Planning for Anthias?

CraigG · Aug 16, 2013

I am looking for some advice in choosing the best types of anthias for my 120gal 4' high flow sps tank. I am hoping to get a couple of schools of different types of anthias but not sure which coexist well together, I would like to here your thoughts.
Thanks Craig

TD2K · Aug 16, 2013

love my bartletts, but they ARE jumpers. Lost 3, had to put a screen top on the tank. Have 3 left, one turned male and got aggressive so I can't add any more

CraigG · Aug 16, 2013

I already have the screens for the top of the tanks. I had dispars for a long time and they are excelent carpet surfers.

nitro'sreef · Aug 16, 2013

Make sure they are more females than males. IMO don't get two groups of the same color. My fathead Anthias went after a Male Barlett anthias until he died. lol

CraigG · Aug 16, 2013

Wow, I thought fatheads were peacefull. They are one of my favorites but I have yet to try and keep them. I am almost leaning towards a school of lyretails and nothing else just for simplicity sake.

Eienna · Aug 16, 2013

Here, read these.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/hcs3/index.php

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-12/hcs3/index.php

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-04/ac/index.php

Eienna · Aug 16, 2013

CraigG said:
Wow, I thought fatheads were peacefull. They are one of my favorites but I have yet to try and keep them. I am almost leaning towards a school of lyretails and nothing else just for simplicity sake.

I have heard from a few sources that when a lyretail turns male it tends to kill females until there are none left. I imagine that if the tank is not of a sufficient size (think couple hundred gallons) this would be the case. Not sure you want them. Read the articles I just posted...they provided a ton of helpful info on the anthias and psuedanthias genus(es?) and should really help you decide.

Many of the anthias and psuedanthias cannot be mixed in anything other than a huuuge aquarium. A fathead would not likely bother a fish that is not in the group of fish commonly called anthias.

Be warned that if you want to keep a reef-safe angelfish (those in the genicanthus genus), these fish may become food-competitive with each other. I've only heard it from one source, but anthias/pseudanthias may fight with genicanthus angels.

CraigG · Aug 16, 2013

Thanks for the articles! The article said you would need a shoal of 8 or more to keep the lyretail from killing the others. It also said that they are members of the most agressive type of anthias and that a male lyrtail would be likely to fight with other anthias if not in a large shoal. Think my 120 could handle 8 of them?
Thanks Craig

Eienna · Aug 16, 2013

CraigG said:
Thanks for the articles! The article said you would need a shoal of 8 or more to keep the lyretail from killing the others. It also said that they are members of the most agressive type of anthias and that a male lyrtail would be likely to fight with other anthias if not in a large shoal. Think my 120 could handle 8 of them?
Thanks Craig

No, unfortunately, I really don't. I have a 125 and am visualizing this...and it's looking very overcrowded. They are active as a general rule and would need some more elbow room. There are others in those articles that work ok in a slightly smaller school, I think. You might want to go with those. If not, find a species in which you really like the male colors and just get one.