Anthias fish

I was at one of my LFS and I saw a couple of fish that caught mine and my girlfriends eyes, so I decided to do a little research on Anthias fish and they're pretty cool.

Does anyone have any experience with either Bartlett's Anthias or the Ignitus/Flame Anthias? The Bartlett's Anthias is the one I saw at the store and while, rather girlie, a very nice looking fish. The Flame Anthias is one that caught my eye through research. Any input on the care level, habits, and any problems encountered with cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

 

They are an awesome fish. You need to have a seriously strong filtration system for them. They have a high metabolism and need to be fed 3 times per day.

 

I have no personal experience with them, but plan to get a pair of Carberyyi Anthias for my 75g reef. They are really cool fish. +1 on filtration.

 

I really like the flame anthias too! lol. Good choices...

 

Bartlett are one of the "easiest" anthias. Like said above, anthias have a very fast metabolism and need to be fed several times a day (sometimes they can be hard to get eating). They also need very clean water, strong currents, and a lot of swimming space.

 

These are the Anthais I have in my tank, they are pretty agressive towards one another in pairs. When I added a 3rd to my tank almost all aggression stopped. I would not recommend these to be kept in pairs.

Also if you do not feed small particle based food (cyclopeeze, rotifers, plankton) most Anthias will lose a significant amount of their coloring. Feeding them with selcon will help IME, but you have to feed A LOT to keep them looking their best.

 

They like to chase their food so have some type of strong current in the tank. I have squpiminis and they go crazy at feeding.

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Okay so strong current, good filtration... what exactly defines that?

I don't believe I have it but just wondering. I'm running a Coralife Super Skimmer Needle 125, Penguin 350 in my sump and I have an MJ 1200 and a koralia evo 1400...

...Also not exactly sure what my return pump gives me...

 

I keep three Bartlett's. I bought them as juveniles, but all 3 turned male on me. This is very common for Barlett's in captivity though, they change very easily. The good news is they usually tolerate other males, but each of my males has claimed a semi-equal third of the tank.

They do require feeding 3 times/day, which can really mess you up if your not home regularly or if you overfeed.

Also as said, you need lots of flow.

The males end up a very bright pink with yellow only on their backs. Mine can be a pain sometimes, but they are beautiful.

 

i have 3 bartlett anthias and one sunburst. i do feed often. i have found anthias to be easy fish once they are eating. but be ready to feed frozen food and often. i guess my filtration is good since my feeding 3 times a day isn't an issue. but this isnt my first saltwater tank and i knew the sump area/ filtration is the key to success