bartlett anthias- how many for a harem

[tangafish]

i just got in 3 bartlett anthias today and in my 135 I am concerned this isn't enough after ready numerous several post about all of them turning male.. should i buy 3 or 4 more females in hopes the majority will remain female. some of the post indicate amount of fish in harem may determine if change to male. i dont want to add any more than i have to I had actually hoped to add some other species of anthias but I dont want a school full of males killing each other either..:uzi:

appreciate any input from all my fellow reefers!

[SDguy]

FWIW most of the people that have had more than one turn male haven't actually had them kill each other. They seem to coexist in the tank without too much issue.

[tangafish]

so in your opinion and experience do you think i am ok with 3 or should i add a few more females..they are absolutely gorgeous i couldnt be more happy with them. Already eating frozen brine shrimp soaked in entice just a few hours after getting them home. so far so good.:rollface: :rollface: :rollface:

[chappy121]

i got 4 a bit ago (all females) and think 2 turned male. so now 3 of them seem to hang out together but the smaller male hides most of the time and only comes out for food. They all coexist fine, but they dont really school like i would prefer. however, i also do not have any really aggressive fish in my tank and i hear you need at least one to make the fish school. maybe it is time to get a sohal. ;)

[backyardspecial]

I've had no problem with any of mine turning into males. I bought 1 male and 4 females from the same shipment of fish. After about 6 months or so they are all happy and school about 80% of the time. Hopefully it stays that way.

[tangafish]

ah! there is hope then.. i am sure my yellow tang will fill the role of the aggressive fish, she should keep them busy and i am hoping to get a yellow belly blue hippo too.. still trying to finalize my fish choices for the tank..tanks are just never big enough. was able to snap a picture of 2 of my bartletts, they even smiled for the camera..
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff23/tangafish/100_2938.jpg
rather than messing with the pvc and suction cups i just spent $2 and bought a 4" connector T it is heavy enough it just sits on the bottom, they have fun going in and out all 3 sides.

[SDguy]

The one on the right is def a male...

[tangafish]

what are the differences between the male and female, i THINK i have 2 females but not sure.

[SDguy]

Male:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p5/SDreefguy/Malebartlett3.jpg

Female:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p5/SDreefguy/Bartlettfemale.jpg

Pair:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p5/SDreefguy/Bartlettmale1andfemale8-15-07.jpg

[tangafish]

wow my bartletts eat like finned pigs, they pretty much eat anything i give them, i got them some frozen cyclopeze but they are also eating prime reef flakes and brine shrimp too..they are very active and aren't shy at all. they are much easier than i was expecting thanks for all the advise everyone..so far so good, they:rollface: :rollface: :rollface:

[King-Kong]

Bartletts are very hardy and eat like pigs.. the only issue is they are more aggressive and tend to turn all male... otherwise, theyre AWESOME anthias.