Do I have room for anthias??

[Saltydrip]

Well my LFS has been regularly stocking some beautiful anthias with an orange back and pink belly. Some almost all pink. I'm worried I'm already meeting my stocking limit and I'm not sure if I have room for a pair...

Current stock list:
A pair of ocellarus clowns 2.75" and 1.5"
1 kole tang 3.5"
1 yellow wrasse 3.5"
1 blue chromis 1"
GBTA
Skunk cleaner and coral banded

I should mention this is my 16 month old 55gal mixed reef. I have a well established fuge and do by-weekly water changes because I don't run a skimmer due to the fact that my tank is 3ft from the foot of my bed and a skimmer is a little noisy come bedtime. I have about 50lbs of very live rock. Loads of critters crawling around. My original thought was a manderin pair but I have plenty of life too look at on the rocks. I would rather some more open swimmers

 

[hillscp]

Anthias are very beautiful and the thought of having a shoaling group is very attractive. My experience with them has not been very good.

Problem one - Only one dominant male can be in the tank at once with his harem. Any other male will compete and you will end up with only one. How can you guarantee how many males you will get?

Problem two - Even if you get only one male (or no males), there will always be a female that "Wants" to turn male and probably eventually will, leading to problem one.

I have tried this twice, both times buying 6 Bartlett's Anthias. Both times I ended up with one survivor within 6 - 8 months due to the competition for being the alpha.

Pretty fish though if you do't mind buying new ones all the time

This is my experience and I think others have had the same. There is a solitary Bartlett's Anthias in my tank right now and that is the way it will stay.

 

[Painted skin]

Technically it's not only about how many fish you have in the tank, it's also about swimming space the fish require. So base on recommended specs the 55 gal is too small for anthias and your tang... Tang and anthias require a large tank.

 

[Dmorty217]

Technically it's not only about how many fish you have in the tank, it's also about swimming space the fish require. So base on recommended specs the 55 gal is too small for anthias and your tang... Tang and anthias require a large tank.

+1, for Tangs and Anthias I wouldn't recommend anything under 6' in length so a 125 would be the smallest

 

[Saltydrip]

Cool. I didn't think they would work. I figured I better check. Maybe I'll go with the manderin and a few more chromis.

I was under the influence that bristle tooth tangs were "okay" in a 55. He seems very happy so far (6 months). Seems to spend way more time in and out of the rock work than on patrol like larger tangs. Koley, as we call it, shadows the yellow wrasse everywhere it goes. It's very entertaining.

 

[hillscp]

A Kole Tang in a 55 is pushing it but it should be fine in there. I have one in my 125 and it is one of my favorite fish. Very active and a good algae eater.

 

[Saltydrip]

We do plan on a 125 or 150 build soon so he will get a bigger home but that's up in the air and I know not to stock my current tank for my dream tank.

 

[hillscp]

If your gonna go bigger do a 180. Lots of room in there. I wish I had done it instead of the 125

 

[cloyd A.]

I have a 125 with (5) Lyretail Anthias that Iv'e had for five yr's and Iv'e only lost and replaced one ( during the 2nd yr ). It all depends on which type you choose,some for a single a 30 gal. is fine and it goes up to 50, 70, 125 and larger. They are correct on the Kole,a 125 is the smallest.

Hope this helps some,

Cloyd A.

 

[Saltydrip]

Other than 30gal... How much bigger is a 180 over a 150?

 

[Painted skin]

Dimension is about the same if you are referring to 6' long with same height, 180 is wider.

 

[hillscp]

The 180 is 25" from the front pane to the back pane while the 150 is 18" like the 125.

18" isn't much room to place coral and rock. That extra 7" is heaven. 180 is not as tall either making lighting easier.

From Aqueon web site

125 - 72.5" x 18.5" x 23.4"
150 - 72.5" x 18.5" x 29.5"
180 - 72.5" x 25.5" x 25.7"

 

[Saltydrip]

Heheh. Just got the ok for the 180... Still have no idea when we will start but I'm still realy excited about it.

 

[hillscp]

Must have been the extra 7" LOL

 

[Saltydrip]

I just need to change the way the basement door swings and it should fit!! Nothing like altering a door that's been mounted to that door frame for over 320 years!! Her dad will flip!!

I'm redoing the whole house room by room. Maybe he won't notice it. Maybe if I'm lucky he will be so ****ed he will stop coming around until the house is done!!! I couldn't be so lucky... LOL

 

[Spyderturbo007]

Liveaquaria, which I've read has the best recommended tank sizes, says you if you just keep 1 Squareback anthias you can go with a 25 gallon.

A 25 gallon tank will suffice for one fish, however, if keeping a group, a 125 gallon tank should be used since the Squareback Anthias appreciates plenty of room to swim.

So if you buy 1 female it will turn into a male?