Bimaculatus Anthias
- Thread starter ca1ore
- Start date
tom obrecht
Active member
How long have you had them and how did you order them? Usually they list them as males and females. If you just received them perhaps the two were starting to change? I have keep kept bimacs numerous times and have always specifically ordered them by male/female. Usually one male and three females. Perhaps with the added fish the one female decided the harem was large enough for another male?
tom obrecht
Active member
My guess is that by not purchasing an actual male they are figuring out who is the boss. My current male Bimac chases the females regularly and Im guessing partly because he wants none of them to change. Just guessing.
the808state
New member
Bimacs get huge !! but one of my favorite anthias.
Most likely they are figuring it out... You may end up with 2...
Most likely they are figuring it out... You may end up with 2...
tom obrecht
Active member
I don't you are going to see them get much/if any larger than 5". In my experience that's about max size. You could get more females but have the 2 actually changed to male yet? You may be better just getting a male and let the others stay female. I had a large number of anthias of many varieties in an old system and I had numerous sub males waiting to take over. They never achieved the full male coloration but had male qualities.
Tom, that's a good suggestion. I actually considered it, but the problem is that by the time I find a male, run it through my typical 8-12 week QT, the two larger bimacs will have either changed or not changed. I suppose the good thing, for now at least, is that both sub-males, if that's what they, are spend more time chasing my Bartlett males around than each other.
the808state
New member
biggest male I had was a little over 6" - this is not the norm in home aquaria, but wild they get 7" !!
5" is a big female... they may get very feisty with each other until one gives, or dies.
5" is a big female... they may get very feisty with each other until one gives, or dies.
tom obrecht
Active member
LOL that's what happened in my old system as well. The male Bimac was king over all other anthias no matter what the species. There were other males in the tank (Squas. Hutchi, Bartletts, Dispars ect) but the Bimac male made sure all other anthias new he was the top dog. I guess if I was you and you are running a new male through QT I would wait it out and see what happens. Good luck!
This is why I ALWAYS get smallest specimens I can for larger, more aggressive anthias species.
As do I, however, I ordered them expecting 2-3" fish; received five of varying sizes, including two at probably 4 1/2". Didn't really give it much thought at the time. Ah well!
