Pink, Purple, Orange & Yellow....Oh MY! How many of you have them in your tank?

Do you have any anthias fish in your current reef tank?

  • YES and they are doing great

    Votes: 125 25.0%
  • YES but I am having trouble with their health

    Votes: 13 2.6%
  • NO but I used to

    Votes: 90 18.0%
  • NO I have never tried them

    Votes: 270 53.9%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 3 0.6%

  • Total voters
    501

Jeffcb

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5 Blue Eyed Sea Goldies. One is turning male.

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Ralllyant

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To me they look like fresh water fish that made their way into the ocean.

But hey, I had no interest sps when I started, so maybe I'll end up with a tank full of Anthias soon too
 

Pistol Peet

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Big healthy and eats lots of food very easy to keep alive.
 

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saltybench

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ANTHIAS FISH that is! To me the anthias fish is almost synonymous with coral reefs and it only makes sense to add these colorful little beauties to your reef tank! Right!? But are anthias hard to take care of and what challenges come with trying to keep them in your home aquarium? Let's talk about it!

1. Do you have any anthias fish in your current reef tank? If so which ones?

2. What challenges have you faced in keeping anthias in your aquarium?



Tanutwin Thammatanawat's amazing reef featured by @Aquaforest
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I just saw some at my lfs and they were breathtaking. Definitely will be considered for our next tank
 

Qasimja

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i had 2 square anthias and over the last 2 years 1 stopped eating and died then the next just died currently have 2 lyretail anthias in QT
 

Glenner’sreef

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I’ve had 2 Fathead Sunburst Anthias going on a year now. The pinkish color really stands out in the tank. They are definitely the most chill fish I have. They are a little picky about what they eat but if Mysis or Brine is on the menu then they’re good. They get fed twice a day. That also benefits my CBB. Here’s a photo Ijust took of one them
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BAA

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Was always hesitant to get any anthias due to others experience and the feeding factor, however I took the punt recently and now have 6 female lyretails (1 is changing to a male), no losses. I started feeding many meals a day at the beginning (5 small meals) but have dropped back down to my usual 2 to 3 now with no ill effects. Seems like they're just as easy as any other fish tbh and a great addition to any tank with the colours and activity they bring

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Squidward

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They're beautiful fish. I used to have a trio of Lyretails back in 2009. Nowadays I don't keep any due to their feeding requirements of several feedings per day. I only feed my tank once a day sometimes twice.
 

Treefer32

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I have six lyre tail anthias in my 340 gallon display. 1 male and 5 females. . . I also have a golden midas blenny that thinks he's an anthia... He swims with the anthias all day. The male tries to chase him away, but I think the midas blenny likes the attention. . .

My male anthia has issues. All the females are healthy. I think the male keeps running into things. He had a major popeye of one eye. It degassed for weeks and was finally healing last week closing up. This week it started degassing again (air bubbles from his eye socket). I think he must have hit it again... That or it's because he made his home in my stunner chalice... At night all the tentacles come out and he maybe keeps running into them or getting stung by them... Either way. He's a drunken male with popeye. No signs of disease or infection. And it's always just the one eye. Pretty sure, he just runs into things.

He's almost fully recovered. Another month if he doesn't hit it again... He eats every day like it's his last meal. So, I'm sure he's fine. Just dumb...
 

Treefer32

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I have a pair of Lyre Tails. They've been pretty easy to care for. I feed twice a day with a variety of frozen foods. Sometimes I forget the early feeding and they get just one. I haven't had any issues and they look pretty healthy.

Bought them as 2 females and now I have a 4" male and 3" female pair. The male started to change about a month after I got them. It's now a kind of purplish/pinkish color and the 1st dorsal ray is over 2" tall.
Based on more anecdotal evidence. Lyretails require the least feedings of the anthia family. I feed an abundance of quality home made frozen food once a day. My tangs are the only ones that get fed twice because I throw a sheet of nori in the morning on a clip for them. Anthias don't touch nori. So, mine eat once a day and seem to do great! I'd suggest giving them another try, but, the key, in my opinion is quality vitamin enriched calorie dense food. I use 2 bottles of selcon on my frozen food mix, plus fish eggs, and amino acids added to the whole batch to ensure I fit as much dense nutrition in as I can into the frozen food.

I'm sure Rod's food or Reef Frenzy would also be great once a day!
 

CoralsAddiction

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Sorry for highjacking the thread, but I've gotta know what the coral on the left is.
That’s a red carpet anemone, Stichodactyla Haddoni is the scientific name for it. They come in different colors like red, blue, metallic green and some other more subdued colors. This type of anemone can get large, up to two feet in diameter.
 

Goaway

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1. Do you have any anthias fish in your current reef tank? If so which ones?

Currently, none now. But after reading this thread. Going to lfs to grab 2. Thanks Rev. Reminding me about the gems of the ocean.

I used to have 2 lyretails and 3 bimaculatus anthia I kept them for almost 2 years. . Fed 5 times a day. I loved those fish. Some of the prettiest colors you can get on a single fish. I know people love their angels. But they are so risky in a reef. Anthia are reef safe, full of color. Give them a mixed meaty diet, they will keep with you for many years!

2. What challenges have you faced in keeping anthias in your aquarium?

I didn't know my serpent starfish would turn into a fish eater. I'm going to try again. Maybe this time, it will be different.
 

jdiefenbaugh

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12 and counting in my current tank. Have kept 10-12 species in the past, some of my favorite fish. First time keeping these sunsets, and they have so much color.

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lba4590

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I had a group of 4 lyretails. Lost 3 to uronema all within 48 hrs despite proactively treating for it in QT... One somehow managed to survive (the smallest one.. weird). Had the single smallest one for a year, she was fat and healthy and doing great and started to transition to a male. All of a sudden she started hiding more, wouldn’t eat, and died 2 days later. 0 sign of disease all my other fish (and corals and inverts and everything else) have been fully QTd and are fine. Complete mystery, but I want to try again with a different type of anthias and buy prequarentined.
 

mandarin417

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1. Do you have any anthias fish in your current reef tank? If so which ones?

My tank is technically not a reef although there are a couple of corals in there. I like anthias I currently have 5xLyretails, 30+Ignitus, 4xEvansii, 10x Resplendant, 7x Sunset, 15xBimacs.

2. What challenges have you faced in keeping anthias in your aquarium?

The amount of food I need to use because the anthias only feed in the water column I need a robust amount of CUC to keep the substrate clean.
At the moment finding good fish, I have learnt that unless they are in good condition in the LFS you are fighting a losing battle keeping them alive.


Wow - awesome collection. What size tank is yours?
 

Marine Collectors

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Yes - 5 Bimacs in a 135 gallon reef tank. I’ve tried a few other varieties of anthias over the last 6 years, but non survived very long. They either died in shipping, bullied each other, or starved. I bought 3 female Bimacs from Elliot Lim at Marine Collectors a few years ago with one converting to the male. Loved them so much I added 2 more females this year from Jeff D at Fishotel and they blended right in with the original 3. All fat and happy! Everyone’s favorite fish to watch too. If I didn’t have so many other fish already, I would have added more. Quarantined and conditioned anthias are the way to go.
So glad you are loving your fish!
 
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