I'm looking to add some wrasse and anthias to my future mixed reef. I never kept them before (besides melanurus) so I don't know how they will do, or whether it's a good idea. I head anthias require lots of feeding so not sure about the water quality here, but I'm also concerned about mixing the different species of anthias together. Have you guys kept them before successfully? What's the best mix? Can you please give me some advice?
need advice on wrasse and anthias for reef tank
- Thread starter demifelix
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I have bartletts and borbonius (blotched) anthias together and no issues.
Also have a six line wrasse and bartlett (took him out the display, other bartletts we're bullying) in my frag tank happily together.
Also have a six line wrasse and bartlett (took him out the display, other bartletts we're bullying) in my frag tank happily together.
You can mix species in one tank as long as requirements are met.
- It must be a large tank.
- Diet must be varied. Some examples include a mix of pellets, flakes, mysis, cyclopeeze, fish eggs, brine shrimp, and any other good meaty foods. I fed 3+ times a day.
-Either single or trio of a given species is recommended. Odd numbers work best but you may have 1 male and 3 females.
-AVOID lyretail anthias. They are nice, hardy, and cheap but they can become the dominate species in the tank due to temper. It is a high probability that you will get an aggressive fish from this group even though fish vary in temperament.
-Make sure that you have plenty of territory for each specie to claim.
-Choose your wrasse group based on the known temperament of the anthias species.
-Must have your parameters under control.
-Must have a good skimmer.
-Must have something to control nitrates and phosphates: GFO, Biopellets, Vodka, Vinegar, Zeovit. If not, algae will dominate and ultimately tank will crash later from all the feedings.
Here are some images:
Sunburst Fathead Anthias - Cost: $50-99.99 - Temperament: Passive
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Ignitus Anthias - Cost: $20-$35 - Temperament: Passive
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Sunset Anthias - Cost: $25-$40 - Temperament: Passive
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Randall's Anthias - Cost:$30-60 - Temperament: Semi-Aggressive
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Ventralis Anthias - Cost: $99.99-$150 - Temperament: Passive
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Bicolor Anthias - Cost: $50-$60 - Temperament: Semi-Agressive
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Lyretail Anthias - Cost: $15-30 - Temperament: Agressive <span style="color: Red">AVOID</span>
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Threadfin Anthias- Cost: $15-$30 - Temperament: Passive
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These are some of the species I have kept.
- It must be a large tank.
- Diet must be varied. Some examples include a mix of pellets, flakes, mysis, cyclopeeze, fish eggs, brine shrimp, and any other good meaty foods. I fed 3+ times a day.
-Either single or trio of a given species is recommended. Odd numbers work best but you may have 1 male and 3 females.
-AVOID lyretail anthias. They are nice, hardy, and cheap but they can become the dominate species in the tank due to temper. It is a high probability that you will get an aggressive fish from this group even though fish vary in temperament.
-Make sure that you have plenty of territory for each specie to claim.
-Choose your wrasse group based on the known temperament of the anthias species.
-Must have your parameters under control.
-Must have a good skimmer.
-Must have something to control nitrates and phosphates: GFO, Biopellets, Vodka, Vinegar, Zeovit. If not, algae will dominate and ultimately tank will crash later from all the feedings.
Here are some images:
Sunburst Fathead Anthias - Cost: $50-99.99 - Temperament: Passive
Ignitus Anthias - Cost: $20-$35 - Temperament: Passive
Sunset Anthias - Cost: $25-$40 - Temperament: Passive
Randall's Anthias - Cost:$30-60 - Temperament: Semi-Aggressive
Ventralis Anthias - Cost: $99.99-$150 - Temperament: Passive
Bicolor Anthias - Cost: $50-$60 - Temperament: Semi-Agressive
Lyretail Anthias - Cost: $15-30 - Temperament: Agressive <span style="color: Red">AVOID</span>
Threadfin Anthias- Cost: $15-$30 - Temperament: Passive
These are some of the species I have kept.
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Wrasses are more varied that just about any family of fish, any many have very distinct needs, I.e., many bury themselves at night or when scared, so they need a 2-4 inch layer of extremely fine sand.
Many are coral safe, but not "invert" safe such as shrimp....go to LiveAquaria to get an idea....
Both Anthia and Many wrasses need to eat multiple times a day....as noted above. Some are diffult to get to eat and require intense QT treatment of 10-12 times per day feeding different types of food.
Some are very easy, and many flashers and fairies fit here.
Halichoeres species has a great number of hardy wrasses....
Many are coral safe, but not "invert" safe such as shrimp....go to LiveAquaria to get an idea....
Both Anthia and Many wrasses need to eat multiple times a day....as noted above. Some are diffult to get to eat and require intense QT treatment of 10-12 times per day feeding different types of food.
Some are very easy, and many flashers and fairies fit here.
Halichoeres species has a great number of hardy wrasses....
thanks so much for the info guys. I read on liveaquaria, but I'm always a little skeptical of these online retailer since their end goal is making money. I prefer to hear from guys like you all who actually kept these before and willing to share the experience for no benefit.
seth the wine guy
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I've kept a small school of 5 Carberryi Anthias for a few years now in my 120g mixed reef. (Well, 90% acro and 10% other.) Reason I picked them was they had a good temperament and were considered one of the "tightest" schoolers of Anthias. That was important to me since the tank size and school size were small. I keep my tank at 77 in the winter and 78 in the summer. Cooler the better for them to keep their metabolisms in check. You will have to feed as often as you can and ween them down. They love peze but mine are 90% pellet now twice a day.
I like Sunburst but they don't school and that's one of the biggest reasons I love the ones I have. They also seem to get picked on by just about anybody in my tank. Never kept one alive more than 6 months. Borbonius just simply don't like a well lit tank due to their deep water natural habitat and their colors go to crap when in a bright tank.
I like Sunburst but they don't school and that's one of the biggest reasons I love the ones I have. They also seem to get picked on by just about anybody in my tank. Never kept one alive more than 6 months. Borbonius just simply don't like a well lit tank due to their deep water natural habitat and their colors go to crap when in a bright tank.
I have a male and two female Lyretails in my 465 and I can tell you definitively they are not the dominant fish in the tank. I don't know in what situation they could be, but that is not the case for me by a long shot. I also have a quartet of Bartlett's in the 465. I also have two Sunburst Anthias in there, and while pretty, they tend to stay close to the rocks, and I do not see them as often as the other Anthias in the tank.
Dominant fish in my tank is a Powder Blue Tang, at least he thinks he is.
Dominant fish in my tank is a Powder Blue Tang, at least he thinks he is.
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Seth -- You're right about the borbies (my wife calls em)... Mine like to hang out underneath the corner frag rack in the shade and come out a lot when the lights go out. Still pretty active, but they have their preferences for sure.
There are some mild tempered lyretails but the odds of you getting. One like that is very slim. They begin to dominate when it's time to select a male or new male to replace the old one. Other anthias do the same process but lyretails seem to be the most aggressive. That show male I posted above was a maniac.
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