How hard is it really to keep anthias

[myerst2]

I know anthias are planktivores and need to be fed constantly. My fish are fed 4-5 times a day, the angel, rabbit, and tang. The nitrates never exceed 20ppm. I'm considering a pair or trio of anthias, but I've heard they are difficult and shy feeders. I'm looking for an orange/red pair or trio for the tank. Should I stay away. What are some hardier anthias that are on the larger size, 4"+. On LA they have a faciatus pair that is exactly what I'm looking for as far as color. http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?ddid=35642&siteid=20 This is one species of fish I no nothing about. What do you recommend or do you recommend to stay away completely. Thanks, Tim

 

[reeferaddiction]

i currently have a lyretail in my reef tank and i would consider her a hardy fish, not to mention an absolute pig, but at the same time the water in that tank is kept pristine, and she is with non aggresive mates. i have had this fish for almost 2 years i feed that tank once a day, she is nice and fat as well as having great color. good luck with you research and i hope this helps.

 

[richard king]

I've had four Bartlett Anthias in my 150 gal reef for about five months. They are active and not at all shy. I feed them mysis shrimp 1 or 2 times a day. They aren't aggressive towards others. Some say they can be jumpers, but mine don't. Without the Mysis though, I hear they can be a problem to feed.

 

[JamesJR]

They vary a lot in hardiness from species to species. They all have similar needs though. They love lots of movement, they need lots of open swimming space, very clean water and frequent feedins.

Bartlett's are some of the best choices.

 

[bryan007]

All of the advice above is excellent on these fish. Yes most are very demanding particularly since many are deep wate fish and will not tolerate the high light levels of a reef tank. I've tried about 5 different species of this fish over the years and found that very few do well; however, as also mentioned if your water is pristine the bartlett and bicolor anthias will do well and do best in groups. There are a few others that can do well but can be aggressive and do not do well with more than one in a tank unless it is very large. Consider the two species I've mentioned if you can provide the necessary conditions for them.

Scott

 

[ReefWreak]

I've got 2 disbar anthias. I've got a 50% sucess rate of keeping them the first 2 weeks. I've heard from other locals that 50% is a high rate of success with them, that they've lost more than that in the first week of having them.

My disbars used to get fed once or twice a day pellets, but now I stuck an auto feeder on, so they eat 4 times a day now, not to mention the occasional mysis cube or nori that they seem to pick at when it flows by.