dispar anthias or green chromis?

DMK

DMK

New member
i want to add a few of the same fish which are usually schooling fish. i have a 92 corner w/ alot of LR and alot of flow. fish i have now are 1 PT, pair of maroons, 1 black algae blenny, 1 6line wrasse and 1 bangai cardinal. all are peaceful pretty much although the PT and 6line can be ballbusters, not mean but u know. my maroons are model citizens. i would like to add either 4 green chromis or 3 dispar anthias. are either of these fish compatable w/ what i have now, and does either species thrive in high flow?
 
chromis are the best all around because they are pushovers and eat about anything.

As far as anthias go i recommend lyre tails because they love cyclops and are nowhere near as picky as the other anthias.

The dispars are nice, but most are very very picky about diet.
 
I don't see a problem with either choice. If you go with the Anthias make sure to get all females or only 1 male. Also make sure they are eating at the LFS. How about Lyretails or Barletts instead, might be easier to feed. Sunburst flathead can be very picky eaters from what I'm told.

Green Chromis can jump, if you want 4 than I would get 5 to start. I personally like odd number groups, 5 is what I have.

Color for the buck... Chromis are very inexpensive.

Best,
Doug
 
Chromis like to eat 3 times a day or they slowly die.Most people will tell you I had 6, then 3 then 2 now im down to 1 chromis. Ive had my 4 chromis for 6 months feed then 3 times a day mysis. I dont know anything about anthias, ecept they probably are planktavores.
 
Anthias do better eating numerous times a day also. They can cause trouble if you're already near the upper limit on fish for your tank, as I understand they add quite a bit of a bio-load.
 
my first choice are the chromis, but would the PT and 6line harass, or are they just so small and considered no competition that they wouldn't even bother...?
 
I have had 3 chromis for 3 years and they get fed once a day. I started with four, but one was so much smaller than the others that they chased it relentlessly and it finally died. They are pretty large now, some people do not realize how big they grow. I also have 5 bartlett anthias. After all the reading I did, they seemed to be the hardiest. The chromis, anthias, and pair of firefish all hang out together in a group.
 
I think the reason for chromis dying is their aggressions within the group. They eat about anything. I have them in my tank and after some losses over time the group has stabilized at 6 for a long time now. Chromis are also hardy in terms of water conditions. A nice group of 6+ will make a nice display swimming together through the tank.

Anthias are very difficult to keep and while some people keep them successfully with only one feeding the day, it is generally recommended to feed more than that.
 
I've seen the same thing with chromis. You start with a school, then the school picks on the weakest until there is only one left.

-J
 
If you are looking into Anthias, look more into Bartlett's.

I have 4 and have been very very impressed with how quickly they eat anything. Meanwhile, the dispars dont seem to eat as easily. And the Bartletts are just so incredible w/ color.

As for the chromis, I have found they die out because of aggression. I started with 4, and after a couple of months 2 died (very thin and smaller than the remaining two), now i've had these remaining two for a long time. When there are two left, they cant stop each other from eating. If there are >3, there is always 1 fish out who can be bullied while another eats. This was what I observed.

I guess my 90g tank was too small for that many.
 
Like several others on this thread, I've had the old Chromis problem... 4 lived happily for 18 months together, until one was isolated and killed off. I added 2, making 5. One was killed off. Then another. Then another. Two years in I am down to 2, and refuse to get another.

On my upgrade in the coming months I am going to trade in the Chromis and go for some Bartletts Anthias.

I used to think people with Chromis problems were talking rubbish, as mine got along so well. I now find that my experience is very typical. I believe to keep Chromis successfully, you need a shoal of around a dozen or more in order to disipate aggression in the long term... any fewer and its just a question of time.
 
the bartlets, how many would be best to get, maybe 3? and do i have to get a male and female, and if so, what's the visible difference? would they get along w/ what i have( 1PT, 1 6line, 1 algae blenny, 1 bangai cardinal, pair of peaceful maroons w/ RBTA)?
 
anthias are fine with what you have, but yes get a male and 2 or even 3 females, because you will end up with a male no matter what.

Anthias are protogynous, meaning they are sequential hermaphrodites or dichogamous. Basically if you get all females, the strongest one becomes a male over about 3 months time. IMHO that puts un-needed stress on them. If you get a male with 2-3 females, their order is established, and there will be only the one male.

The males are more vibrant, with more of a violet body and are a bit larger than the females.
 
i like lyretails. are they pretty much the same, in regards to hardyness and demeanor, as a bartlet?
 
i like them better than the bartlets in terms of coloring, the LA site says bartlets easy care, lyretail moderate...probably about the same...
 
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