Help! 2 Male Bartlett's Anthias??
- Thread starter Psyire
- Start date
tom obrecht
Active member
You will probably have some squabbling, but in a 180 I would think you should have enough room to get by. Even with one male and the rest girls, one will still have chasing ect. Do you have alot of hiding spots? How often are you feeding? I've noticed that if you feed regulary that it helps with aggression. 2-4 times a day helps. Of course fish are like people and you can't always know for sure what one will do. I'd try the feeding regime first.
I had five anthia's, 4 female one male. One of the females turned male and now I have two males. They fought for awhile until the new one got the upper hand and one everything is peaceful. they stay away from each other. I have a 240gal but yours should be fine in a 180.
The male has a taller dorsal and more flowing fin's in general, plus darker coloration with a large spot on it's ventral fin's.
The male has a taller dorsal and more flowing fin's in general, plus darker coloration with a large spot on it's ventral fin's.
TacoKing
New member
I originally purchased 3 anthias, 2 females and 1 male. One of the females changed. There is some agression, but nothing serious. They have been together now for about 8 months and everyone is doing quite fine.
kbmdale: You really need at least three Anthias for them to live well. 1 male and 2 females. The males and females have different colors depending on the type of anthias you get.
kbmdale: You really need at least three Anthias for them to live well. 1 male and 2 females. The males and females have different colors depending on the type of anthias you get.
kbmdale
In Memoriam
So you have to have 3.. 
That may change my plans. I am buying them from a fellow reefer who is downsizing. He has 3, but they are all already 3" fish. They will be going in a 75g with 2 chromis (1.5" each), a yellow watchman goby(3"), and a white sailfin ballon mollie (1"). There is also a coral banded shrimp. Do you think 3 would be pushing the bioload. I have a 20g sump and 20g fuge along with a phosphate reactor and good skimmer.
That may change my plans. I am buying them from a fellow reefer who is downsizing. He has 3, but they are all already 3" fish. They will be going in a 75g with 2 chromis (1.5" each), a yellow watchman goby(3"), and a white sailfin ballon mollie (1"). There is also a coral banded shrimp. Do you think 3 would be pushing the bioload. I have a 20g sump and 20g fuge along with a phosphate reactor and good skimmer.
Angel*Fish
cats and large squashes
kbmdale,
This may sound confusing because I actually have 4 anthias...But I have a bicolor that thinks he is king of the tank. He was the only anthias for a while & was just fine then. The other anthias I have are different species of anthias.
He has even shown signs of dominating the angels who just sort of give him a look like" you are truly stupid' and then go on about their business.
There is plenty of literature to support that many species of anthias are just fine one to the tank.
That said what kind are you getting & it really does seem a shame to split up a nice trio. Is it possible this species is already fully grown? Not all get big.
Psyire,
How are they doing?
This may sound confusing because I actually have 4 anthias...But I have a bicolor that thinks he is king of the tank. He was the only anthias for a while & was just fine then. The other anthias I have are different species of anthias.
He has even shown signs of dominating the angels who just sort of give him a look like" you are truly stupid' and then go on about their business.
There is plenty of literature to support that many species of anthias are just fine one to the tank.
That said what kind are you getting & it really does seem a shame to split up a nice trio. Is it possible this species is already fully grown? Not all get big.
Psyire,
How are they doing?
Tyrosinase
New member
I disagree, you don't NEED to have multiple anthias for them to do fine in an aquarium. I have seen many tanks that only have one anthia in them and they are just fine.
Although seeing these fish school is pretty cool though.
Although seeing these fish school is pretty cool though.
Angel*Fish
cats and large squashes
That's perfect as bartlett's are among the smallest anthis species. I think they're supposed to max out at 3.5 in. That means yours may be fully grown. As for bioload - that depends a lot on your husbandry & setup. Post pictures when you get them!
Psyire
Premium Member
Thanks for all the replies guys!
Well I didn't have a whole lot of options other than to add them and hope for the best.
A few things to point out..
The 4 Bartlett's (1M/3F) have been in the 180g for about 1.5 months.
The new Bartlett's are alittle smaller. (The new male is smaller than the established male)
I got the new fish in the afternoon and acclimated them. I killed all the lights and added them to the main tank around 6pm. (added on the opposite side of the tank as the established anthias sleep) Then I went to work (nightshifts) and hoped for the best. I got home around 7am and checked the tank with a flashlight, everybody was sleeping. I then went to sleep.
I woke up around 2pm and crossed my fingers...
I was pleased when I seen all 7 anthias swimming around with no fins shredded. The bigger male tends to chase the smaller male once in awhile and he hides for abit. However I have observed them swimming side x side with no aggression. The females seem to be mingling nicely and things are looking good. The two groups seem to favor opposite sides of the tank but I imagine that will be only for awhile.
I feed pellets twice a day and a mixture of freeze-dryed and frozen foods every second day. I hope things go as smoothly tomorrow...
Well I didn't have a whole lot of options other than to add them and hope for the best.
A few things to point out..
The 4 Bartlett's (1M/3F) have been in the 180g for about 1.5 months.
The new Bartlett's are alittle smaller. (The new male is smaller than the established male)
I got the new fish in the afternoon and acclimated them. I killed all the lights and added them to the main tank around 6pm. (added on the opposite side of the tank as the established anthias sleep) Then I went to work (nightshifts) and hoped for the best. I got home around 7am and checked the tank with a flashlight, everybody was sleeping. I then went to sleep.
I woke up around 2pm and crossed my fingers...
I was pleased when I seen all 7 anthias swimming around with no fins shredded. The bigger male tends to chase the smaller male once in awhile and he hides for abit. However I have observed them swimming side x side with no aggression. The females seem to be mingling nicely and things are looking good. The two groups seem to favor opposite sides of the tank but I imagine that will be only for awhile.
I feed pellets twice a day and a mixture of freeze-dryed and frozen foods every second day. I hope things go as smoothly tomorrow...
Angel*Fish
cats and large squashes
Very nice tank! Love your aquascaping & the way you did the circulation.
Psyire
Premium Member
Well it's been almost a week and things are looking good. All the anthias are getting along and eating well. The 2 males still have abit of aggression towards one another but nothing serious. The lesser of the males seems to stay more on the right side of the tank unless I'm feeding on the left.
Watching 7 of these Bartlett's swarm around when I'm feeding is pretty cool. I'm definately glad I chose to expand this group from 4 to 7.
Watching 7 of these Bartlett's swarm around when I'm feeding is pretty cool. I'm definately glad I chose to expand this group from 4 to 7.
maximusmarine
New member
You mean Anthias can revert back to female? really?
