Lyretail Anthias v/s Darts issue

[OnyxPerc]

For what it's worth, I have an exquisite and a red firefish with a single female Lyretail and the anthias chases them around all the time...the red hides or hangs out in front of his rock, darting in whenever there's so much as a shadow, and the exquisite does come out and fights back against the Anthias but its much smaller and I'm afraid he'll lose that fight in the end.

I'm debating adding two more Anthias to hopefully draw the attention away from the firefish, or just removing the Anthias.

 

[blaxsun]

My anthias are pretty good for the most part about not chasing fish. I have two marcia's anthias that get into it with each other every now and then, and they can really move at quite a clip when they want to.

As much as I'd love to add some new dartfish (my LFS has some awesome zebra ones), even with a lid I'm leery that they'd still manage to find and exploit a gap.

 

[Tcook]

For what it's worth, I have an exquisite and a red firefish with a single female Lyretail and the anthias chases them around all the time...the red hides or hangs out in front of his rock, darting in whenever there's so much as a shadow, and the exquisite does come out and fights back against the Anthias but its much smaller and I'm afraid he'll lose that fight in the end.

I'm debating adding two more Anthias to hopefully draw the attention away from the firefish, or just removing the Anthias.

I would definitely add two more. The aggression towards the firefish would drop to near zero. What size tank is this?

 

[jpcaram]

Update: One of the two darts showed up dead about a 2-3 weeks ago. I added a fathead anthias (extremely peaceful and shy) after that and some of the aggression may have stated to shift towards her. The fathead seems to tolerate the aggression (or bullying/chasing, because I don't see any injuries being cause) better than the darts. But she is being chased a lot too! The remaining dart may be a bit more resilient, but he is still being chased aggressively every time he decides to come out.

 

[Tcook]

Update: One of the two darts showed up dead about a 2-3 weeks ago. I added a fathead anthias (extremely peaceful and shy) after that and some of the aggression may have stated to shift towards her. The fathead seems to tolerate the aggression (or bullying/chasing, because I don't see any injuries being cause) better than the darts. But she is being chased a lot too! The remaining dart may be a bit more resilient, but he is still being chased aggressively every time he decides to come out.

The Sunburst is not aggressive at all and may be bullied to the point of not eating. Watch carefully and consider removing the male lyretail or add 2 female lyretails.

 

[jpcaram]

The Sunburst is not aggressive at all and may be bullied to the point of not eating. Watch carefully and consider removing the male lyretail or add 2 female lyretails.

Oh, but it is a female we are talking about! Perhaps this is a male-wannabe female! Fortunately the fathead/sunburst is eating well so far. But I appreciate the suggestion.

What about moving the lyretail to the QT for a while (if I can catch him) and then bringing him back after a few week. Will this nudge him towards a "newby" behavior?

 

[ReefGeezer]

I have 3 Lyretail Anthias, 1 Male, 1 Sub-male - and a Females and 3 Barred Dartfish. Other than sometimes being in the way, the Dartfish don't seem to be bothered by the very much larger Anthias. It doesn't take aggression to make any dart fish jump. If you don't have a top, they'll go carpet surfing.

 

[Tcook]

Oh, but it is a female we are talking about! Perhaps this is a male-wannabe female! Fortunately the fathead/sunburst is eating well so far. But I appreciate the suggestion.

What about moving the lyretail to the QT for a while (if I can catch him) and then bringing him back after a few week. Will this nudge him towards a "newby" behavior?

Ya. I saw the picture. Definitely an aggressive female transitioning. You can try to sequester the lyretail in QT, acclimation box, or sump for a few days. However, once transitioning it will look for others to suppress. The lyretails look bet in a small group anyway. If you have the space....

 

[jpcaram]

I have 3 Lyretail Anthias, 1 Male, 1 Sub-male - and a Females and 3 Barred Dartfish. Other than sometimes being in the way, the Dartfish don't seem to be bothered by the very much larger Anthias. It doesn't take aggression to make any dart fish jump. If you don't have a top, they'll go carpet surfing.

Ya. I saw the picture. Definitely an aggressive female transitioning. You can try to sequester the lyretail in QT, acclimation box, or sump for a few days. However, once transitioning it will look for others to suppress. The lyretails look bet in a small group anyway. If you have the space....

Guys, this gets me thinking... I'm in a transitional state, meaning my tank is rather new (~9 months) and I'm introducing fish at about 1 per month. So, all the fish are only just starting to adapt to each other. In your experience, how long does it take to get your fish family to a stable state, where you can say the behavior I see today is what it will be for the foreseeable future?

@ReefGeezer, I keep getting the suggestion to add more lyretails, but these come from people with larger tanks. I have a 65gal AIO, so about 55gal for display. I have 2 clowns, 1 lyretail, 1 sunburst/fathead, 1 shrimp goby, and 1 dart. I could perhaps add 2 more lyretails, but it feels that would be it for fish and I still would like some more variety.

@Tcook, is it a given that if you have a single female anthias with dominant behavior it will turn male? I ask because if this is the case, my situation may only get worse and my only two options are to have 0 or more than 1 individual.

Thanks!

 

[ReefGeezer]

@ReefGeezer, I keep getting the suggestion to add more lyretails, but these come from people with larger tanks. I have a 65gal AIO, so about 55gal for display. I have 2 clowns, 1 lyretail, 1 sunburst/fathead, 1 shrimp goby, and 1 dart. I could perhaps add 2 more lyretails, but it feels that would be it for fish and I still would like some more variety.

Thanks!

I have 3 in my 90. They are getting big, but for now, only seem to bother each other. I have a lot of rock in the tank. That seems to help with aggression. I think the 90 is borderline too small for 3 full grown Lyretails. Your 65 could be pushing it too much for 3. I'm not sure if you could add just one more now that one is already established..

 

[jpcaram]

I have 3 in my 90. They are getting big, but for now, only seem to bother each other. I have a lot of rock in the tank. That seems to help with aggression. I think the 90 is borderline too small for 3 full grown Lyretails. Your 65 could be pushing it too much for 3. I'm not sure if you could add just one more now that one is already established..

I was thinking of adding another active swimmer, like a chromis. I thing it could add some distraction for the lyretail, without being to sensitive to agression, and still providing the variety I am looking for. Then maybe adding a wrasse, which I've been wanting to include. They seem a bit more passive and sensitive to aggression, but by then I may have distracted the anthias enough to not be bothering any one fish in particular to much.

 

[ReefGeezer]

I was thinking of adding another active swimmer, like a chromis. I thing it could add some distraction for the lyretail, without being to sensitive to agression, and still providing the variety I am looking for. Then maybe adding a wrasse, which I've been wanting to include. They seem a bit more passive and sensitive to aggression, but by then I may have distracted the anthias enough to not be bothering any one fish in particular to much.

My Melanurus Wrasse rides heard over the Anthias. He's just a little bigger than them though. He in not really a butthead like a 6-Line might be. He only chases the Anthias when they start chasing each other... Oh!... and occasionally lets the the Percula Clown know who's boss.

More docile Fairy and Flasher Wrasses might be a little put off by your Anthias. For example, I have a Lubbocks Fairy Wrasse. He is a wuss and dashes for cover whenever a scuffle erupts. I've started referring to him as a "Fairy Wuss"!

Melanurus, Yellow Coris, and other wrasses from the Halichoeres genus might work. Careful though, some are not as reef safe as others. These are also more active swimmers than the Flashers and Fairies.

 

[Tcook]

Starcki damsel will keep the anthias busy and add some yellow and blue