How many Anthias?

[Charley75]

Looking to add a splash of color to my 150 mixed reef. I don’t want to overstock though. What’s the min number of Lyretail (or other Anthias if you prefer ) that I could add that would still stick together?
Current Fish:
Pygmy Cherub Angel : had for close to 4+ yrs
Flame Angel: had for 4+ yrs
2 Ocellaris Coowns: 4+yrs
1 Banhgia: 4+ yrs
Royal Grama: 3ish yrs
Springer Damsel : 2ish yrs
Starry blenny: 6ish mo
Copperband and very small Purple Tang: 1 month

 

[Rocks reef]

That is a nice fish list sir!
I would do 1 male to 2-3 females. Some may say 3-4 females. It's a personal preference, but you do want more than one female.

 

[Euphyllia97]

For the lyretail I would say a minimum of 1 male and 4 females is required for long term success. If you want a smaller group look into dispar or squareback anthias. They can be kept in smaller groups :)

 

[Charley75]

So if 4 or less….dispar, 4 or more Lyretail? Would a small group of say 3 Dispar work?

 

[Euphyllia97]

So if 4 or less….dispar, 4 or more Lyretail? Would a small group of say 3 Dispar work?

Yes that works :) 1 male and 2 female

 

[dangles]

I have 1 male and 3 female lyretails in my 120 gallon. They’ve been doing great for almost a year now.

Plus 5 chromis. Awesome combination!

 

[Charley75]

Any real pro/con of Dispar vs Lyretail?

 

[Euphyllia97]

Any real pro/con of Dispar vs Lyretail?

Dispar are more peaceful fish compared to lyretails and are a bit easier to establish in your tank. (Easier to adapt to new food/water parameters) They tend to stay a bit smaller too. Con for dispars is that they are a bit more rare to find and a bit more expensive.

And personally I prefer the colors of the lyretail, but that is a personal choice

 

[Charley75]

Any other experience with Dispar or Lyretails??

 

[kboogie]

I've kept 3 Lyretails, 3 Bimac, 3 Red Stripe, and 1 Squareback in my 300G FOWLR for a long time before my Squareback went nuts and killed everyone except the Red Stripe Anthias, who died because they never ate.

I like five anthias in a group, I never do two because more often than not, you end up with one. So I always do one or three plus. I also mix anthias, stocking the smallest species first, then the next size, and the next size.

This video show part of the group. I also installed a denitrator which has dramatically reduced algae growth since this video a couple years ago.