I don’t know how long others have kept Blotched Anthias and it seems like they’re fairly easy in most instances to get feeding and getting them to live, they’re a deepwater species, found in relatively shallow depths compared to most other Odontanthias which are found below 350 feet.
I did read about a guy’s experiences (the owner of Marine Collectors) who says that when kept at typical reef temperatures in the high 70s-low 80s they do well for 5-6 years then start going downhill when I believe they, unlike many other Anthias, can live for over a decade.
If it were left to me, I’d ideally want to keep a Borbonius and similar deepwater species in a dedicated, lower temperature and not too heavily stocked deepwater setup.
Again, there could be those who have kept this species for a long time in normal reef temperatures and I just haven’t heard about it.
From what I’ve gathered of people’s experiences with them, they’re good community fish for the most part and not too bad, with the occasional pushy specimen but generally they seem fine maybe with the exception of behavior towards very small and slender fish.
I saw a pic posted on a Taiwanese forum where one guy’s Blotchy ate I think was a small Goby, not like a Yellow Watchman but more like a Trimma or Cleaner Goby (barely over 1”) and the smaller fish’s body was partially ingested by the Blotchy.
Not sure if it happens in every case but some species of wrasses including Fairies have instances where the female becomes a male.
@i cant think keeps two Lubbock’s Fairy Wrasses (2 different regional variants) and I assume they’re both male by now but they seem to get along fine.
Your current list looks good IMO. I’d be tempted to get 1 or 2 more Flame Angels to create a pair or harem.
I really like Angels and in a 180 I’d totally add a medium-sized (not the very large ones) Angel such as a Majestic, Regal, Gold Flake, Blue Line (whenever Poma Labs is offering them again), these are my favorites at least. The Genicanthus genus also works and IMO a pair would look great.
Cardinalfish are seen as a “schooling fish” by many but they’re misunderstood. Even if you manage to maintain a school of them, for the most part they only spawn in pairs and once they pair up you’ll lose some of that grouping behavior. I’ve seen reports of “social” species reduce themselves down to one or a pair over time, and since they don’t change sex, getting a pair is luck of the draw.
You could add more Wrasses, lots of options for a 180. Depending on how much you like shrimp and inverts, heck I’d be tempted to get a CB Harlequin Tusk from Biota (bred by Bali Aquarich) in a 180.
Not the easiest fish but a Copperband Butterfly.
@OrionN
Pyramid Butterflies are another choice. I heard they’re fairly easy to feed for a Butterfly and a number of people keep them successfully.
If you like Tangs, any of the Bristletooths (with maybe the exception of the Chevron- not too sure about the adult size), some of the smaller Acanthurus would work. No Naso. Maybe a Blue Tang.
By the time you get to a 180, you have a decent amount of choices for medium-large (but not very large) fish.
Still I’d not stock too many fish on the larger side, as it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing, more bioload as well.
