First anthias...

[BestMomEver]

Back in 2001 (or 2002) when we had our 500 gallon reef, the fish I wanted the most was anthias. Unfortunately, back then they were harder to find and were always outrageously expensive. Nowadays, I see them everywhere. I’ve done a little reading and find info that says most are peaceful, most get to about 3”, they are reef safe, most are omnivores or carnivores. What I want to know is how they are... not what they are. How do they act? How many can/should you have and what male to female ratio. Are they skittish, bold, cryptic? And most importantly, what’s the best anthias for someone that’s never had any?

 

[mattzang]

well which kind do you like? some are fairly large, some are very difficult, some pick off their own kind like machines

i have a lyretail and she was definitely on the easy side, although she still only eats frozen. my lfs has some horror stories about lyretails being aggressive to other fish, but that seems to be abnormal. mine was the queen of the tank until i added a flame angel, but the anthias was always cool, kinda bullied my orchid dottyback but i figure he had it coming. that said if you want to do multiples of lyretails, a larger tank is probably needed. maybe check out randalls/resplendents/dispars/ignitus

 

[Haydn]

This is a how long is a bit of string question but I'll try to answer your questions-

First the easy bit, yes they are all reef safe.

Males all use dominance to a greater or lesser degree to stop females changing into competing males. I have found in different species the level of dominance display varies, for example, in Ignitus it consists of posturing and dorsal fin flicking, in Bartletts physical contact, chasing and mouthing. Lyretails physical attacks which may result in damage to subdominant animals.

How they act- again each species is different, but I have found generally they are braver as a group, even if its a mixed species group- I have about 30 in my tank consisting of lyretails, ignitus, resplendent, evansii and diamond head. When I add new fish they just join the group and feed quite quickly.

Male to female ratio- I would let them sort that out, just buy a group of females. I have a ratio of 5:1 in the lyretails, Ignitus 3:1, Evansii 3:1, resplendent 10:1. The number depends on the size of the tank, how 'busy' you want it to look, the adult size of your choice of species and how dominant the males are likely to be.

My recommendation for a good starter- resplendent although Ignitus come a close second. You will need to feed heavily when they are first introduced as they tend to be shy and if you have a number of 'pushier' fish the anthias will not get enough and they can lose condition quickly, once they get bolder you can reduce the amount but you will need to feed small amounts a number of times per day.

 

[BestMomEver]

This is a how long is a bit of string question but I'll try to answer your questions-

First the easy bit, yes they are all reef safe.

Males all use dominance to a greater or lesser degree to stop females changing into competing males. I have found in different species the level of dominance display varies, for example, in Ignitus it consists of posturing and dorsal fin flicking, in Bartletts physical contact, chasing and mouthing. Lyretails physical attacks which may result in damage to subdominant animals.

How they act- again each species is different, but I have found generally they are braver as a group, even if its a mixed species group- I have about 30 in my tank consisting of lyretails, ignitus, resplendent, evansii and diamond head. When I add new fish they just join the group and feed quite quickly.

Male to female ratio- I would let them sort that out, just buy a group of females. I have a ratio of 5:1 in the lyretails, Ignitus 3:1, Evansii 3:1, resplendent 10:1. The number depends on the size of the tank, how 'busy' you want it to look, the adult size of your choice of species and how dominant the males are likely to be.

My recommendation for a good starter- resplendent although Ignitus come a close second. You will need to feed heavily when they are first introduced as they tend to be shy and if you have a number of 'pushier' fish the anthias will not get enough and they can lose condition quickly, once they get bolder you can reduce the amount but you will need to feed small amounts a number of times per day.

Thanks... very helpful! Let me tell you what I got... breeding pair of Clarkii clowns, yellow tang, teeny tiny tomini tang, six line Wrasse (perfect gentleman), sunrise dottyback, Firefish, 3 chromis, yellow damsel, Pygmy angel, yellow Watchman Goby... mixed reef. 90 gallons. The clowns occupy one end of the tank. They lay eggs regularly. As long as the other fish stay away from their eggs, they’re fine. As noted, the six line is not (so far) aggressive. He was the first fish I bought and I’ve had him for two years. The dottyback is quite shy. The tangs are never an issue with anyone. Basically, I have a tank with mainly semi aggressive fish that all get along, don’t fight, and do their thing. If I get anthias, they need to be able to hold their own but not be pushy. If they make trouble, they’ll get trouble. I assume that with anthias, there’s safety in numbers but I don’t have room for a large group. Maybe 2. If I understand what you’re saying, I should get two males.

 

[calvertc425]

two males will kill eachother i believe

 

[ca1ore]

The answer, as always, is - it depends! Pseudoanthias (not anthias) are a highly diverse group of fishes, with very different behaviors and requirements. Some are impossible to keep for very long - none are easy. They don't ship well, are highly susceptible to uronema and need both swimming room and frequent feedings. Even the species that are generally considered to be on the easier end of the spectrum tend to be intra-species aggressive. Lyretails, Bartletts will usually pick each other off …. particularly the latter that tend to mostly end up as cranky males. My personal favorite is the bimac, though expensive and on the larger end. If you're a 'beginner' with these fishes, the dispar is a good place to start - they're just a bit bland looking IMO.

 

[Haydn]

Thanks... very helpful! Let me tell you what I got... breeding pair of Clarkii clowns, yellow tang, teeny tiny tomini tang, six line Wrasse (perfect gentleman), sunrise dottyback, Firefish, 3 chromis, yellow damsel, Pygmy angel, yellow Watchman Goby... mixed reef. 90 gallons. The clowns occupy one end of the tank. They lay eggs regularly. As long as the other fish stay away from their eggs, they’re fine. As noted, the six line is not (so far) aggressive. He was the first fish I bought and I’ve had him for two years. The dottyback is quite shy. The tangs are never an issue with anyone. Basically, I have a tank with mainly semi aggressive fish that all get along, don’t fight, and do their thing. If I get anthias, they need to be able to hold their own but not be pushy. If they make trouble, they’ll get trouble. I assume that with anthias, there’s safety in numbers but I don’t have room for a large group. Maybe 2. If I understand what you’re saying, I should get two males.

My advice looking at your stock list, don't try anthias unless you fancy one of the larger species, Squareback, red belted or bimac, the issue with these is they can get aggressive with other fish. I think your tank will be too 'busy' to allow most of the others to settle, even lyretails may find it a struggle.

 

[BestMomEver]

My advice looking at your stock list, don't try anthias unless you fancy one of the larger species, Squareback, red belted or bimac, the issue with these is they can get aggressive with other fish. I think your tank will be too 'busy' to allow most of the others to settle, even lyretails may find it a struggle.

That’s good to know. I’m still on the fence about it. I learned long ago that even if I want a fish (or other livestock) that doesn’t mean I should have it. There are some things that aren’t appropriate for my tank and some things I’ve just had terrible luck with. I’ll let you know what I decide. In the meantime, I’ll ask for suggestions... I like the anthias for their color, size, and the fact that they seem to stay in the water column (that’s been my observation). With the exception of the three chromis, everything moves in and out of the rock so much that often times the tank looks empty. And the chromis don’t really move too much from their area on the right side of the tank. Unless you look for them, it’s not apparent they are even in there. I’m still trying to decide if should add anything at all. I like to ask questions and make as informed decision as possible.

 

[shred5]

The answer, as always, is - it depends! Pseudoanthias (not anthias) are a highly diverse group of fishes, with very different behaviors and requirements. Some are impossible to keep for very long - none are easy. They don't ship well, are highly susceptible to uronema and need both swimming room and frequent feedings. Even the species that are generally considered to be on the easier end of the spectrum tend to be intra-species aggressive. Lyretails, Bartletts will usually pick each other off …. particularly the latter that tend to mostly end up as cranky males. My personal favorite is the bimac, though expensive and on the larger end. If you're a 'beginner' with these fishes, the dispar is a good place to start - they're just a bit bland looking IMO.

I agree with Ca1ore which I usually do when it comes to anthias.

I agree dispar can be one of the easier and would add ignitus in with that suggestion, they both are almost identical in care.
They are hard to keep initially but if they make it through quarantine they usually are pretty hardy.
They also do not seem to have the issues with male female others have. I have even had 2 male ignitus before no issue.
These two also seem to shoal a little more than the more common ones like lyretails and bartletts.
They are less picky than than most others when it comes to food other than bartletts and lyretails.
They are still hard to get on to dry foods though but it is possible. They need more feedings than the other two but not as much as some of them that require allot of feedings a day.
Two feedings will not cut it even though I do not think any anthias should only get two feedings a day.

 

[FishyDP]

I just added my first anthias group to my 180g. I purchased 3 female juvenile lyeretail, and they are really nice looking. My understanding is that the dominant one will turn male, and colors will change. I have noticed them trying to establish a pecking order via some aggression towards each other, and that one of them seems to be starting to change to a Male. They are very active at all levels in my tank, and are visible 80% of the time, not much hiding. I believe lyeretail anthias can reach 5", mine have grown relatively fast. They eat flakes and frozen chopped mix in my tank with no issues. Appear to be very reef safe, and no aggression at all towards other fish..damsels, yellow tang, chromis, clowns, firefish, coral beauty, shrimp. Really great addition imo, in a larger tank I would consider a school of 5-6. Again, only issue I have seen so far is the aggression towards each other, but I am hoping this will lessen when the dominant Male completely establishes himself.