Tropical Fish Species

Anthias

Although they belong to the family of fishes that include the voracious predatory groupers and sea basses, Anthias are peaceful and feed on plankton and other tiny creatures.

Found in large schools near coral reefs, a group of a thousand or more of these little fishes with their rainbow of brilliant colors is quite a sight to behold! Varying in size, the largest species may reach a length of 6-8 inches while some of the smaller species grow to no more than 1-2 inches.

In general, males are larger and more brightly colored than females. They live in a complex social structure made up of an arrangement of harems which consists of a male and numerous females.

In the home aquarium, Anthias should be provided with lots of rocks and caves that resemble their natural habitat. They appreciate strong water movement and will not do well without excellent water quality.

Their diet should include a variety of high quality protein based foods such as mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, krill, etc., and they do best when fed several times a day. A group of Anthias can be successfully kept together if you have a large enough tank (75 gallons and up), otherwise it is best to keep just one specimen to avoid territorial disputes. And they should not be kept with aggressive species but require other peaceful tank mates.

As with many of the saltwater fishes, successful breeding of Anthias is extremely challenging. These amazing fish are hermaphroditic, born as females with the dominant fish changing sex to males. If the male in a harem should die, the largest or dominant female will transform into a male and take his place, thus insuring the continuation of the species.

TankConditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.020-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12

Compatibility: Basslets, Blennies, Boxfish, Butterflies, Cardinalfish, Chromis, Clownfish, Damsels, Dartfish, Dragonets, Filefish, Foxface and Rabbitfish, Gobies, Grunts and Sweetlips, Jawfish, Hawkfish, Hogfish, Parrotfish, Pseudochromis, Puffers, Squirrelfish, Tangs and Surgeons, Wrasse, Live Corals, Live Rocks and Sand, Invertebrates.