60 Cube/Anthias

fragit · Dec 26, 2015

I'm planning an SPS 60 cube build and would like to stock with one species of anthias only. No other fish just a school of Anthias. Any suggestions of species, that won't hurt each other? Any other schooling fish suggestions welcome.

koifour · Dec 26, 2015

A school of red Saddled Anthias is supper cool

Lionfish Lair · Dec 26, 2015

Red saddled anthias were thee nastiest anthias I have ever own, in respect to getting along with their own species. They actually locked mouths to the point the little one could no longer close it. I had to separate them out.

eatbreakfast · Dec 26, 2015

I find that randalls and dispars do great as a groups. I have found squamipinnis and bartletts are particularly aggressive and I have had parvirostris behave aggressively toward one another too.

DeniseAndy · Dec 26, 2015

So far all the ones I have tried eventually knock down to two or kill smaller ones added. I have had stocky anthias (3 to 2),which are responsible for the death of all my others including diadem, red saddled, other stockies. I have not tried others since my stockies were so mean. I hope to soon now that they have passed on after 5 years or so.

I would love resplendent. These are smaller too.

eatbreakfast · Dec 26, 2015

Stockies and rubrizomatus can be pretty mean.

fragit · Dec 27, 2015

So basically what your all saying is that Anthias will not do well as a group in a tank that size. Do you have any suggestions for shoaling fish that won't destroy each other?

eatbreakfast · Dec 27, 2015

Dispars and randalls will be fine.

Zebra dartfish will shoal too.

blackgate · Dec 27, 2015

I think dispars would be your best bet in a tank that size as well

DeniseAndy · Dec 27, 2015

Not many fish shoal in a 60g. Eventually they grow up and fight. Pairs are a better option. You could try a cardinal group of three (I started with 10 to get 3 in 210g, also a group of 4 that now is 2). Resplendent anthias will keep a group of 3 nicely in a 60g.

eatbreakfast · Dec 27, 2015

DeniseAndy said:
Not many fish shoal in a 60g. Eventually they grow up and fight. Pairs are a better option. You could try a cardinal group of three (I started with 10 to get 3 in 210g, also a group of 4 that now is 2). Resplendent anthias will keep a group of 3 nicely in a 60g.

Species vary as far as their social behavors in aquaria. Dispars and randalls play nice with one another and will stay somewhat in a group. They will be fine in a 60g. I do recommend a minimum of 5 to get the most out of their social interactions.

Some cardinals do well in a group, such as blue eyes and parvulus, others, such as bangaii's and margaritas eventually whittle their group down to a pair.

DeniseAndy · Dec 27, 2015

My cardinals are the blue eye (threadfin) an the dot-dash. I just thought maybe dispars would be too big in a 60 to have 5. I am more on the opinion of smaller fish. Again, that is opinon and preference, not fact. :) Randals would be good. Pretty too.

shred5 · Dec 29, 2015

Dispars and Ignitus shoal better than any anthias I have had. They are easy to keep but require lots of feeding or they wither away slowly. They are very peaceful fish with each other. They are veracious eaters but are extreemly hard to get on dried food. Matter of fact I have several that wont touch it period while others do.

Resplendent and Randalls would work too..

Stay way from Lyretails or bartletts in that size tank unless keeping individuals, They are nasty.

With anthias a good filtration system is important. Other than a few most require lots of feedings.

GOSKN5 · Dec 29, 2015

I love the look of the thread fin cardinals... subtle but natural looking shoal...

martini5788 · Jan 2, 2016

One of the coolest tanks I have ever seen had a group of 6 royal grammas. They were all purchased at the same time when they were really small and never separated. They formed a
Hierarchy and did great. It was also a really cool tank because it only had grammas and Pygmy angel pair. Chalk bass will also group together.

fragit · Jan 2, 2016

martini5788 said:
One of the coolest tanks I have ever seen had a group of 6 royal grammas. They were all purchased at the same time when they were really small and never separated. They formed a
Hierarchy and did great. It was also a really cool tank because it only had grammas and Pygmy angel pair. Chalk bass will also group together.

I had a chalk bass once, it took the leap of death. I now know they need to be covered. I have thought if that. My future tank has increased in size. I'm going to go with an SCA 80 cubeish. My fish options have increased dramatically. I just need to decide on the look I want. Definitely gonna be a lighter side bioload as I am gonna go SPS mostly.

goatcorals · Jan 3, 2016

Another vote against the lyretails.

From biggest to smallest, Dispars, Ignitus, Randall's, Resplendent. Seems like the Ignitus loosely school. Not sure any of them school like you'd thing of a big group of chromis, but they interact.

DeniseAndy · Jan 3, 2016

I have thread fins and the 3 left out of 10 have been with me over 4 years. The 10 went to 3 over about 6 mnths. I watched the little guys be picked off. I would get 3 or 5.