pink sq. anthias

b_rabun1 · #1 09/06/2005, 10:11 PM

Can someone tell me if I can keep one by it self for a few weeks?I know it is a schooling fish,I'm going to put other anthias in the tank but don't have the money for all of them a once.Can someone let me know please I don't won't to miss this fish if I can help it.

SaltyMi · #2 09/06/2005, 10:28 PM

one male and 2 or more females, theyll be fine by themself though

evolust · #3 09/07/2005, 05:40 PM

I have a male by himself for 16 months and doing great. I have tried to add females multiple times with to sucess. They get what appears to be fin rot, but I think it might be aggression from the male, because I have never had another fish die or even get fin rot. I would add them together. It is very fustrating have a male and no being able to get females into the tank. Let me know how it works out.

evolust · #4 09/07/2005, 05:41 PM

If you get all females one will in time turn into a male!

LukFox · #5 09/07/2005, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by evolust
I have a male by himself for 16 months and doing great. I have tried to add females multiple times with to sucess. They get what appears to be fin rot, but I think it might be aggression from the male, because I have never had another fish die or even get fin rot. I would add them together. It is very fustrating have a male and no being able to get females into the tank. Let me know how it works out.

I experienced the fin rot look too. However while looking at the tank one night I got the answer:

They only did this when the only lights on were the actinics. Not during the day, and not with only moon lights. Only actinic... Thankfully they stopped that horrible fighting after a week or two. And wouldnt ya know it? They've got full fins now

.

And about the question, a single squarespot will be ok. And so far, my male doesnt show too much aggression to the females, even though they were added a week after him.

evolust · #6 09/07/2005, 07:02 PM

I PM you LukFox

LukFox · #7 09/07/2005, 07:05 PM

PMed you back.

And just for reason that I doubt the male was the aggressor (only showed the females tore each other apart, but never disproved the male), here's a picture of him swimming peacefully past..

evolust · #8 09/07/2005, 07:16 PM

I gotta get some more females!

evolust · #9 09/07/2005, 11:21 PM

I think I know the awnser but can you keep different kinds of anthias together? I was thinking like a lyretail with a squarespot?

LukFox · #10 09/08/2005, 12:42 AM

I've heard of many people mixing them with success. However, with squarespots being one of the most aggressive I'm not sure how it would work. In your 300 gallon though, I think it should work out fine. However in the huge (I think bimaculatus?) anthias thread going on right now a guy mentioned how his squarespot is terrorizing the new male bimac anthias... not sure what his tank size was, but you should take care in adding the lyretails as stress free as possible. And if you can, rearrange the tank before adding the lyretails too.

Matt Sable · #11 09/08/2005, 03:26 PM

b_rabun1,
One male anthias will live a long and healthy life by himself. AND probably be alot healthier not having to fight females in a cramped tank. Groups really depend on the size of your tank. There are two rules of thumb when it comes to keeping anthias. Crowd them{1 male and 7-9 females} in a large tank{180g.or larger} or get one every 75g. or so. Anything in between will get mixed results. Some will succeed, and others will lose their anthias mysteriously. Good Luck!

evolust · #12 09/08/2005, 10:38 PM

I dont really understand your stoking idea/thoughts Matt. Please explain more, I'm a little slow I guess.

Matt Sable · #13 09/09/2005, 05:55 PM

Evolust,
Well, I don't really know where to start. They're one of my favorite groups of fish, so I'll do my best to explain all that I know. First, and probably most important, is that they do live in groups in the wild; but in these groups is an established pecking order. These groups are large enough to keep one fish from getting picked on, but in a tank a less dominant individual can get mercilessly harrassed. I'll give an example. Say that there is 4 lyretail anthias {1 male and 3 females} in a 75g. The dominant male will fight the females to stay "king of the hill" and also to keep the females from turning into other males. The dominant female will pick on the other females for the same reasons. It goes on to the next dominant, etc. It ends up that the weakest will end up getting picked to death until you could have just the male{as in your case}. People can have different experiences. No two fish are exactly the same in temperament or behavior, but in knowing the family you gain some insight into what your fish will act like. Scott W. Michaels "Reef Fishes Volume 1" has a huge chapter on anthias species and behavior, and it helped me alot. Well, I hope I answered your question. If you have any more, feel free to PM me or whatever. Good Luck!!