schooling anthias..

mr. tuna

mr. tuna

Active Member
Hey,
I have a 92 gallon reef, and i have a coral beauty, mandarine goby, 3 damsels, 2 perc clownfish, blue tang, and one sandswifting goby. Would i be able to get 3 anthias of the same specie to school in my tank? I was thinking of 3 blue eyed anthias, or 1 or 2 lyrtail anthias. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Adam
 
pufferman

pufferman

Member
i heard they wouldn't school in captivity as they do in the wild. just make sure that you get only one male and introduce all of them at the same time.
 
pufferman

pufferman

Member
two females would fight constantly if kept in a small tank. eventually you would end up with only one female. since you have a relatively large tank, you can try it. but, i cannot predict the outcome for sure. so it's really up to you. you can put two females and see how they're doing, and if they seem to get along, then bravo!! well...if not, you can return one of them to LFS.
 
mr. tuna

mr. tuna

Active Member
ya, i guess i will try it because my tank is not so small, but not so big. Hopefully this will work out.
But will the 3 anthias overcrowd my tank?
Adam__
 
brooklyn johnny

brooklyn johnny

Active Member
Mr. tuna alot of false information flies around with anthias for some reason. I keep two species of anthias in two separate tanks. In my 54 corner I have kept a trio of lyretail anthias for some time now with no problems (there is a thread on my 54 from months ago if you do a search).
Be aware of the species you choose. Anthias species run from impossible to keep to relatively hardy, and many of the hardy species are just as beautiful. Look into Bartlett's anthias also, as that is the other species I have which adapts well.
A group of three to five would be fine in your 92 assuming you have the filtration to handle the load. Males will fight, so be sure to get just one male and the rest females. Order through a trusted source, as anthias are female to male hermaphrodites and once they begin to switch to male they will not go back.
Anthias like frequent feedings, and if my squamipinnis don't get fed three to four meals a day they get skinny (particularly the male, I suspect because he's "busy" alot). They don't eat much in one meal, so what I do when I get home from work is deforst whatever I'm feeding and leave it in a cup by the tank, pouring in a little at a time.
Hope that helps...
Johnny
 
mr. tuna

mr. tuna

Active Member
BTW, the numerous feeding which is neccecary will be a problem. Because i feed my fish once a day, and i feed enough to make it get to my other fish except for the clowns and damsels. So if i were to feed numerous, but small amounts, the clowns, and damsels will get it all. So would you reccomend the lyrtail anthias?
 
brooklyn johnny

brooklyn johnny

Active Member
What are your nitrates at?
Spacially your anthias would be fine, assuming your damsels are not too aggresive, but it's impossible to judge filtration as every tank is different. A good gauge is nitrates.
I give one larger feeding also as soon as I return from work so that some gets to the gobies I have. Smaller feedings would be an option for you after that assuming your tank could handle the load.
I'd recommend both Bartlett's or squamipinnis, although my Bartlett's seem to get by on less feedings better...
 
mr. tuna

mr. tuna

Active Member
Sorry if i am asking too many questions, but when i get the anthias, and my nitrates are still at 0, would they raise as the fish grow, because my blue tang, is only 2'', and many of my other fish are also pretty small.
Thanks,
Adam__
 
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