are anthias as needy as I hear?

I was planning on getting a borbonius anthias but I heard that you have to feed them twice a day or they'll die...? I like to keep hardy fish in my tank because I have to leave sometimes for a few days and I don't want to lose a borbonius...any input? thanks in advance...
 
nah,

just like any other fish. i find them actually quite hardy, if you get them shipped well, and acclimate slowly. they eat flake, mysis, and othe frozen foods. i had one eating pellets for awhile, but not the other.

my favorite fish in my tank. they are shy at first, but warm up after a couple of months.
 
There are exceptions to every rule in reefkeeping , anthias are not considered hardy fish , lyretail's are probably the hardiest. I have never kept borbonius but in my opinion that is a lot of money for a delicate fish. My suggestion would be try a lyretail first . Also a 100 is a little on the small side for any anthias.
 
really? how much on the small side? I want to put a 125...same dimensions besides height...I only have a pair of percs, dragonette, and plan on adding a couple wrasses (sixline and corris?), midas blenny, maybe a lawnmower, bluespot, and either a bluejaw or purple tang to keep them all in check...I'm overstocking, huh?
 
Less is more? I'd much rather focus on the purple tang. One fish in the reef, a friend.

Watch that overstocking...
 
I did not say you were overstocking , what I meant was a 100 gal tank is a little small for anthias in particular. If you have a dragonette any wrasse you add will out compete it for copepods and it will starve . Also if you really want a six-line definitely add it last , they can get very aggressive and have been known to kill fish much larger than themselves. On a side note I always err on the side of caution , after having set up a couple of dozen reef tanks and then maintained them for a few years I have developed a sense of what works and what doesn't. My philosophy is the livestock comes first and my personal preferences come second.
Best regards , Lee
 
I did not say you were overstocking , what I meant was a 100 gal tank is a little small for anthias in particular. If you have a dragonette any wrasse you add will out compete it for copepods and it will starve . Also if you really want a six-line definitely add it last , they can get very aggressive and have been known to kill fish much larger than themselves. On a side note I always err on the side of caution , after having set up a couple of dozen reef tanks and then maintained them for a few years I have developed a sense of what works and what doesn't. My philosophy is the livestock comes first and my personal preferences come second.
Best regards , Lee
 
I have a 125. When i got them around December, they were small, but they are putting on weight like crazy. I think they will max out around 3" or so. Very beautiful fish, nice personalities.

I got rid of the tangs in my tank, to reduce the bio load, went with smaller lineup, but that is my preference.

I have killed hardier fish, so if these guys survived, hey they are hardy in my book!!
If you have the budget, go ahead and spring for 2 or 3 of them. They hang out together.

Good luck
c
 
I keep a variety of Anthias in my tank including Borbonious, they all eat everything from flakes to freshly prepared foods, very beautiful fish, I feed them twice daily most days also add vitamins and amino acids to their foods to promote health.
 
so, if I leave for a couple days, do you think they would die? (borbonius) and the dragonette can't go in with ANY wrasses? there are so many...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14754110#post14754110 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bruce Wayne
so, if I leave for a couple days, do you think they would die? (borbonius) and the dragonette can't go in with ANY wrasses? there are so many...

no not true. i keep 3 wrasses with a dragonette, no problems.

wrasses dont wipe out your pods, they are waiting on the good stuff when you feed. i have kept this arrangement for 3 or so years.

c
 
ive got a green mandarin with a labouti, pods are still there....but depends on the wrasse i guess, wrasses like the leopard or 6 line would actively hunt for pods.

but to get at the anthia thing, lyretails in my experience tend to be hardy anthias, and the same goes for the borbonius. a group of my friends and i just recently did a group buy from a collector in Indonesia. the shipment took 48hrs to get to us and all of the 15 borbonius we ordered survived....the wrasses we ordered on the other hand...
 
I was planning on getting a six line...but I can pass if he is gonna fight over food with the mandarin...what other wrasses do you reccommend?
 
Get the 6line. One of the best fish to have in a reef tank. They eat flat worms, bristle worms etc, and are pretty good reef citizens. they don’t compete with mandarins for pods, as they readily accept any food. However I don’t recommend attempting to keep a mandarin unless your tank is very well established, preferably with a refugium, to keep you pod population up. I would say 12 months after a tank is established.
I have a 6line wrasse, mystery wrasse, zig zag wrasse, marble wrasse, 2 borb. Anthias, mandarin, pink anthias, diamond goby, coral beauty, and a few more.

Getting all your fish to get along is hit and miss. There is some strategy, but end of the day, any fish can be a bully.

c
 
Wow. Lots of misleading advice in this thread IMO.

First of all. I think a 100g is fine for anthias.

Yes it is best to feed a couple times a day but not a must. I keep Lyretail, Bartlet, Disbars, and a Sunburst anthias. I only feed once a day and often leave for a couple days and don't feed.

Your stock lists sounds pretty good if you leave the bluejaw out.

Also you should be fine with a dragonette and wrasse.
 
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