anthias question

[Scott G]

i was in AG today with my dad at about 6:30 to 7

we both noticed some very nice looking anthias. i cannot remember the exact name but they looked very nice. i know that they like to school together and i was wondering, generally for anthias, about how many should be kept in a tank at once, i thought maybe 3 but i dont know

 

[APISTOBORELLI]

I started with a male and 3 female lyretail. I am now down to a pair as they grew out. I kept the 2 smallest females. One is now changing to male and hopefully spawn with the other. We'll see what happens..........

 

[RayD]

I saw those Anthias at AG. Really nice!

 

[Greg Hiller]

Typically you need to have either a single anthias, or a group of about 8, with one being male, and the rest female. If you have fewer than that, often times the females get picked on too much, and die off one by one. I think this probably varies a bit from species to species. The ones that I have, Lyretail Anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis), are not as mean I'm guessing as some. I'd bet you could get by with maybe 6 or even 5 if you have a large tank.

Anthias are beautiful fish, and there are some REALLY pretty species, unfortunately many of the most beautiful ones are not the greatest in tanks. Tend to be difficult to get to feed. If you are purchasing one from a store I'd make very sure before you purchase that it is eating in front of your eyes.

 

[ReeferMedic]

I've had 7 Dispar Anthias for about 9-10 mos now and they're doing great, 3 males and 4 females. I think these are one of the few you can get away with having more than one male. There is definately 1 dominant male. The other 2 don't get picked on, but they don't give the dominant one any grief either. The fact that you can keep more than one male as long as they are in a group mixed with females is one big reason why I like them. That, and they are cheap and fairly hardy. They do everything as a group, like a little gang.

 

[OceanGuy]

I made the mistake of buying a pair of DIspar anthias at the AG about a month ago. The female died within a week and I think was picked on by the male. In talking with Abbey who works at the New England aquarium, I should have bought at least 6. If there is a lone female sometimes the male bats the female until it breaks her back. A male and 7 females would be good except that the cost is around $200. They are beautiful fish and the male exhibits great colors when trying to impress the female.

Good luck with your decision.