Thread...
- Thread starter MarvinsReef
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HighlandReef
Chalice Monger
What about tri color anthias? Anyone try them?
Thanks,
Thanks,
SDguy
Valuable Member
They get large, and are somewhat aggressive, but very hardy. Unfortunately I don't usually see females for sale, and IME males lose their coloring (fade to all pink) without females.
ThaBeast
Well-Known Member
I have a trio of squammipinnis (lyretail) that have been model citizens in my reef. I had troubles getting females through quarantine for some reason about a year ago, but once through quarantine they are fine. I just moved my 210g reef across town and the anthias (actually everything but 1 cleaner shrimp) made the move no problem. I feed them a pinch of nls pellet 2x daily, flake 1x, and pe mysis 3-4x per week.
Norberg
New Member
I've had my Pseudanthias flavoguttatus for just about 14 months now ... knock on acrylic
Great to hear Sara!
Have you noticed anything about feeding? Easy going as Bartletts or finky ones?
Are they sensitiv to high light? Will they do ok in SPS light?
SaraB
2500 Club Member
When I first got them I fed them frozen food twice a day and they preferred mysis and brine shrimp. I now feed them just once a day and they pretty much eat anything I place in the tank including even flake food.
They have a hole in a rock that they like to hide in most the time. They can be seen out swimming out in the water column, but they don't venture too far out from their home. I saw some larger ones this weekend that were in a highly lit SPS tank and they looked great, so I think they can adapt to some brighter light than I have them under.
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SDguy
Valuable Member
My experience was like Sara's, but more extreme. I had three. They ate anything and were always out and about in a 60g FO with one asfur angel and one small niger trigger. Once I added them to the reef, with many other anthias and fish, they hid constantly and I never saw them again, until they died 
A friend had the same experience in his main reef, though his would at least come out when the lights were off, or for food.
These experience, coupled with Sara's comment, really makes me think they can be really very shy.
A friend had the same experience in his main reef, though his would at least come out when the lights were off, or for food.
These experience, coupled with Sara's comment, really makes me think they can be really very shy.
Seahorsedreams
New Member
My Red saddles are horrible to each other. They were model citizens for the first year. Then they started picking on each and during one of the jaw locks, one messed up her mouth and withered away. As a singleton, they are a very nice fish. I keep one with my seahorses and the other with the orange spot filefish.
I had a female lyretail for 8 years. Never was successful at adding a male.
Have a full grown blotched anthias trio. Great fish and don't pick on each other too bad in anthias terms.
My fathead did not work in the blotched anthias tank, but does well in the seahorse tank.
I had a female lyretail for 8 years. Never was successful at adding a male.
Have a full grown blotched anthias trio. Great fish and don't pick on each other too bad in anthias terms.
My fathead did not work in the blotched anthias tank, but does well in the seahorse tank.
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Any experience with evansii? Thinking of getting 10 for my 300... I've got some resplendents that are amazing.
Just Clownin Around
Valuable Member
I only have one, and it's doing great, but 10 of them will look amazing.
beautiful fish
pac_island_aquatics
Active Member
I have had a lot of experience with a good amount of anthias:
Bartletts - hands down the easiest. Only problem is they all seem to turn male, and without adequate space will start to fight
lyretail - another great beginner anthias.
squareback - i've actually had a lot of success, especially with females. The males do great if they are shipped in a good amount of water and large bags. They get big!
Loris - 75% of the time they do fine.. They are a little deeper and with any deep sensitive fish, there are a lot of trial and error periods with divers decompressing them
dispar - christmas islands (line islands) dispars do freakin' awesome and they are huge.. but you NEVER see them. (i've only had a handful of them)
fathead - a slow mover, so make sure nothing can pick on it until it gets acclimated
flavoguttatus - another deeper species. if it eats, it will do fine... you will know within the first week.
Hawaiian ventralis - sigh... i wish they did well... if they ever open up the NWHI where they can be collected in 50 feet, leave em' in the ocean
venralis - only experience is Marshall Islands - they do much better than rest of them, although they are small, they need A LOT of food... and i mean A LOT
princess - actually quite good. They are sometimes collected small, so if they come in larger, they will be better off... frequent feedings...
Ill think of a few more...
Keep in mind that anthias are a schooling species - which tend to school to avoid predation. if there is nothing in your tank to keep them together in their natural instincts to school, they will inevitably start to turn on each other or fighting will occur more frequently... Keep a couple big fish in there... no groupers!
Bartletts - hands down the easiest. Only problem is they all seem to turn male, and without adequate space will start to fight
lyretail - another great beginner anthias.
squareback - i've actually had a lot of success, especially with females. The males do great if they are shipped in a good amount of water and large bags. They get big!
Loris - 75% of the time they do fine.. They are a little deeper and with any deep sensitive fish, there are a lot of trial and error periods with divers decompressing them
dispar - christmas islands (line islands) dispars do freakin' awesome and they are huge.. but you NEVER see them. (i've only had a handful of them)
fathead - a slow mover, so make sure nothing can pick on it until it gets acclimated
flavoguttatus - another deeper species. if it eats, it will do fine... you will know within the first week.
Hawaiian ventralis - sigh... i wish they did well... if they ever open up the NWHI where they can be collected in 50 feet, leave em' in the ocean
venralis - only experience is Marshall Islands - they do much better than rest of them, although they are small, they need A LOT of food... and i mean A LOT
princess - actually quite good. They are sometimes collected small, so if they come in larger, they will be better off... frequent feedings...
Ill think of a few more...
Keep in mind that anthias are a schooling species - which tend to school to avoid predation. if there is nothing in your tank to keep them together in their natural instincts to school, they will inevitably start to turn on each other or fighting will occur more frequently... Keep a couple big fish in there... no groupers!
Hefton
Community Member
I have four Dispar Anthias in a 500 gallon display.
I started out with six in quarantine, with one passing immediately, and one that went carpet surfing while in the display. As mentioned earlier there was a little effort in getting them to eat prepared food. I expect to add a few more females to the school in the near future. They definitely add a lot to the display.
I started out with six in quarantine, with one passing immediately, and one that went carpet surfing while in the display. As mentioned earlier there was a little effort in getting them to eat prepared food. I expect to add a few more females to the school in the near future. They definitely add a lot to the display.
OP
OP
someday! maybe I can find someone that has them trained to eat already. since I'm an anthias newbie, I plan on sticking with Lyretails and Bartlett's for now.I have four Dispar Anthias in a 500 gallon display.
I started out with six in quarantine, with one passing immediately, and one that went carpet surfing while in the display. As mentioned earlier there was a little effort in getting them to eat prepared food. I expect to add a few more females to the school in the near future. They definitely add a lot to the display.
