90 gallon and a school of anthias..yes? no?

[althea2you]

ok... i have been trying to get a list of fish i want.. and i definitly want some Anthias and wrasses... would a school of Anthias be a yes or no in a 90? if so.. how many? now that im thinking of it.. i dont think it will happen.. justy kinda doing the math in my head... but it would look so pretty! ...

 

[JoJo]

the best of luck sarah, sorry i cant help, i no nothing about fish/coral selections yet

 

[althea2you]

the best of luck sarah, sorry i cant help, i no nothing about fish/coral selections yet

lol...thanks... i think its a no no.. but just thought i would ask...i think i could do it.. but only have like 1 other fish.. if i did a small school of 3.. lol.. ah well

 

[JoJo]

i like the look of schooling fish too, and anthias have nice colors

 

[BarbMazz]

Remember, I don't know much! However, from what I've read, you could probably have a school of three small Anthias (maybe Bartletts? they're supposed to be the easier anthias to keep) and a couple of other small fish. Wrasses can be very aggressive so you'd need to be careful with those, but there are lots of peaceful fish that are small that would be good.

Maybe a shrimp goby/shrimp combo? They'd hug the bottom and the anthias would be in the water column. That's what I'm thinking for mine because I like the thought of the symbiont relationship. There are some shrimp gobies that stay very small.

 

[SJS]

According to my Scott W. Michael book on redf aquarium fishes, yes it is possible to keep a "shoal of anthias", however, here are some things to consider: the species vary in their aggressiveness, so you will have to read up on which ones will coexist peacefully. Also they are zooplankton eaters and can easily suffer from malnutrition. Keeping a refugium with pods etc can help with this. It seems most remain small - 2" so bioload it would be possible to keep several.
Take a look at his book - its "A PocketExpert Guide" Reef Aquarium Fishes. Lots of good info and lots of pictures!!
I am hoping to have several also...

 

[DaveK]

I think you have a system that could be used to keep anthias, and yes, a tank with a large number of them would make a fine looking display.

Before you do this, I have two questions you should ask yourself.

First, the anthias will be the bulk ot the fish population. Do you really want the tank devoted to this fish? Many people would, but make sure you do before you get anything.

Second, do you have the knowledge, experience, and time to care for the fish? Remember, they are plankton feeders, so you'll need to feed at leas twice a day. Water quality must be maintained. Anthias are not an easy fish, although there are ones that are a lot harder to keep.

Be sure you are up to caring for this fish.

 

[GSELLERS]

remember anthias are part of the grouper family...they require small and frequent feedings. You will need 3 females to 1 male in some cases.

 

[cheeks69]

I wouldn't recommend a group for a 90 gal. tank !

Bob Fenner:

The various Anthiines live in large aggregations with a definite pecking order that is not replicable or desirable in captive care. If you want to buy a colorful male, only buy one. Similarly, unless you have a very large tank, more than one (or two) females is unnecessary and may well lead to endless fighting and loss. If you lose your only or alpha (dominant) male, the next most dominant specimen will in time change sex to take it's place.

Anthiines II

Anthony Calfo:

In hobby literature, the long-touted lore of Anthias needing to be kept in groups is a bit in error. It's true that many live in very large shoals or schools in the wild, sometimes numbering in the thousands. But in specific groups and harems, there is a decided pecking order and often considerable intraspecific aggression. With their natural territories consisting of many square meters in the wild, the compression of a harem into a home aquarium results in quite an abnormal situation, regardless of the size of the display (short of public-aquarium sized displays). Weaker or more passive individuals get singled out and harassed quickly, but they cannot escape far enough away to quell the aggressor, as they can in the wild. Thus, such practical realities make us reconsider what it will take to keep (or not keep) Anthiines captively.

Anthiinae - the Fancy Basses by Anthony Calfo - Reefkeeping Magazine