Anthias

Rushy

Rushy

Reefing newb
There appears to be a lot of discussion on here today about these beauties, but as a newbie, some pointers would be great. Is it a species that I should attempt to house, considering the problems with worms, is that common to all? Do they need a more mature tank? My LFS has some chequered, and of all the Anthias I've seen in my LFS, it's those that intrigue me the most. However, when I've trawled around on the net for information about them, it would appear they are relatively scarce in marine tanks, so are quite prized when available. It is suggested that the are quite hardy, I would love to know your thoughts guys, because if I was trying to be too ambitious, I would rather leave them where they are than attempt to house them and fail.
 
Is it a species that I should attempt to house, considering the problems with worms, is that common to all?
The worms are pretty common in all anthias. I always recommend putting any new fish in a qt 1st. The worms are easy to treat. Praziquantel is the med of choice.

Do they need a more mature tank?
Just a cycled tank with acceptable nitrates (20 or less).

My LFS has some chequered, and of all the Anthias I've seen in my LFS, it's those that intrigue me the most.
I never heard of them. Do you have a scientific name?

I bought 3 lyretails when I still had my 75 running. I qt'ed the fish, but didn't do any treatments. I wasn't aware at the time of the worm problems. 1 died after about a month. I had 2 left when I transferred the 75 into temp storage bins until I moved the tank to the other side of the room and set it back up. Somehow I only found 1 in the bins. Not sure if the other was jammed in a rock or what. When I moved everything into the 125, I had 1 left and never saw it again.
I then got 3 dispars. Qt'ed them for observation, but again no treatments. This is when I discovered the worm problem. All 3 eventually showed the classic stringy worm poop. They all ate like pigs until the day they died. They just wasted away.
The 3 bartletts I have now I got from a local breaking down his tank. He treated them with PraziPro when he got them. They are fat, healthy and horny...lol.

Find a species you like and research it before you buy it. Many if not all anthias can be hard to get eating at first. This is another reason I recommend a qt. You can get them eating without other fish bothering them and also treat for worms. Some also come from very deep water and do not like brightly lit tanks, so they will just hide in the rocks all day.
 
ccCapt said:
I never heard of them. Do you have a scientific name?

Odontanthias borbonius Capt, thanks for advice once again, and taking the time to write that up!

This is a deep water species I think, based on what I've read.
Click to expand...
 

Attachments

  • AnthiasBorbonius4.jpg
    AnthiasBorbonius4.jpg
    14.7 KB · Views: 558
Last edited:
Very, very expensive and as you said, a deep water fish. They are somewhat new to the hobby so I haven't heard much of their survival rate. 1 issue they have seems to be a swim bladder problem from not being properly decompressed when they are caught.
 
they have to have a somewhat good survival rate because the divers den always has some and they have some that have been listed for a while
 
I can't remember them being that expensive in my LFS, which was a surprise when I was trawling around the net, lookig for info. One place was selling them for £300ea!! Thanks Capt and Dustin
 
they are expensive because it takes a well planned, organized dive to catch these because they come from 200-300 meters. guys cant just go out and catch these everyday like you can with a yellow tailed damsels
 
Good for you for researching. It will go a long way in creating a successful system.
dustin_P74 said:
they have to have a somewhat good survival rate because the divers den always has some and they have some that have been listed for a while
Click to expand...
Borbs just became available in the last year or so. They were around $500 US when they came out and are now down to about $150. You can't really judge it's survival rate in such a short period of time. I don't consider a fish living 1 yr a success. Only time will tell.
 
Listen to Capt, I wish that I had know this information BEFORE i purchased my anthias. One other thing to keep in mind, they need to be fed several times a day.
 
I'll add to Ryan's post, they MAY need to be fed several times a day. Anthias are one of those types of fish that just seem to do better in mature, established tanks (just like mandarins and most tangs). The more mature your tank is, the more likely you will have an abundance of live food sources for the anthias, so you don't have to be a slave to your fish every few hours. Also, in the beginning, a lot of them are near starvation from transport, and you need to feed frequently to fatten them up and make them healthy again. You can usually then reduce feeding frequency over time. I have anthias, and I feed them once every 3 or 4 days.
 
I'll add to Ryan's post, they MAY need to be fed several times a day. Anthias are one of those types of fish that just seem to do better in mature, established tanks (just like mandarins and most tangs). The more mature your tank is, the more likely you will have an abundance of live food sources for the anthias, so you don't have to be a slave to your fish every few hours. Also, in the beginning, a lot of them are near starvation from transport, and you need to feed frequently to fatten them up and make them healthy again. You can usually then reduce feeding frequency over time. I have anthias, and I feed them once every 3 or 4 days.
 
Also, if you are considering one of the deep water species, you will need to take into account temperature, lighting and species compatibility. Deep water species usually cannot tolerate bright reef tank lights or warm reef tank temperatures, and therefore can't be kept with traditional reef fish or inverts.
 
I have nothing to add to what has been said already.

...except,it's my favorite reef fishes and well worth the effort.MY next group of anthias will be either a trio of bimacs or pictillis.
 
They still had one Checked in the LFS today when I picked Optomato up, and they were selling it for £90.00. As much as I'd love one (or preferbly two), there is no way I would entertain the idea of taking such a beautiful fish without being confident that I could look after it properly. One for the future I think, thanks for the advice guys :D
 
i actually was considering buying 3 square spots ... my LFS has 5 of them in and i was thinking about getting 2 females and 1 male
 

Similar threads

salt_for_brains
FAQ about clown hosting anemones
Replies
17
Views
4K
salt_for_brains
salt_for_brains
Salty B
Your asterina experiences
Replies
2
Views
2K
Bifferwine
Bifferwine
S
Here to pick the experts brains!
Replies
4
Views
2K
Smitty
Smitty
Amba
Saltwater Tank Setup Guide
Replies
13
Views
7K
ErinCahir
ErinCahir
Amba
Amba's 400 Gallon
Replies
18
Views
5K
Amba
Amba
Back
Top