Anthias

Hey all,

I was researching fish for my 65g new reef tank and was looking to get many small schooling type fish for it. I know fairy basslets or anthias fit this profile very well, however im not 2 sure about them and have only read small articles on them. I know they like to be fed at least once or twice a day, can be shy and docile, but how do they go without a male? I have had a trio of Lyretail anthias in my 135, however the male scared off one female into a cave that it was too scared to come out and feed and died. Then the other female slowly pined away. The male perished not long after the second female and it was really weird cause he stopped coming out and eating?

For my new tank, i was thinking of only getting 2 or 3 female Lyretail anthias as they are smaller, however how long will it take for the dominant female to morph into a male? Are there any colourful/smaller anthias that are fairly hardy that i could get a school of for my tank?

Also, do they school with bannerfish and fairy wrasse?

Thanks for the help,

Breed

 

Lyretails are one of the more aggressive of the Anthias family, however, they are also one of the more hardy of them! They need to be fed oftenthroughout the day, upwards of 4-6 times a day! They feed on zooplankton, which by having a refugium, will help dramatically with this, and making sure they are not malnutritious! The larger the tank the better to curb their aggressiveness and it is ok to have just one Anthias in a tank though it is better to have 6 femals and one male if your tank allows!!!! When adding Anthias' to your tank it is best to add them all at once, as is the rule with most fish!
To help ensure and deter timidity, it is best to have dim lighting! Males tend to be larger than females, and if you have two males, the chance os them fighting is great.
Unfortunately, I don't know about your last part about morphing!!!

 

Im not 100% sure on how to help you, but ill tell you what I know, lol.
Ive read the anthias will change from female to male fast, like in a month or so. If you start wil 3-4 females and let them chose the male, it mite work out better. I dont have any hands on experience with anthias, but this is what ive read. Good luck, and im sure someone else will know the rest of your question,

Michael

 

LOL, CR you always get in there before I can, then it make my post look funny,