the best type of anthias to keep

[mike777vick]

I was wondering what the best type of Anthias is to keep (hardy and beautiful).

[falconut]

I have Lyretails and they are probably one of the most hardy. I used to have a single male and now I have two females and they are doing great. I only feed them once a day, I'm not sure if the other types would be OK with that. HTH

[kodyboy]

lyretails and bartlets keep 1 male to 4-5 females or the males will fight

[SDguy]

Lyretails if you like bold colors. Bartlett if you like the more delicate colors, and that pointy snout look.

[mattyice]

yeah i would agree with everyone and say lyretails or bartletts, sorry to hijack the thread but peter could you bump my anthias thread again lol, i really need a premium membership here, i bought 8 more of the so called dispars and what do you know...in came more ignitus im going to get the wholesalers name for you next time im at that LFS, he said they were collected from the redsea though

[CarlC]

Matt if coming from the Red Sea maybe it is this species. Very similar to dispar and ignitus.
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/Spec...y.php?id=23329
Carl

[mattyice]

nope, they are deff. ignitus and i think i have a few dispar/ignitus hybrids they have dispar tail colors and some body colors but ignitus dorsal fin colors, they are pretty sweet looking and these seem to be much more hardy and aggressive in their eating

[dadonoflaw]

well if your gonna get lyretails i recommend the ones from the indian ocean as their colors seem to be better. i know my lyretails are much brighter than the ones i normally see and the aggression is finally calming down now that i have 7 instead of 3. spread the aggression i guess

[nyvp]

arent the bright ones from the red sea?

[SDguy]

Also, fathead anthias are pretty hardy...though a bit shy. And can be kept as singles or pairs.

[Chooch1]

For hardiness and beauty Bartletts are the best choice. As long as you have excellent water conditions, good flow, etc. they are are probably the most adaptable of all the anthias. Most of them will take flake food right away or at least very quickly.

[King-Kong]

I have killer success with my barletts, and found that tank conditions effect their beauty. My LFS has a show tank w/ some barletts from the same source as mine, but he has commented on how much more colorful mine are than his, and I'd agree.

His are pretty, but they arent jaw dropping. Mine regularly impress me with their yellows and purples. I think Barletts are an INCREDIBLE Anthias.

My 4 (had 5, 1 jumped) eat whatever I feed (flake, pellet, frozen, live), and are very active.

[SDguy]

Originally posted by nyvp
arent the bright ones from the red sea?

The one's from the Maldives are just as nice, and the male gets the same coloration. Red with gold specks, not purple.

[Chooch1]

King-Kong,

What specifics of your tank conditions affect the Bartletts beauty and make them more colorful? How are your tank conditions different from your LFS show tank? Thanks.

[King-Kong]

I have absolutely 0 idea WHY theyre prettier, but he and I both agree that they are, and since they both came from the same batches of fish, I can only assume that the difference is because of environment (tanks).

I don't know much about the husbandry of the LFS show tank (ie: type of foods fed, how often). Our tanks are drastically different, however:

I skim wet, he skims dry. I have 9500gph turnover in a 90g, he has 1/2 that in a 320g. He has sand, I am BB. The LFS tank has several large tangs that eat much of the food served, so I dont know how much is left over for the smaller chromis and anthias.. I wonder if theyre stuck eating poop and other leftovers, thus get inferior diets?