Squareback Anthia Owners??

A

Aidos

New member
Hi,
I have a 80 gallon reef tank which consists of numerous large polyped stony and soft corals with 2 clams.

vertbrates live stock is
- pair of ocellaris clowns
- flame angel
- pair of orchid dottybacks
- bi-colour blenny
and a scopas tang

I visited my LFS today and they had 6 female Squareback Anthias in QT with one week left before they were going on show.

i have placed 4 on hold, but my question is do you think it will be OK to put 3 in my tank. info on the net isnt clear on tank size. and i wanna know if im stretching my bioload or not providing enough space for them?
I run an external canister filter and have heeps of live rock, more than 2 and half pounds to a gallon, but also plenty of space for swimming and caves for hiding.

I am aware of the general care of these fish and that they require 2-3 feedings a day, I would like advice from people with these fish if possible but also any info in general.
 
I have a single squarback anthias in my tank (a male).

I've read that they're difficult feeders, but this male is a pig. He eats any meaty foods I drop into the tank. Between feedings I see him grazing on pods in the tank. He loves mysis and even keeps down a few pieces of flake food.

If you have a decent pod population, you may get by with missing an occasional feeding.

They grow a bit larger than some of the other anthias, so you might want to take that into consideration in adding 3 to an 80 gallon tank.

I'd like to keep a harem of the squarebacks, but have been unable to find any females locally. Can you send me the three you don't buy? ;-)
 
I had 3 in my very first reef. They really are pretty big as far as anthias go. I'm not one to usually say someone's tank is too small for any particular fish, but in this case, with your current load, and the anthias feeding requirements, I'd say pass. Plus, 2.5lbs per gallon of rock?! You really can't have THAT much swimming space, unless it is very dense rock.

Why not try a smaller species?

Anyways, JMO.

HTH
 
So i could deffinelty get one Squareback if i wanted to but 3 is still debatable. the live rock that i have purchased is from Western Australia and is very dense, which is the reason why i have so much weight to a gallon of water.
also with feeding, i already feed heavily and feel that i could continue the current feeding system and that would be enough, so i wouldnt need to be adding anymore food to the system.

i currently have 2 anthias in my system which i didnt not include in my livestock list as i will be returning them for these squarebacks, they are a western australian species and have not coloured up as i excpected. they are in excellent health but i want a show piece for my tank.
i feel that it is my tank size that is the worries, but i know that there is plenty of swimming space for these fish.

Thanks for the comments guys I appreciate it.
 
"I had 3 in my very first reef. They really are pretty big as far as anthias go. I'm not one to usually say someone's tank is too small for any particular fish, but in this case, with your current load, and the anthias feeding requirements, I'd say pass. Plus, 2.5lbs per gallon of rock?! You really can't have THAT much swimming space, unless it is very dense rock.

Why not try a smaller species?

Anyways, JMO.

HTH"


Why cant all people on RC be this polite?


I would go with one, JMO But beware that one female will most likley turn into a male like mine did.
 
OK, well the concensus seams to be only 1 if any at all. i really want to get some natural behaviour out of these fish and so i have decided to look at a smaller species.

I really like these two smaller alternatives

Dispar Anthias
Pseudanthias dispar
little harder to get feeding, but my LFS QT's for 2 weeks and i wont purchase untill they are feeding

x 4

OR

Sunburst Anthias
Serranocirrhitus latus
They are shy and may not swim in open water when lights are on

x 4-5

These two species are regualry available through my LFS.
What do u guys think, to many individuals, could i have more? is there a better speices availble?
any comments welcome.

thanks guys!
 
Dispars can be finicky. Make sure the ones you get are eating before purchase.

Sunburst are not schoolers. They act more like a cross between hawkfish and anthias. Not sure that's what you are looking for.

Are Bartlett available where you are? IME, if they come in healthy, they are bullet proof. Eat just about anything, pretty colors, have that pointy snout anthias look to them like dispars.

BTW, I'm curious, what species do you currently have in the tank?

Oh and thanks evolust, I find it so much easier to be nice :D
 
Sounds good, i think i prefer the look of the Dispars and Bartletts over the Sunbursts.

Im not sure if i can get Bartletts here in Australia for a reasonable price but i will investigate, my LFS QT's for 2 weeks and i will ensure that all fish feed before i purchase.

Also guys any ideas on how many i could happily keep in my tank, i was thinking 1 male and 4 females, anymore/ anyless??

P.S. i hate to admit it but i am not sure what species of Anthia are currently in my tank. i have had them for around a year and it was a purchase that i have now come to regret and have learnt from. I will try get a decent pic so that i may get an ID.

thanks guys
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7831098#post7831098 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Aidos

Also guys any ideas on how many i could happily keep in my tank, i was thinking 1 male and 4 females, anymore/ anyless??
Click to expand...

I'd personally just get a trio. You have enough other fish in there to keep the anthias from concentrating too much aggression on each other, and Dispar or Bartlett are not as scappy with one another as some other species, IME.
 
I will order either Dispar or bartletts 2morrow from my LFS.

thanks all and i will post pics and update when i know wats happenin with and when i get the Anthias.

Cheers
 
did you say you already have some anthias in the tank? If so, pass on ANY! Your looking for war if you add another, especiaslly a square- he'll want to be king. Unless you have a big enough tank, but I think in an 80 youd certainly have losses.
 
yeah i currently have 2 anthias in my tank, i am returning them before i purchase the new tank mates.
 
I dont think they are Stocky anthias, unless they are juviniles. my current anthias are only 2" long, so not big at all.

yeah i think i will deffinetly go with the Bartletts.

thanks guys, will post pics when they arrive, and try get a decent pic of my current anthias before i return them.

Thanks for the help.
 
aidos what shop do you visit? im in adelaide too, if you wanna see fully grown square backs, seaview have some in their hex fish only tank but you may allready know that.
 
Hi Lux_06,
yeah i have seen the squarebacks at Seaview, they are nice. I used to work there funnily enough. I still shop there but also shop at Fish Bowl which is near Blackwood, much closer to my house and they QT for a full two weeks.

Where abouts do u shop?
 
OK

Ordered 4x Dispar Anthias 2day so will probably get them in bout 4-5 weeks as the store needs to order them, then QT for 2 weeks.

Wasnt able to go to with Bartlett Anthias as they are about <$80 each and that is out of my price range. Im confident with the store where i have ordered the Dispars from and that when it is time to purchase they will be healthy and feeding, the store is goin to order in a dozen so i will be able to pick the best individuals.
Thanks for the help guys.
 
yeh my mate told me today funnily enough that this fish bowl place was wicked, will have to chek it out

i have been looked after so well by tareq from seaview i wont take my business anywhere else. top bloke....

good luck with the anthias, sounds good to me.
 
Yeah Tariq is a Champ, knows his stuff, taught me a fair bit of what i know. I still shop at Seaview a fair bit, buy all my dry goods there but i get my livestock from Fish Bowl, i feel its of a better quality, especially considering they QT for 2 weeks.

Fish Bowl is where i have ordered the Dispar Anthias from, they will QT and feed several times a day to make sure they are in top condition before i pick them up. i feel that their treatment of livestock is better than that of Seaviews.
 
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