|
12/11/2019, 07:54 PM | #1 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Arizona
Posts: 288
|
Anthis fish
I am about to start stocking my 125 gallon setup. I wanted a small school of Bartlett Anthis. At a minimum how many females do I need for one male? Also can I put other fish in with the Anthis? I want Tangs and Butterfly and a Majestic Angle. Oh yeah and a pair of Maroon Clowns and a Goby.
|
12/12/2019, 10:04 AM | #2 |
Moved On
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 4,757
|
The males tend to pester the females insistently, so I would add at least 3-4 females. To spread out his "love" and attention.
In nature oftentimes a shoal of anthias will comprise one territorial male to every eight females. However, the size of the male's territory can range from about 5 to 32 square feet in area. In most cases, anthias just ignore non-anthias fish in an aquarium. Unless they are diseased or injured. In which case the other fish typically go into kill mode. |
12/13/2019, 02:04 PM | #3 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Grove City, Ohio
Posts: 10,806
|
I would suggest getting several small juvenile/females and letting them decide who the male will be.
__________________
I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer |
12/14/2019, 04:18 PM | #4 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Dewitt MI
Posts: 5,051
|
I all likely-hood it really won't matter. In such a confined space as our aquariums there will eventually be the lone survivor. But we have all tried.
If there is someone out their that has a school of Anthias for at least a year shout it out
__________________
Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels |
12/14/2019, 11:24 PM | #5 |
Registered Seaweedist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 5,807
|
Consider other, sturdier fish for a harem, like Royal Grammas or Orchid Dottybacks. I had a harem of seven RGs in a 180, and it was pretty sweet.
__________________
As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018 |
12/15/2019, 02:19 AM | #6 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Fremont, CA
Posts: 9,555
|
Quote:
I have a trio of royal grammas for and a trio of orchid dottybacks in my 100-gallon tank and they are great and beyond easy. Dottybacks change sex (both ways actually) so getting a pair or a harem isn't difficult. Just get one large (ideally one with an elongated lower edge of the tail fin) and a couple of small ones. The fact that you can get tank-raised orchids fairly cheap these days makes this a pretty affordable choice for a harem fish. Grammas may be a little trickier as I'm not sure that they can change sex. The behavior of my 3 makes me believe that I have 2 males and one female. The dominant male is significantly larger than the other two. He and the female (clearly distinguishable by he rounder belly) are constantly spawning. The suspected second male is usually keeping a distance from the male but is constantly courting the female. I got these as very little ones which I think is the key to success in forming a group. I would look for some in the 1" to 1.5" range. What makes grammas particularly interesting are their social interactions that look like they are talking to each other (well, in a way they are "talking). You don't get that with many other fish.
__________________
Pairs: 4 percula, 3 P. kauderni, 3 D. excisus, 1 ea of P. diacanthus, S. splendidus, C. altivelis O. rosenblatti, D. janssi, S. yasha & a Gramma loreto trio 3 P. diacanthus. 2 C. starcki Current Tank Info: 200 gal 4 tank system (40x28x24 + 40B + 40B sump tank + 20g refugium) + 30x18x18 mixed reef + 20g East Pacific biotop + 20g FW +... |
|
12/22/2019, 03:20 PM | #7 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Grove City, Ohio
Posts: 10,806
|
Quote:
__________________
I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer |
|
12/23/2019, 01:59 PM | #8 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Dewitt MI
Posts: 5,051
|
Quote:
__________________
Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels |
|
12/24/2019, 12:33 PM | #9 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Grove City, Ohio
Posts: 10,806
|
I started with 3. After the one turned male, one of the females just sort of withered away. No aggression that I could see. It was the smallest of the 3 when I got them.
__________________
I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer |
12/24/2019, 01:07 PM | #10 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Ohio
Posts: 707
|
I bought a trio of lyretails for my 75g reef some years ago. After quarantine, I added them to my tank, and a couple weeks later the male developed a bacterial infection that ended up killing him. A few months later one of the females transitioned to male, and the remaining pair lived together for several years before I lost 90% of the tank to a heat spike.
|
12/26/2019, 01:08 PM | #11 | |
Crab Free Zone
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2,906
|
Quote:
So, so true! I bought just one and it's coming up to three years, one working for me. |
|
12/30/2019, 04:36 PM | #12 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Dewitt MI
Posts: 5,051
|
I might add that when I tried 5 Anthias, I do not remember seeing aggression but they slowly "disappeared". Research seemed to indicate that they were passive aggression and usually take out the foes at night.
__________________
Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels |
|
|