Mixing anthia species?

csb123 · Jul 26, 2020

Hey folks,

I’ve failed at keeping Lyretail anthias, twice. Both times, they would perish one by one, due to the pecking order. In addition, the first time, I didn’t feed enough through out the day.

Is it possible to keep a single anthia of multiple species, in a group?

This would at least take intra-Species aggression out of the equation.

pcon · Jul 27, 2020

@Angel_Anthias lover has a few species under his care and may be able to provide insights. It is not uncommon to mix various anthias species in a tank.

Angel_Anthias lover · Jul 27, 2020

I believe it is possible to keep single species of anthias together, although i do not believe this will remove agression between them out of the equation. I did have a single randalls and a single flavvogutatus, along with a trio of lyretails. (Originally the singles were pairs, but both passed on for unknown reasons, one i assume old age, and the other i believe was internal.parasites) . The 2 singles formed a pair for a little while and they squabbled a little, but they seemed to prefer single life after.

If you do go down that route, make sure you choose something from the subgenus mirolabrichthys, for a better chance of a peaceful cooperation between them. Though i always think its more interesting seeing a small group get along of conspecifics. Good luck