Wanting to get some anthias

[Mikeltee]

Corals seem to be selling like hotcakes right now, but all the LFS I have spoke with sold all their fish for dirt cheap and arent getting any more in until this pandemic is over. I guess they didnt expect all the reefers stuck at home would spend most of their time next to their tank. Whonwould have thought? Lol

So who has some Anthias in stock and is a known good shipper?

As far as what Anthias to get, I'd like a little help. I dont want to spend a lot of cash so its barletts or lyretail and I like the looks of lyretails better. What should I get and how many? Heres my specs:

130gal DT 48x22x30
35% rock placed for the fish not for my eyes
1x Tomani Tang sp?
1x Powder Blue
1x Flame angel
1x false percula clown (soon to be another)
1x bicolor blenny
1x purple firefish
1x damsel

I was hoping to get a little school going. I have always had 5-7 bangaii cardinals but I'm lucky to get a year out of them and at their current price I am not going to spend $150 for a school that will be dead soon. I'd like to get 5x Anthias but if you guys think that's too many ill go with 3.

Your input is much appreciated. I have never owned one and only did enough research to know that you need to do a lot of research before buying one if you have respect for the animal... which I do.

 

[C. Eymann]

In a 130, either 3 or 5 max, biggest thing with anthias is their feeding requirements.
Ideally, should be fed small amounts 3-4 times a day. While Bartletts and squammys tend to be less picky as others, it can still be a challenge to get them to start taking pellets readily so an auto feeder can be implemented.

Just food for thought

 

[Mikeltee]

In a 130, either 3 or 5 max, biggest thing with anthias is their feeding requirements.
Ideally, should be fed small amounts 3-4 times a day. While Bartletts and squammys tend to be less picky as others, it can still be a challenge to get them to start taking pellets readily so an auto feeder can be implemented.

Just food for thought

Thanks I do have an auto feeder at 3x and then I do frozen every other day. I'll make sure they eating pellets before I buy.

 

[35ppt]

Corals seem to be selling like hotcakes right now, but all the LFS I have spoke with sold all their fish for dirt cheap and arent getting any more in until this pandemic is over. I guess they didnt expect all the reefers stuck at home would spend most of their time next to their tank. Whonwould have thought? Lol

So who has some Anthias in stock and is a known good shipper?

As far as what Anthias to get, I'd like a little help. I dont want to spend a lot of cash so its barletts or lyretail and I like the looks of lyretails better. What should I get and how many? Heres my specs:

130gal DT 48x22x30
35% rock placed for the fish not for my eyes
1x Tomani Tang sp?
1x Powder Blue
1x Flame angel
1x false percula clown (soon to be another)
1x bicolor blenny
1x purple firefish
1x damsel

I was hoping to get a little school going. I have always had 5-7 bangaii cardinals but I'm lucky to get a year out of them and at their current price I am not going to spend $150 for a school that will be dead soon. I'd like to get 5x Anthias but if you guys think that's too many ill go with 3.

Your input is much appreciated. I have never owned one and only did enough research to know that you need to do a lot of research before buying one if you have respect for the animal... which I do.

You only get a year out of the Banggais because once they start to sexually mature and pair up they are no longer tolerant of conspecifics. Normal lifespan is like 5 years.

 

[Mikeltee]

I have seen schools seperate but I never once saw a fight in the 8 years I housed them. They hadnt been aquacultured yet the last batch I got and they were always as big as a 50 cent piece. Only the last school I had split, and every school before that all remained a school. With that said, I dont doubt your claims of fighting, but in my vast personal experience with them, I have yet to witness it or else I would have stopped owning them at that point.

 

[C. Eymann]

Thanks I do have an auto feeder at 3x and then I do frozen every other day. I'll make sure they eating pellets before I buy.

You will probably have trouble finding anthias in a fish store thats readily eating pellets, they literally have to sort of be "trained" to accept pellets, too me about 1 month to get a harmen of sqaummys to go from mysis to pellets, first few days they ignored them, then one started to gobble one or two up, only to spit it back out. Ultimately, I sort of had to restrict the amount of mysis I was giving them to make them extra hungry, also soaking pellets in selcon really helped


Best of luck

 

[AtulR]

Make sure you're quarantining if you can! Highly advise you formalin dip them before entering your QT, Uronema has been wreaking havoc with the wholesale anthias supply.

 

[Softhammer]

It has taken me several months to get them on pellets. Started with 7 about 3 years ago and now have one female. Period. It’s also changed to a male on me. Tried many times to have a school but could never do it. Best I could was 3 of different species. Actually I have 2. I lied one squami And one fathead sunburst although thats more of a hawkfish.

 

[35ppt]

I have seen schools seperate but I never once saw a fight in the 8 years I housed them. They hadnt been aquacultured yet the last batch I got and they were always as big as a 50 cent piece. Only the last school I had split, and every school before that all remained a school. With that said, I dont doubt your claims of fighting, but in my vast personal experience with them, I have yet to witness it or else I would have stopped owning them at that point.

Why do you think you only got a year out of them? You bought a school of Banggais every year? These are not fragile fish, I think 3-5 years is very common. No doubt the tank size helped keep aggression down.

 

[Mikeltee]

Why do you think you only got a year out of them? You bought a school of Banggais every year? These are not fragile fish, I think 3-5 years is very common. No doubt the tank size helped keep aggression down.

I wish I knew bro. I never had a small one. Maybe they were already 4+. The guy who maintains my tank that used to stock my tank said that he has found babies in many of his clients overflows through the years. I dont know what that means as far as age. I wish I could keep them that long. These aanthias appear to be a lot of work and I dont like dumping frozen everyday as a lot gets wasted which can lead to many problems. Maybe I'll try again with some smaller aquacultured ones and test my luck. Thanks for your replys...

 

[joseph scott]

Corals seem to be selling like hotcakes right now, but all the LFS I have spoke with sold all their fish for dirt cheap and arent getting any more in until this pandemic is over. I guess they didnt expect all the reefers stuck at home would spend most of their time next to their tank. Whonwould have thought? Lol

So who has some Anthias in stock and is a known good shipper?

As far as what Anthias to get, I'd like a little help. I dont want to spend a lot of cash so its barletts or lyretail and I like the looks of lyretails better. What should I get and how many? Heres my specs:

130gal DT 48x22x30
35% rock placed for the fish not for my eyes
1x Tomani Tang sp?
1x Powder Blue
1x Flame angel
1x false percula clown (soon to be another)
1x bicolor blenny
1x purple firefish
1x damsel

I was hoping to get a little school going. I have always had 5-7 bangaii cardinals but I'm lucky to get a year out of them and at their current price I am not going to spend $150 for a school that will be dead soon. I'd like to get 5x Anthias but if you guys think that's too many ill go with 3.

Your input is much appreciated. I have never owned one and only did enough research to know that you need to do a lot of research before buying one if you have respect for the animal... which I do.

I can tell you my sad experience with lyretail anthias. I got five small females in my 150 the biggest,most aggressive turned male, spent all his energy chasing females, until he got week and died. Then the next biggest female changed to male only to do the same, and so on until I had one male left for a couple of years.

 

[Mikeltee]

I can tell you my sad experience with lyretail anthias. I got five small females in my 150 the biggest,most aggressive turned male, spent all his energy chasing females, until he got week and died. Then the next biggest female changed to male only to do the same, and so on until I had one male left for a couple of years.

Wow that is sad. IMO Anthias are the most attractive fish that you are able to school in a home aquarium. I have read far too many stories like this with guys with average size aquariums. It seems that the only time Anthias schools prosper is in monster tanks 500gal+. I have the upmost respect for the animals that I home therefore, I think I will forgo the plan of getting Anthias and try again with a school of Bagaiis only this time getting young tank raised ones. I appreciate everyone's response. I may pickup a single lyretail as I think they are a good looking fish. Dependent upon how that goes as far as feedability and what the tankmates think, I may revisit this idea in the far future.

 

[Zionas]

Not related to Atnhias but what about behavior and schooling of PJ Cardinals? How many can I keep together and do they live much longer than the Bangaii Cardinals?

 

[35ppt]

Wow that is sad. IMO Anthias are the most attractive fish that you are able to school in a home aquarium. I have read far too many stories like this with guys with average size aquariums. It seems that the only time Anthias schools prosper is in monster tanks 500gal+. I have the upmost respect for the animals that I home therefore, I think I will forgo the plan of getting Anthias and try again with a school of Bagaiis only this time getting young tank raised ones. I appreciate everyone's response. I may pickup a single lyretail as I think they are a good looking fish. Dependent upon how that goes as far as feedability and what the tankmates think, I may revisit this idea in the far future.

I'd be curious to hear how it goes. I've been breeding them for years and once they start to pair up the become very mean to eachother so keep a close eye on them! But it usually starts with chasing and not letting the weaker ones eat so you should be able to remove before damage if it becomes and issue.

/I remember when I first started breeding them I kept them in the breeder net too long and one jumped out and into the DT. The female Banggai imedeately sucked him in the spit him out a few times until the baby fish was dead. It was vicious. But of course that's a full grown 3" fish vs a 1/2" or so fish.

Not related to Atnhias but what about behavior and schooling of PJ Cardinals? How many can I keep together and do they live much longer than the Bangaii Cardinals?

The Pjs are tolerant of conspecifics so they should be fine together, similar lifespan IIRC. 3-5 years.

 

[Zionas]

@35ppt Really? I’ve read quite a few accounts of Pajama Cardinals living closer to 10 years or even more.

 

[35ppt]

@35ppt Really? I’ve read quite a few accounts of Pajama Cardinals living closer to 10 years or even more.

Everywhere I look say's 3-5 or 5+ or 4-5. But like any fish, could live longer in aquariums. Hence why the "lucky to get a year out of Banggais" caught my eye.

 

[Zionas]

Yeah..... would be cool if more people can weigh in on the lifespan of PJ Cardinals. I’m not getting Bangaiis, the PJs look better to me. @35ppt

 

[35ppt]

Yeah..... would be cool if more people can weigh in on the lifespan of PJ Cardinals. I’m not getting Bangaiis, the PJs look better to me. @35ppt

Make a post on it, I'm sure plenty people have experience with them. Very popular fish.

 

[Angel_Anthias lover]

I have 3 lyretail anthias (male is 4 years with me) the 2 females are with me 2 and a half years. I also have a randalls anthias(had 2 but one died due to internal parasites) and a red saddle anthias for 2 years now (had 2 but the male died earlier this year for unknown reasons) in my red sea reefer 350, so it is possible to have a shoal of anthias or else i got lucky, it just may be tricky to accomplish as many factors come into play on how things will work, like territories and feeding

 

[Mikeltee]

I'd be curious to hear how it goes. I've been breeding them for years and once they start to pair up the become very mean to eachother so keep a close eye on them! But it usually starts with chasing and not letting the weaker ones eat so you should be able to remove before damage if it becomes and issue.

/I remember when I first started breeding them I kept them in the breeder net too long and one jumped out and into the DT. The female Banggai imedeately sucked him in the spit him out a few times until the baby fish was dead. It was vicious. But of course that's a full grown 3" fish vs a 1/2" or so fish.


The Pjs are tolerant of conspecifics so they should be fine together, similar lifespan IIRC. 3-5 years.

I may consider PJs then. It sounds like most of your experience is with tank bred species. I would assume this is the difference in why mine have always got along. All that is available now are rank bred so I am sure I would start to see this behavior and I dont care to. I like Bangaiis more than PJs but if they can get along I will go that route. They are considerable cheaper as well!