Bartlett Anthias

[ca1ore]

I know this fish doesn't get a lot of love from anthias enthusiasts, but it is among my favorites. OK, they can be chippy and mostly all end up as dudes, but they eat anything and are the most active fish in my tank. Needs plenty of space, and frequent feedings, but if you an get them through acclimation/QT, they are dead easy.

 

[zoasaholic]

Beautiful fish! got 3 myself,but bough from another Reefer

 

[Tom Blevins]

Yes I started with 7 and they beat the heck out of each other until I have 1 big male by himself
now, purchased from our local fish store and qt for a month until we put them in the 300.

 

[Mike S]

Ive always wantex to try a group of them but their reputation has stopped me. Has anyone had long term success keeping multiple in a large tank or through more frequent feedings?

 

[Highgrade]

Yes I started with 7 and they beat the heck out of each other until I have 1 big male by himself
now, purchased from our local fish store and qt for a month until we put them in the 300.

+1 this is my exact experience. Just one large male left.

 

[ca1ore]

Ive always wantex to try a group of them but their reputation has stopped me. Has anyone had long term success keeping multiple in a large tank or through more frequent feedings?

I had a trio (two males and one female) for almost four years. Got them from a local reefer who had had them for three, so I think they 'aged out'. Now I have a smaller trio - all dudes - but mostly coexisting. The 'secret' to them, IME, is to have enough distractions in the tank in the form of other, bigger fish and feed the crap out of the tank. I fed them 4-5 times per day. Plus, space helps (got an 8' 450).

 

[zoasaholic]

+1^
Feed them 3 times per day & 4 on sat and sunday
I have a few larger anthias to distractions them

 

[ca1ore]

Ended up getting a total of 10 back in February. Lost two in QT but got 8 into the big tank. I feed thc tank a lot so all thriving so far. Typically chippy.

 

[User1]

I used to have 3 of them in my 100 gallon years ago. This time around I went with 4 Lyretail Anthias. Smaller than the Bartletts for sure but also cheaper which is something I was after. Very veracious eaters hunting the open water column area all the time. Then quickly darting back to the rock edges. I was going to try and mix in some other Anthias but may end up just getting more of the Lyretails. Bartletts are pretty though - for sure.

 

[Jamie7907]

12 of them in 600 gallon down to 4 in less than two years. They all turn male eventually and beat the crap out of each other. Being harassed to death is no way to die. IMO there are much better anthias to be kept in groups in aquaria that look just as good or better. My tank is fed 5x day on an autofeeder and frozen once a day.

 

[ca1ore]

Smaller than the Bartletts for sure but also cheaper which is something I was after.

Cheaper, certainly; but not sure you're going to find Lyretails smaller than Bartletts - more likely to be larger. Lyretails also just as likely to pick each other off.

 

[User1]

Cheaper, certainly; but not sure you're going to find Lyretails smaller than Bartletts - more likely to be larger. Lyretails also just as likely to pick each other off.

I see, that I did not know. Must be an Anthias trait then in not getting along or thinning the herd. Unless you have a bunch to distribute the anger I guess. Here I was thinking 4 would be a good number but now you have me rethinking... And people give Damsels a bad rap