anthias pro's ?

[Arati]

looking for people who have long term 1+ year or more experience keep anthias alive and healty.


I have never kept one before but i plan to on my next build, looking for advice on species , feeding, any general tips you can give.

I would like to choose a group that is more likely to do well, so what ones are "easiest"

how many im reading 3? id like to do more..

can u do more then 1 group,of different type? of the same type?

are there ones that eat less? i know some of these guys require additional feeding

not interested in sunburst or bonbons , wanting to do the group types like barts, disbar..lyre ect...

also any good books or articles to read? obviously i have google so i am reading some stuff.. but fining a lot of conflicting info..

oh yea 150cube so 36x36, sps zeo system, no other fish yet i havent decided on stocking order or lists yet, expet a pair of clownfish and a pair on bangi, that i already own.

Thank again~

 

[prattreef]

The hardiest are probably the Squammipinis, but they get a bit large and a touch aggressive depending what else you have in the tank. My usual recommendation for 1st time Anthias keepers are Bartletts anthias which are smaller, quite hardy and very pretty IMO. They also school naturally with Dispar anthias which are also very nice, but a bit less hardy IME. You could do a group of 6-10 of either ( or mixed) if you have the room. It is generally best to start with all females and let them sort it out. One will turn male in short order. Feeding should not be an issue with either of these species.

Oh, and you need a cover as all anthias are jumpers.

 

[E.intheC]

I'd like to tag along with this thread, if you don't mind OP.

In my (limited) experience, the anthias wouldn't last long in my system and ended up dying, with really not much notice. Healthy looking one day; dead the next ..they'd be eating and out in the open for the most part as well.

I wonder if it's due to boisterous tankmates, nutrition, shipping stress/shock? All 3?

 

[Arati]

not at all, great question. im also wondering if having a well established system is important for these fish. thinking mandarin.. I know these swim in the open a lot but do the need the tiny foods generated in a well established system in addition to normal feedings.

I am starting a pretty "vigrin" system all eco rock ect.. wondering should i wait 6-8 months before attempting?

 

[prattreef]

Most anthias do not pick at much on the rocks and forage out of the water column. They prefer frequent smaller feedings. They also occur in huge numbers in the wild which would indicate, to me at least, that mortality in nature is probably pretty high. They also fight alot trying to figure out their dominance heirarchy and sometimes the losers really lose.

 

[E.intheC]

Most anthias do not pick at much on the rocks and forage out of the water column. They prefer frequent smaller feedings. They also occur in huge numbers in the wild which would indicate, to me at least, that mortality in nature is probably pretty high. They also fight alot trying to figure out their dominance heirarchy and sometimes the losers really lose.

I'm always amazed at the videos of reefs... Literally thousands of anthias swimming in and out of corals.

Its not fun having these fish die in my tank. I think in my tank it was either due to other fish bothering them (not aggressive but just overly active) or from an internal issue/shipping stress.

Arati, if you haven't already, you should check out tropical island aquarium.... mike has a few dozen anthias in his 220 display. It's quite the sight.

 

[MIKE NY]

by no means an expert, but I currently have about 8-9 different species of anthias and as mentioned the Lyretails are very hardy and readily eat almost everything along with Squarebacks and Stockies..the draw back is they are alittle more aggressive than most other species. Also Bartletts will eat almost anything as well, but are very aggressive towards each other espeically when a male becomes dominate not allowing sub-males or females out of the rockwork unless you have a large tank or more than 3-4. Some of the less aggresive species like Dispars etc. although more peaceful and do well in groups are more finicky eaters taking only smaller foods so therfore need to be fed more often...They all need a varied diet to keep healthy and colorfull which, as mentioned, they feed from the water column. ..you can check out some pics of my anthias in the fish forum in the anthias thrread

 

[msharifa]

I have had them for 4 years with the oldest being 4 years. My experience has been only with lyretails. My advice is to always buy them in groups not as individual. And never buy male since they burn out faster. Let the female hierarchy work itself out. Also buy them small since they tend get pickier as they get older. Feed them at least two times or more a day. Also avoid keeping them in smaller tanks with aggressive fish like Tangs. With aggressive fish close by they dont group as much. Another observation was that with aggressive fish close by female to male conversion does not happen. In my case removal of the tangs led to the biggest female converting within a month otherwise they were without a male for three years.