Which anthias shoal best?

Surfacer

Surfacer

New member
I have a 180g (72 x 24 x 24) aquarium and I know 180g is small compared to an open ocean so I will not get the same results as I would see in the wild but I wanted to know which anthia's people have had the most luck with and which would be most likely to shoal or atleast stick on the same side of the tank versus separate. Does it take a certain size group for them to shoal best?
Thanks
 
Only had experience with lyretails. Had 5 originally and they hung out in a group/shoal 24/7. Over the years I lost 3 to carpet surfing and have 2 left. And yesterday I just ordered another 2 female Lyretails and 4 Ignitus as they supposedly shoal together. So should be a nice group of 8 as long as they all get through QT.
 
i dunno which ones are the best, but i know which ones are the worst, IMO.

tried bartletts 2 times. each in batches of 5 and they just tore each other up. hate these aggressive anthias, anthough they are one of my fav.
 
Im gonna keep track of this thread since Im starting a 240g cube and really want a schoal of anthias to be the one of the center piece of the reef tank.
 
+1 for Dispars. My trio of one male and two females is almost always together and they don't seem to fight at all. My Bartletts never shoaled much and the males were pretty aggressive. My male Dispar exhibits gorgeous coloration as well. it seems as a hobby we've collectively become much better at keeping anthias.
 
Anymore experience with lyretails? I really liked the barletts, but if they are that aggressive with each other and don't shoal, then I'd rather pass.
 
I have maldive lyretail anthias and love them. They did really well together at first in a shoal, then I lost one somehow (still not sure how). Once I replaced with another, the new one is a little aggressive. Not sure this is normal or just trying to figure out who will be male. Either way beautiful fish would always recommend, and they are some of the cheaper ones as well. Here is a picture of mine....Good luck
lyrtail.jpg


Patrick
 
Thanks for all the info everyone and the picture. I am leaning toward the lyretails right now still. If anyone else has any pictures or experiences they want to share lets hear about it
 
IME, lyretails spread out all over the tank. Great fish, just the same.

Patrick... I'm not 100% sure, but your photo looks to show a slight darker orange top edge to the dorsal fin. That would indicate they are not Maldive in origin.
 
Going on 5 years for my pair. And I only lost 3 as I didn't have net covers. Four Ignitus arrived today and 2 more Lyretails coming tomorrow. Hopefully i can get them all through QT and these 8 for another 5 years at least. :)
 
SDguy, which Anthias would you say is the easiest to keep in a group? I had two Bartlett's but they eventually stopped coming out to eat.
 
Dispars are probably your best bet. I've kept large groups of P. squamipinnis, P. dispar, P. bartlettorum, P. hutchi, and P. pleurotaenia, and most had aggression issues. Bartletts are the worst, but in almost all cases, eventually over time several/most would turn male, and start to fight. Again, just my experience, but I've kept a lot of them. If it were me, whichever species you decide on, I'd get all small females to start with.
 
I've had a tough time with lyretails also. The smaller ones seem to stop eating and waste away to nothing. I'm sure it didn't help that I was locked in a death struggle with hair algae and wasn't feeding much.

I'm down to a pair now, a female and a changeling. They don't bother each other, but they do tend to spread out across the tank and not hang together very much.
 
Yogre said:
I've had a tough time with lyretails also. The smaller ones seem to stop eating and waste away to nothing. I'm sure it didn't help that I was locked in a death struggle with hair algae and wasn't feeding much.
Click to expand...

Good point to bring up. Anthias are planktivores and eat small amounts throughout the day.

So before bringing any home, make sure you can feed them 2-4 times a day.
 
I feed 2 times a day, and have often fed once a day and Lyretails were and are fine. Maybe they need more feeding when younger....
 
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