Bartlett's Anthias- more questions for those that keep them

[Gary Majchrzak]

I want to introduce one male and two female Bartlett's Anthias to a 225 gallon aquarium. Will there be an aggression problem with the one male harassing the two females? Should I introduce more than two females to alleviate the males' aggression? Will there be a problem introducing more female (or male) Bartlett's Anthias to such an aquarium already housing established individuals?
Do these Anthias jump as much as Dispars?
TIA

 

[bubbaOPPD]

I have a male and 2 female Bartletts no problems, the male does exert his dominance every now and then but nothing to the point of outright aggression. But I also have 5 Carberries and the male Bartletts spars with the male Carberries once a day. I haven't seen them jump but I have it covered because of the fairy wrasses I have. Although the more I think about it you should worry more about the females killing one another then the male.

 

[bradleyj]

5 Bartletts and a couple of Dispars were the first fish I introduced into my new tank. Even though I can't tell male from female, they all seem to get along, It's been a month now.

 

[jiggy]

there should be no problem. even if u introduce a male into a tank with a dominant male, they dont really fight like damsels do. one will chase the other for a sec n then go back to their own business.

 

[GoFishJoel]

I started out with 5 in a 120 long and they did fine for quite some time. Eventually the lowest ones on the ladder died. I used an automatic feeder which fed them quite nicely and probably killed 1 or 2 when the "door" on the feed was shut for 6 days on my trip to Hawaii.
Three sounds like a nice number. I liked how aggresive they were about eating. Add them last in a list of anthias if they are the all going to be of the small type since Bartlett's are quite aggressive.
I miss mine.
Lastly, they do jump!!!! I lost one that way. It was the dominent female so I was quite upset. I now have screens on the tank and would not have anthias in an unscreened tank. Make double sure you only get one male. Don't buy several from different shipments. It might even be worth only buying females and let them sort it out themselves. Otherwise, somebody dies!

 

[twon8]

i put four females into my 180 about eight months ago, all four got into the overflow, what a pain to fish them out that was. kind of wished i had put more in to begin with

two have turned into males, one with longer fins; the six line harassed them for a while but got over it.

they do like to eat a lot, but what fish doesnt'; they are out a good bit, but i think maybe if there were more they might spend more time out.

i plan to put a couple of bicolor anthias in with them,

 

[Angel*Fish]

One thing that is useful, IMO, that is often ignored -- the male should be quite a bit larger than the females to try and avoid issues with the dominant female and if possible, the dominant personality female should be somewhat bigger than the other female.

Also I agree with GoFishJoel anthias tanks should be screened

 

[SDguy]

IME you just don't get the aggression with bartlett anthias you see with lyretail, bicolor, etc. You'll be fine with three or more. As mentioned above, males often coexist in the same tank without damage. Search the threads, there have been a few about this.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Thanks for all the responses and tips so far.
Another question: do any of you keep a Midas Blenny with your Bartlett's Anthias? (social mimicry).
Nice pics, Bradley.

 

[dvmsn]

I added three females to my tank about eight months ago. The middle sized fish turned to a male approx two weeks after introduction. It does harass the largest female which has really taken a turn for the worst in the last month or so and I don't expect her to make it very long. It is not overly aggressive on par with a damsel or a dwarf angel, but it definately lets her know who is boss. The male gets along wonderfully with the smallest female and doesn't bother it at all. It does make sense that the male would continually harass a larger fish that has show some signs of color change at times and used to somewhat challenge for dominance when it was healthier.

 

[Angel*Fish]

I had one for about a month and due to circumstances & some poor husbandry, he died.

While I had him he liked to swim in the water column with the anthias, though mine weren't Bartlett's

It's just me I guess, but this fish stays in the water column more than I'd expect for a swim bladderless fish - I always feel like they are working too hard and worry that they need to sit down & rest - anthropomorphizing I suppose

I'd buy one again though, but only one of the more golden/yellow colored ones - did you see the one on Live Aquaria?

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I'm an ardent supporter of our fine Rochester, NY LFS's.
I introduced a Midas Blenny today. I've never tried one before. It's already established a bolt hole. Judging from what I've seen, Midas Blenny's are prone to starve in aquariums because they are planktonic feeders with a high metabolism, so I also rigged up an automatic feeder system today. The aquarium will now get fed twice a day (automatically) in addition to my manual feedings.
The auto feeder will also help me keep my Anthias well fed when I get them.

 

[bradleyj]

Good luck with them Gary, They are a wonderful addition to my new tank and seem to get along with each other so far. They also don't mind my newest addtion to the tank.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I have Lysmata shrimps (Scarlet cleaners and Peppermint shrimps). Will the Bartlett's love them or eat them?

 

[sammie]

What type of automatic feeders is everybody using. Have been feeding either shrimp or plankton both frozen or refrigerated, not easy to add to a auto feeder

 

[SDguy]

IME, Bartlett anthias will accept most dry foods (flake, small pellets). My problem has always been the food floating on the surface and being drawn into the overflow. Not sure how people get around that?

 

[Project Reef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8284876#post8284876 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gary Majchrzak
I have Lysmata shrimps (Scarlet cleaners and Peppermint shrimps). Will the Bartlett's love them or eat them?

Gary, you shouldn't have to worry about the shrimps. Bartlett's won't go out of their way to eat or try and attack Lysmata sp. shrimp. They simply don't behave that way unless you've got tiny baby-sized shrimp slightly larger than mysis, which of course is highly doubtful. Relax and enjoy 'em!

 

[Project Reef]

Gary, a couple of other things,

They should take pellet or flake foods on the first day of introduction. They are greedy eaters and will always be happy to take food.

As far as jumping goes: bah, they jump. I'd actually place them up near the fairy wrasses in their frequency in jumping out for no particular reason. I've had quite a few jump out during feeding time, apparently because they simply were overly excited about the meals they were about to receive.

I haven't had them go out of their way to display aggression towards other fish, but let's just say that they usually won't let themselves be disrespected by any other fish of equal size.

 

[Giovanni]

SDguy,

I have an ACIII and have it shut down the pumps for 10 min while the auto feeder feeds. Could be done with a simple timer also.

 

[SDguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8286671#post8286671 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ICURN
SDguy,

I have an ACIII and have it shut down the pumps for 10 min while the auto feeder feeds. Could be done with a simple timer also.

But the food still floats, no? Or do you use sinking pellets? And is it bad for the pump to be turned off twice a day? I read somewhere that it is, and would like to confirm or dispel that myth.