Need some colorfull schooling fish!
- Thread starter Giovanni
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Bret61081
Active member
Dispar anthias aren't really the easiest of anthias. Is this for the 70 in your sig? Anthias will hang out with each other here and there, but won't "school" per se. Threadfin cardinals, and some of the smaller cardinals (whose names escape me) might be better choices, depending on what else you have in the tank. 5-7 fish is a lot of fish for a 70g tank.
Giovanni
AKA Flippa
I have considered this very fish. What are the pros and cons of the disbar? Are the females as colorfull as the male in the photo? I do agree that 5 should be tops after some reasearch.
I have a powder blue, purple tang, flame angle (very passive), sixline, and watchman gobe. I am looking at a pair of false clowns also.
Nice McCosker's BTW.
I have a powder blue, purple tang, flame angle (very passive), sixline, and watchman gobe. I am looking at a pair of false clowns also.
Nice McCosker's BTW.
Bret61081
Active member
My LFS has about 10 disbar intheir show tank and sell them all the time. Fairly cheap too...18-28$. When they feed, they all always go crazy for the froozen mysis and articpods. When I upgrade next month to a 90 or 120, I plan on adding 3 disbar and 3 Diadem Anthias. My LFS has had excentent luck with them atleast! I like the threadfin cardinals, but they dont offere a lot of movement...and are pretty dull colored till the lgihts hit them just right. Plus, ive never read someone to keep a large school for more then a year, they slowly kill each other off till a pair or 2 are left.
Don't get me wrong...lots of people keep dis"p"ar
anthias quite successfully. I have one in my tank that is doing great. I'm just saying that if this is someone's first venture into anthias, dispar's are not the hardiest. Sometimes they don't eat, and they stress more easily than other species. And no, the females are pinkish/peach colored. I think last month or the month before TOTM in Reefkeeping magazine had a school. Check it out.About the cardinals, that's true for banggai, pajama, and others. Threadfins tend to not pair off and kill the others. There was a thread about some smaller cardinals that school also, but they pretty much just look like FW tetras to me, so why bother in a reef? JMO.
A flame, PBT, and purple tang are some heafty fish already. Maybe go for just a trio of anthias. Dispar...or consider bartlett...very hardy, about as pretty.
And thanks, I like the McCosker's a lot. A chance find at the LFS....didn't even know what species it was when I bought it.
hth
scchase
Premium Member
If you get a trio of Anthias my number 1 pic for a tank this size would be a trio of these guys,
http://www.marinedepotlive.com/fathead-sunburst-anthias---serranocirrhitus-latus-fish--anthias.html
They naturally occur in trios stay relativly small and don't need nearly as much tank space to swim about and at least IME as long as they are caught correctly are fairly hardy as Anthias go.
http://www.marinedepotlive.com/fathead-sunburst-anthias---serranocirrhitus-latus-fish--anthias.html
They naturally occur in trios stay relativly small and don't need nearly as much tank space to swim about and at least IME as long as they are caught correctly are fairly hardy as Anthias go.
MJAnderson
Premium Member
Did you link that correctly? Marinedepot's notes on the fathead:
Minimum Tank Size: The Fathead/Sunburst Anthias prefers a tank of at least 80 gallons with plenty of places to hide & swim.
The Sunburst Anthias is one of the more demanding of the Anthias, and should be kept in as a solitary specimen, as it does not do well with others of it's own or with other Anthias. As with most Anthias kept in aquariums, the Sunburst Anthias will look their best when the tank has a lot of cliffs and overhangs, mimicking their natural environment. Offer frozen Mysis shrimp, Ocean Nutrition Prime Reef (Frozen), and other small meat based foods.
Minimum Tank Size: The Fathead/Sunburst Anthias prefers a tank of at least 80 gallons with plenty of places to hide & swim.
The Sunburst Anthias is one of the more demanding of the Anthias, and should be kept in as a solitary specimen, as it does not do well with others of it's own or with other Anthias. As with most Anthias kept in aquariums, the Sunburst Anthias will look their best when the tank has a lot of cliffs and overhangs, mimicking their natural environment. Offer frozen Mysis shrimp, Ocean Nutrition Prime Reef (Frozen), and other small meat based foods.
Frankysreef
Active member
My experience with anthias is most will not truly school in a reef tank.. they'll hang out with each other.. chase each other, follow each other around... but not school.
I think they only school when frightened, but they are cool to keep in groups... I have 4 lyretails in my 225... some of my fave fish.
I think lyretails are the easiest to keep... more aggressive, good eaters...
I had 4 purples... too shy and died within 2 mos...
I've had my lyretails for over 2 yrs.
I think they only school when frightened, but they are cool to keep in groups... I have 4 lyretails in my 225... some of my fave fish.
I think lyretails are the easiest to keep... more aggressive, good eaters...
I had 4 purples... too shy and died within 2 mos...
I've had my lyretails for over 2 yrs.
cweder
Member
I am in the same boat. Can't decide between Bartletts, Dispar or Lyretails. Was ready to order some Bartletts, but then looking at more pictures they can look pretty washed out in color and the same for Dispar's. The Lyretails seem to hold there color best from what I can tell. The key to Dispar's from what I've read is getting them to eat. Still undecided. LiveAquaria has some gorgeous bimaculatus in stock FWIW.
Frankysreef
Active member
whatever u decide get only 1 male... and the rest at least 3 females.
Unfortunately this holds true for all anthias...I've seen some lyretails that were basically tan
On one hand, I say I would never buy anthias mailorder (due to their high variability). On the other hand, most threads I've seen showing LiveAquaria anthias are simply gorgeous FWIW.
Frankysreef
Active member
a few of my anthias
a few of my anthias
a few of my anthias
Frankysreef
Active member
they all seem to hold thier color well... just depends on what u feed them... mine get cyclopeez and mysis and pellet food... and live food from the fuge.
Frankysreef
Active member
I do love the way they poke around in different sections of my reef.. it is pretty cool, all in one area... then in another..hanging out by the flow for free snacks from the fuge...
Pretty cool...
Sometimes fish are the hardest animals to keep, just cause they need to be happy to survive for long periods of time.
Pretty cool...
Sometimes fish are the hardest animals to keep, just cause they need to be happy to survive for long periods of time.
