Anthias or Regal Angel?

[Ryan2013]

I'm looking for advice on which to add first. I'm looking to add 3-5 anthias and a regal angel. Im leaning toward adding the regal first but I would like to get some input.
I know everyone likes to bash petco but the one near me actually has a great selection of saltwater fish and inverts and they offer a 30 day guarantee on everything. I know how finicky regals can be when it comes to eating so the 30 days is a nice safety net. They will special order it for me from A&M aquatics and then I would just pick it up when it comes in. I pay a little more but get the guarantee.
I plan to order the anthias from nyaquatic because I have ordered from them several times and I am never dissatisfied with their fish. My next question would be what species of anthias would you recommend? I have kept lyretails and I got rid of them when I moved. I want something that is relatively hardy and has nice color. I'm drawn to the sunburst anthias but I've never kept or seen one in person. I would like to get a school of 3, so I want to get an idea of what to expect with them. I don't want to spend almost 200 dollars on fish that are just going to hide all the time.
Thanks for any input.

[RayL]

I would add the regal first, from my experience with regals, they are not aggressive at all and actually seem to be a little passive. Let the regal get comfortable and then add the anthias.

I am considering a trio of anthias as well, looking at lyretails, bartletts and ventralis

[Ryan2013]

Thank you for the input. What have you used to get them eating and what size would be most apt for acclimation to an aquarium? I will most likely add it directly to my display as only my blue tang is in there as of now.

[alton]

I agree with Ray and take the time to read the very large Regal Angel thread

[RayL]

I bought my regal around 3". He started off eating clam and live brine and then slowly got used to eating all different things. Now he eats pellets, flakes, nori, mysis, brine, clam and sponges.
This is one fish that I believe a QT is extremely important for. Since joining this forum I have learnt a lot and now every fish goes through a QT but the regal would be the number one choice that I would say it is almost a necessity. They are a very shy fish at first, that dont adjust well to captive living, in a QT they have a chance to explore their surroundings with out being chased or even looked at. They have the opportunity to take their time looking at food before someone else eats it.
I think you are making a mistake if you add it directly to your DT, and not because you risk introducing diseases to your DT (which you do) but because I feel like the regal needs the time to adjust to captive life. Now in my DT my regal is always out swimming and I am very happy with the route I took with him

Good luck with your regal if you get one, they are beautiful fish

[Ryan2013]

Yeah I wasn't sure if it would be better off in a freshly setup QT or a near fallow display. But it definitely makes more sense to be able to medicate. What did you treat yours with if anything?
Also, I did read through most of that massive thread haha. I just like being able to hear what different people's experiences were.

[RayL]

I treated with prazipro, all my new angels get two rounds of treatment with it. I have not yet treated any angel with cupramine or any other copper medication as I am very nervous mixing them together. I have read many times that angels are extremely sensitive to copper.
Hope this helps

[Ryan2013]

It all helps. Thank you for sharing.