Keeping sharks with anthias

[Zach136378]

Hi everyone I have an epullate shark which is about 10 inches. He is currently in my 180 gallon with is starting to run out of space so I am getting an 800 gallon soon. I was wondering when I move him what anthias I would be able to keep with him. I am pretty sure square anthias would be fine but I am worried about their care difficulty are there any other anthias that could work that are decently easy to keep

 

[Zach136378]

Anyone?

 

[exnisstech]

Maybe @Jay Hemdal has an opinion?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi everyone I have an epullate shark which is about 10 inches. He is currently in my 180 gallon with is starting to run out of space so I am getting an 800 gallon soon. I was wondering when I move him what anthias I would be able to keep with him. I am pretty sure square anthias would be fine but I am worried about their care difficulty are there any other anthias that could work that are decently easy to keep

I'm not a fan of square anthias - wild caught males are especially delicate. There are some captive raised ones that would be hardier, but they are all juvenile/female in color to start with. Personally, I like Bartlett's or even orange squampinnis anthias (as long as they come from somewhere other than SE Asia - like the Red Sea, East Africa or Australia).

I've never had an issue keeping epaulettes with anthias, but those were in really large tanks, I don't know if a larger shark would be able to track and eat them in a smaller tank.

 

[Zach136378]

I had some scribbled anthias however they just suddenly started to just sit at the back of the tank 1 by one and I am guessing the shark got them. I also had a male wreck fish which got caught by him. Are there any other anthias that are slightly larger

 

[Zach136378]

I'm not a fan of square anthias - wild caught males are especially delicate. There are some captive raised ones that would be hardier, but they are all juvenile/female in color to start with. Personally, I like Bartlett's or even orange squampinnis anthias (as long as they come from somewhere other than SE Asia - like the Red Sea, East Africa or Australia).

I've never had an issue keeping epaulettes with anthias, but those were in really large tanks, I don't know if a larger shark would be able to track and eat them in a smaller tank.

Would striped anthias work how hard are they to keep?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Would striped anthias work how hard are they to keep?

Sorry, do you know the scientific name for that fish? There are a couple with stripes....

 

[Zach136378]

Pseudanthias fasciatus They get around the same size as the squares but not sure how tricky they are to keep​

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Pseudanthias fasciatus They get around the same size as the squares but not sure how tricky they are to keep​

Ah, sorry - I've never kept that species, let's see if others have worked with them......

 

[Zach136378]

Ah, sorry - I've never kept that species, let's see if others have worked with them......

Ok with the square anthias how hard were the females to keep

 

[Zach136378]

Ah, sorry - I've never kept that species, let's see if others have worked with them......

do you also think a raised reef might work I am getting some rock cement soon so I might redo some of the rock scape to give the fish more hoding places And the shark more floor space to move around

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

do you also think a raised reef might work I am getting some rock cement soon so I might redo some of the rock scape to give the fish more hoding places And the shark more floor space to move around

A Raised reef sounds like the best option for keeping the anthias away from the shark and to give the shark the most room. However, I did have an epaulette that would climb to the top of the reef structure and sit there (artificial reef, not live corals).

 

[Marine Betta]

I'm not a fan of square anthias - wild caught males are especially delicate. There are some captive raised ones that would be hardier, but they are all juvenile/female in color to start with. Personally, I like Bartlett's or even orange squampinnis anthias (as long as they come from somewhere other than SE Asia - like the Red Sea, East Africa or Australia).

I've never had an issue keeping epaulettes with anthias, but those were in really large tanks, I don't know if a larger shark would be able to track and eat them in a smaller tank.

Would striped anthias work how hard are they to keep?

I have kept them before. They are essentially the same as a square spot, but they were not as aggressive in my experience.

 

[Zach136378]

I have kept them before. They are essentially the same as a square spot, but they were not as aggressive in my experience.

how tricky are they to keep I have never really kept anthias apart from the orange ones and scribbled. The orange ones got eaten by my hogfish awhile ago and the scribbled died off 1 by one for no reason

 

[56longroof]

I have Ignitus in my tank. They like to dart in and out of the rock work alot. Might be a good candidate for a shark tank?

 

[Zach136378]

I have Ignitus in my tank. They like to dart in and out of the rock work alot. Might be a good candidate for a shark tank?

Possibly the only problem with them is that they stay pretty small and if the shark manages to get them there is no chance they can survive with larger species that won’t be able to fit in his mouth they will most likely be able to escape

 

[56longroof]

Possibly the only problem with them is that they stay pretty small and if the shark manages to get them there is no chance they can survive with larger species that won’t be able to fit in his mouth they will most likely be able to escape

Probably true but if a shark wants to eat something it usually gets what it wants. LOL

 

[Marine Betta]

I have kept them before. They are essentially the same as a square spot, but they were not as aggressive in my experience.

how tricky are they to keep I have never really kept anthias apart from the orange ones and scribbled. The orange ones got eaten by my hogfish awhile ago and the scribbled died off 1 by one for no reason

As Jay said, squarespots/P. fasciatus are not the easiest species, but there are harder to keep species. Squami (orange anthias) and Bartlett’s are two of the easier species. Most male anthias tend to be more delicate than females. In the case of the squarespot, I have had success with them, but they were with docile tankmates in a dimly lit tank. I’ve never had long term success with them in a reef tank.

I don’t know what the other inhabitants are, but if you have other aggressive tankmates, not including the shark, I wonder if something like a small school of fusilier snappers or even a school of damsels would be a better fit. At the very least, the damsels would be cheaper to replace if the shark got hungry. If you want to stick with anthias, Bartlett’s and Squamis are probably the best bet.

 

[Zach136378]

As Jay said, squarespots/P. fasciatus are not the easiest species, but there are harder to keep species. Squami (orange anthias) and Bartlett’s are two of the easier species. Most male anthias tend to be more delicate than females. In the case of the squarespot, I have had success with them, but they were with docile tankmates in a dimly lit tank. I’ve never had long term success with them in a reef tank.

I don’t know what the other inhabitants are, but if you have other aggressive tankmates, not including the shark, I wonder if something like a small school of fusilier snappers or even a school of damsels would be a better fit. At the very least, the damsels would be cheaper to replace if the shark got hungry. If you want to stick with anthias, Bartlett’s and Squamis are probably the best bet.

Are there any anthias that are like tall because if they are like long but slim the shark will just suck them up. Those snappers sound cool but I have never seen them before. Damsels are also a good idea but I can never find any damsels that are large enough. I had a humbug and it got hunted down before so I may look into those snappers. I don’t think they are available readily though. I do have a miniatus grouper which I am returning but I don’t really have any other aggressive fish. I may give a couple of the orange anthias a try with my raised rock scape and if that does not work I may get a shoal of those snappers if I can find them

 

[Marine Betta]

As Jay said, squarespots/P. fasciatus are not the easiest species, but there are harder to keep species. Squami (orange anthias) and Bartlett’s are two of the easier species. Most male anthias tend to be more delicate than females. In the case of the squarespot, I have had success with them, but they were with docile tankmates in a dimly lit tank. I’ve never had long term success with them in a reef tank.

I don’t know what the other inhabitants are, but if you have other aggressive tankmates, not including the shark, I wonder if something like a small school of fusilier snappers or even a school of damsels would be a better fit. At the very least, the damsels would be cheaper to replace if the shark got hungry. If you want to stick with anthias, Bartlett’s and Squamis are probably the best bet.

Are there any anthias that are like tall because if they are like long but slim the shark will just suck them up. Those snappers sound cool but I have never seen them before. Damsels are also a good idea but I can never find any damsels that are large enough. I had a humbug and it got hunted down before so I may look into those snappers. I don’t think they are available readily though. I do have a miniatus grouper which I am returning but I don’t really have any other aggressive fish. I may give a couple of the orange anthias a try with my raised rock scape and if that does not work I may get a shoal of those snappers if I can find them

The only “tall” anthias I can think of are the expensive deep water species like the blotchy and cherry. Besides being expensive, they don’t really school, so it sounds like it’s not really what you’re looking for. It’s also difficult to locate larger individuals. Also, I don’t believe they are as fast as the other anthias mentioned which could be a problem with the shark.

Good call on rehoming the miniatas if you’re planning on keeping any sort of smaller and/or peaceful fish.
I do not have any experience with fusiliers, but I’m sure Jay and others have had them. You could always ask your LFS to be on the lookout.