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FAQs about Fancy Basses, Subfamily Anthiinae Behavior
Related Articles: Fancy Basses,
The Sunburst or Fathead Anthias,
Related FAQs: Anthiines 1, Anthiines
2, Anthiine Identification,
Anthiine Systems, Anthiine Selection,
Anthiine Compatibility, Anthiine
Feeding, Anthiine Disease,
Anthiine Reproduction, "Why you, I
ought to... jump outta this tank~!" | 
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Anthias (err Pseudanthias!) Sex Change… Pseudanthias
bartlettorum – 09/30/09
Good evening!
<<Morning here…howdy!>>
I understand that the dominant female Anthias in a group will become the
male.
<<In the absence of an existing male, yes>>
However, if I were to purchase a single male Bartlett's Anthias, is
there a chance it would revert to being a female if it lived sans harem?
<<Not likely, no… I have seen females in transition revert back when
exposed to a male/more dominant female…but can’t say I’ve seen or heard
of a full blown male reverting in the absence of others of its own kind.
Speaking of which… While there are some Anthiine species that can be
kept as a single male specimen (e.g. - Pseudanthias pleurotaenia,
Serranocirrhitus latus), most all benefit from the presence of others of
their own kind. I think this is especially so with Pseudanthias
bartlettorum…in fact, I would consider it a requirement for the
successful long term keeping of this fish>>
My tank is only 75gallons in size which I don't believe is enough for
even the smallest shoal, but I love these fish dearly and want to learn
more of their husbandry and behaviour.
<<Ah but that is the nice thing about the Bartlett’s Anthias. This fish
is an excellent aquarium choice among the family…and given proper
consideration to stocking of other fishes, a group of about 5 of these
small fish would do fine in a 75g tank>>
Also, will the solitary male's colour fade without females around?
<<More than color will be affected re…health and vigor too. I do not
recommend the keeping of a solitary specimen of this species>>
Or with intense lighting? I've read that Bartlett’s aren't naturally
found as deep as many other species.
<<In my, experience lighting intensity has not been a factor with P.
bartlettorum>>
Thanks for your time and help!
A.S.
<<Happy to share… EricR>>
Strange Anthias Behavior – 02/03/09
Hello,
<<Hi
Stephanie>>
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
<<No
problem>>
I have a 40-gallon marine aquarium with about 20 pounds of
live rock mixed with some base rock (I know I need more live rock,
<<Maybe…maybe not… If the bio-filtration seems adequate, leave the space
for animals to swim and grow>>
but it's getting trickier to find in
my area)
<<…?>>
and a deep bed of live sand.
<<Ah, excellent>>
For filtration, I just have a HOB Aqua Clear filter rated for a
55-gallon. I also have a couple of powerheads and plan on getting a
protein skimmer before I add any corals
<<Good move…and I would have
done so before now even. Do have a look at the excellent offerings from
AquaC, for this size system>>
(right now it's a FOWLR set-up, but I'd
like to make it a reef eventually). I have a refugium that's full of
macroalgae and it keeps the tank stocked with lots of copepods.
<<Among other benefits re maintaining water quality. It’s sounding more
and more like you “don’t need” to add more live rock to this system>>
I do a 10% water change every week and my water parameters are fine
(Ammonia: 0, Nitrites: 0,
Nitrates: 5ppm, pH: 8.3, Temperature: 80
degrees). The tank has only been set up for a couple of months but
everything is going great. I have a small cleaning crew of turbo snails
and hermit crabs, plus a Lemonpeel Angelfish and a male Lyretail
Anthias.
<<Mmm… Both these fishes would be/do better in a tank at
least twice the size of the 40g>>
I know that Anthias can be tricky
to keep,
<<And compounded by shoehorning them in to a “too small”
system. Pseudanthias squamipinnis is an excellent aquarium species but
it is also a large Anthiine (to more than 6”), and is a haremic species
better kept as a male and several females…something not recommended in
your 40g tank>>
but mine seems to be doing well
<<For now…>>
(eating, good body shape, active, etc.) besides some odd behavior. For
the past week, he's started randomly banging his mouth against the front
glass and wiggling (it looks almost like a weird dance). There tend to
be copepods on the glass, so I'm not sure if he's just eating them. Is
this some sort of territorial/breeding display?
<<Indeed… These fish
will “lock jaws” with an opponent and engage in a sort of tug-of-war. It
sounds like your fish is seeing his reflection in the glass and is
trying to defend its territory (or maybe just bored). The behavior may
also be a manifestation of being “alone” with no females to attend to>>.
I'm worried that he'll hurt himself.
<<A possibility I suppose…
Getting this fish in to a larger tank with some female conspecifics
should help>>
Thank you!
Stephanie
<<Happy to share. EricR>>
Unsure if Square Back Anthias is eating - Out and about, very active,
especially when I feed; but no eat
2/3/09
Hello,
<Hi there Shane>
Recently I added
a healthy looking a Square Back Anthias to my 80 gallon tank.
<Mmm,
this, and most all other Anthiine species, is a social animal... really
needs members of its own kind present (in a haremic proportion) to do
well>
Before purchase it was demonstrated it was eating (Formula
two). The first 3 days the fish was very shy, but would come out if the
room was calm and I turned the current in the tank down. The fish does
not ever seem to eat. I've tried Cyclop-Eeze, Formula one & two, and
frozen mysis.
<Best to proffer live foods, no better means here than
a tied-in refugium>
The fish becomes excited during feeding time, and
moves vigorously about the tank, but never snapping up anything.
Occasionally it will suck a small amount of Cyclop-Eeze off the surface,
but it is so little it could hardly be enough
to keep it alive. It
completely ignores pellets and mysis, and acts as if it cannot see the
Cyclop-Eeze floating about. The fish is amazingly active (swimming in
large rings around the tank & rocks like its trying to catch up to
another invisible fish) when the currents are low, and the room is calm.
Could it be feeding off of plankton and floating Cyclop-Eeze without
really opening its mouth more then the steady 'slack jaw' open it
regularly does?
<Maybe to some extent>
There are no signs of
starvation visible.
<Ah, good... perhaps it is getting sufficient
other where's>
Also, I have a problem with excessive plankton, and am
a battling glass anemone infestation (very annoying).
<Do see WWM re
the last... perhaps the new fab Red Sea product: "Aiptasia X">
Thanks
for your time!
Tank:
80 gal
Ammonia=0.0
Nitrite=0.0
Nitrate=0.0
Phosphate=0.1
PH=8.4
Specific Gravity=1.0235
5
Gal sump, refugium region
Skimmer, 1 x Phoslock, 1 x Chemi-Pure
1
x 175 Watt Metal Halide @ 8 hours/day
2 x 25 Watt VHO Antic @ 12
hours/day
--
Shane W. Scott
<If, as you state, this fish
appears "full", I would not be concerned... Do look into getting a
female, perhaps two if they're small... Bob Fenner>
Re: Unsure if Square Back Anthias is eating - Out and about, very
active, especially when I feed; but no eat
2/3/09
Bob:
<Shane>
I'll keep an eye on the
fish for the next few days and take appropriate action if it begins to
show any signs of starvation. In the mean time, I will offer a variety
of live foods as you suggest to try to coax it to eat something in front
of me.
<Good... this and other more-adult Anthiines do take a while
to become established feeders>
I do have one more question about a
peculiar trait I've seen in this fish.
As I said before, the fish is
becoming more and more active. At times, its almost racing through the
tank needlessly. I've found that after the fish does laps for two
minutes or so, it'll sort of 'rest' on or very near rock edges mid-tank.
Its almost as if it "sits" to rest. Interestingly, the fish only rests
in areas that have powerful current, and therefore lots of
particle/plankton flow. Besides the fact the fish is essentially parked
on a rock, it looks great. Should you get too close to the tank or make
a quick gesture, it'll jump up and zip around the tank more. Even if you
don't provoke the fish to get off the rocks, it will go through its
race/rest cycle as long as the lights are on. As I mentioned before the
fish is healthy looking, breathing at a normal rate, shows no signs of
stress, sickness or starvation. Just acts strange.
<Actually... not
"odd" behavior... A constrained version of what they do in the wild...
but not enough room to "zoom" about in the confines of captivity>
A
goggle of this hasn't yielded results.
Any idea if this is normal?
<Yes... it is indeed. I do wish I had more skill, time to make MPEGs or
such of video I've shot of Pseudanthias pleurotaenia, esp. in the Ribbon
Reef area outside Cairns... the males do this "dance" bit on a regular
basis...
For the benefit of other males? I.e. to signal their
territory? Keep others away? Maintain their harems?>
Thanks again
Bob!
<Welcome. BobF>
Mixing anthias to reduce male aggression? 1/31/09
Dear Crew,
<Carolyn>
Is it possible for a male of one type of anthias to form a
harem with females or another? My reason for asking is that when I lost
my male carberryi anthias not 1 but 2 of the females changed sex to
become males.
<Happens at times>
As a result, the lone female
tends to be protected (and possibly harassed)
by the dominant male
while the subordinate male remains at a safe distance.
<Hopefully
there's room...>
Would you recommend leaving the situation as it is
(they're in a peaceful 135 US gallon system with a 30 US gallon sump,
other inhabitants are:
Randall's shrimp goby/shrimp pair, pair of
false percula clowns, mandarin, female Lamarck's angel, female flame
angel, 5 yellow tail blue damsels)? The alternatives would be to see if
I can get hold of some female carberryi anthias (risking a similar
situation re-occurring), or to add some female Lyretail anthias in the
hope that they would accept the male carberryi as their alpha male.
<Mmm, would be better to trade out one of the present males, for a small
female...>
Not sure what to do for the best - don't like to see the
lone male looking so lonely without some females of his own!
<Try the
local fish stores, clubs, even Craig's list to see if someone needs a
male...>
Many many thanks for taking the time to read this, I've
found similar questions on WWM, but none that answered mine...
Carolyn
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Squamipinnis Anthias Transformation? � 12/05/08
Hey Bob,
<<EricR here>>
I purchased 3 female squami anthias about 2 inches big
5-6 months ago for my 150 gal sps tank.
<<A fabulous Anthiine species
for aquarium use if given a large enough system, which you have>>
Recently, I have noticed one of them to become more dominant about 2.5-3
inches.
<<Normal>>
Its� colors appear to be darkening; its
aggression has increased towards the other anthias at times...its top
head fin/streamer has grown longer.
<<Ah yes>>
Am I witnessing a
female to male transformation here?
<<Indeed you are my friend>>
That would be very awesome if this is the case.
<<Is fun to watch for
sure>>
I know clowns are all about sex transformation as well as a
few other species. If I recall correctly from years of fish knowledge, I
am not 100% positive of anthias performing sex change as well...?
<<
Yes they do… These fish are protogynous hermaphrodites (as are many
species of fishes from the family Serranidae), meaning they start life
as females but have the ability to change sex to male when circumstance
warrants (as in your case where no male is present) to ensure
continuation of the species. Unfortunately it has been my experience
that with this species that transformed captive males are never quite as
striking in their markings and coloring as wild caught males. But they
are magnificent nonetheless>>
Thanks for your input,
Matthew
<<Happy to share… Enjoy the spectacle unfolding before your eyes. Eric
Russell>> Re:
Squamipinnis Anthias Transformation? - 12/06/08
Ah thanks
for your response.
<<Quite welcome>>
I just read last night in
Reef Fishes Vol. 1 by Scott Michael about anthias and saw a few pictures
of transforming Lyretails. Pretty amazing stuff...
<<Agreed>>
I
have another client whose tank I started off with 2 tank raised black
Perculas same size, and now one is currently significantly larger than
the other. Larger in this case would be the transformed female clown...
<<Indeed>>
For anthias it's vice versa I suppose size wise.
<<Yes…
In my experience with several species of Anthiines the mature males are
generally at least as large as mature females, and often times a bit
larger>>
I think my transforming anthias has been going through this
change starting from 2 weeks or so and still looks like a female mostly
from the outside appearance, only an expert like me could pick up these
early signs of a transformation/behavior, color fade etc...
<<I see>>
This will definitely be the first experience for me on anthias, very
cool. What should I expect to see in the next few weeks or months?
<<Increased aggression towards conspecifics, lengthening of the first
dorsal-spine, increase in red coloration and intensity of markings…>>
Will it lose the female coloration more so or do they stay relatively
similar to the female look as you say wild ones are more spectacularly
colored as are wild clowns too? Will it turn darker red at all?
<<The
base color will stay the same but the male P. squamipinnis should
display more red coloration than the females, as well as more striking
markings along the cheeks>>
Thanks,
Matthew
<<Happy to share.
EricR>> R2:
Squamipinnis Anthias Transformation? - 12/06/08
I guess what
I meant to ask is, what were your end results with the male Lyretail
transformation color wise?
<<Pretty much as just outlined in the
previous query re. The primary differences I've seen between those males
transformed in captivity, and those brought in from the wild, is the
captive males displayed a bit less red coloration/intensity to varying
degrees, and none of the captive transformed males I've seen have ever
developed the bright red spot on each pectoral fin evidenced by wild
caught specimens. These differences in color and markings can probably
be put down to the differences/changes in environment and diet, and
maybe even to the absence of other competing males in the aquarium (the
latter being of necessity in most hobbyist-size systems). Regards,
EricR>> R3:
Squamipinnis Anthias Transformation? - 12/07/08
I'm betting
it has to do more with the absence of other males in the aquarium like
you say.
<<Perhaps>>
Since there are only 3 of them total, it
makes sense that colors could only change more drastically in the wild
with numbers in the thousands over a reef where hierarchy can get much
more sophisticated.
<<Agreed… Life in the wild would likely have some
differing signals/cues to effect such development>>
Other males
displaying more color/dominance over other males...makes sense.
<<Sounds like a good hypothesis to me>>
Perhaps there would be
greater chance of stronger color morphs in larger public aquarium
displays with multi 1000 gallon systems with many more anthias.
<<Likely so>>
Also a natural diet too, natural sunlight on the
reef....makes better color. Nature always does it better.
<<Indeed>>
Any ideas how long it will take for the transformation to be
completed...weeks, months?
<<This has been quite variable in my
experience. The duration of the transformation is probably driven by the
perceived need (cues) present, the physical environment, and the
individuality of the fish. Most often with this species I've seen these
transformations occur over the course of several weeks (3-5) once they
begin, but I can think of at least one occasion where this took much
longer, and I have seen other species/genera where the transformation
never happens or never completes at all. Or at least was not so
outwardly apparent…>>
Thanks for your commentary.
-Matthew
<<Thanks for the opportunity to expound. Cheers, Eric Russell>>
Anthius question 4/29/08
I have
been reading your site and all the information on Anthius.... and there
is a lot.
<Don't know how much you've read, taken in... you're
misspelling the genus name...>
My questions is
<Change in number
here...>
that I have a backwards set up as far as my anthius go. I
have 3 males and 1 female. The three males are - 1 Lyretail and 2
squares, 1 female Lyretail. All are in a 120 gallon and they all school
together most of the time except for the Lyretail male who likes his
alone time in his cave every so often. I have never had any aggression
problems between any of them or the with any of the other fish. They all
eat very well ( to
<Too...>
well!) and they stay out front in the
open water most of the time. Is this an oddity?
<Mmm, no>
Do you
know anyone else with this type of set up? I would hate to come home one
day and see that their harmony has been disturb.
<Change in tense>
Another odd thing they do that I haven't been able to find is the males
rub each other and sometimes "float" next to each other side by side, so
close
they are touching. Then they all swim off together again.
Only thing I can think of is, Have they set up a pecking order in my
tank?
<I would guess so>
The Lyretail is 3 1/3 inches, one square
is about 4 1/2 and the other is about 5 1/2. None seem to be Alfa male
<Like the car?>
though. I would like to hear your thoughts on all of
this, the reef club I belong to cant figure this one out so I thought
maybe you guys might have some thoughts on it.
<Captive behavior...
is more flexible... Bob Fenner>
Question about Lyretail Anthias... Anthiine beh. -02/25/08
God morning, I sent this last week and have not received a response so
thought I would send it again. I hope I am not pestering anyone. Thank
you.
<Don't recall seeing>
>> Good morning,
>> I really
appreciate your prompt and positive response. I do have one question,
though, about the 24 hours of light--my understanding was that when you
introduced new fish, you should turn the lights off for several hours so
that they could avoid harassment, so this is new to me. Is this so that
they have a longer time to get to know one another?
<Depending on
circumstances and the species involved better to leave on OR to have
off... to "keep asleep" or allow all to see each other...>
>> Also, I
have read a great deal about Anthias on your site and haven't
encountered this information. I have one male and 4 female Lyretail
Anthias (Pseudanthias bartlettorum) and have had them for about 2 years
in the 150 gallon reef tank. Recently the largest female has changed
completely into a male. The (original) male, who is quite bossy, seems
to be tolerating it, in the sense that he doesn't chase her more than
the others--actually, not at all, now that she has changed. I realize
this would normally happen if I lost the male, but he seems quite fit,
and is larger than the females. Do I need to worry that at some point
soon he will target the new male?
<Not to worry, or at least be
overly concerned here... This is a "normal", natural behavior... a
matter of flux, resource partitioning/competition...>
Should I get a
couple of new females, to balance things out?
<I would not>
Will I
have to get rid of one of them? I don't think the tank is big enough for
two males.
<Evidently... it is large enough for one "real" one and
one-becoming... RMF>
>> Thanks again, and sorry about the extra
questions.
Anthias with black tips on fins, beh. 12/16/07
Hello, I
noticed within the past few days that one of my Lyretail Anthias'
bottom fins have a blackness on the very tips. I thought it may be
the beginning of fin & tail rot, but the fins are not tattered at
all; Also he is behaving quite normally, being very active as usual.
Any ideas of what it is and what I should do?
<Highly likely
nothing... What species is this? Can you send along an image, pic?>
Tank is 90 gallons, 75lbs of live rock, live sand, hermit crabs &
various snails. Two Lyretail Anthias. (No other fish. The tank is
only 3 months old). Skimmer.
I feed the Anthias Mysis shrimp
(frozen), Sweetwater zooplankton, Cyclopeeze, and sometimes they
actually eat omega flakes with garlic.
<Is this Pseudanthias
squamipinnis? Might be that one is "turning" into a male... or more
male... BTW, this and most other species of the subfamily
(Anthiinae) are better kept in small odd numbered shoals in such
small volumes as yours. Bob Fenner>
Re: Anthias with black tips on fins
Thanks for the quick
reply, Bob.
Yes, the fish is a Squamipinnis and I am fairly
certain that the other one, which is orange, is the same species but
female. The orange Anthias was labeled as a Dispar at the LFS. Maybe
you can confirm it for me from the pics.
<Mmm, definitely not a
Dispar... looks to me to be a sub-adult male of the same species...
Squamipinnis... note the colored dot on the pectorals, the overall
salmon coloring... Has progressed beyond being a female... Likely a
factor here in the more darkened fin margins of its conspecific
here>
I do realize after much reading on this site that a pair of
Anthias may not have been ideal, but these two seem to get along
quite well, swimming together and such. Every so often the male will
chase and try to nip at the female,
<Actually... the more male
and less male...>
but the female just jets out of the way
unbothered and sometimes even nips back.
I also forgot to
mention that there was a bruise on the male (same one with the black
tips) and thought maybe it could be related. The bruise seems to be
healing though; As of today it is almost gone.
<Enjoy them! If
introducing other individuals... get smaller, definitely unsexually
differentiated or female individuals. See Fishbase.org, WWM... for
pix. Bob Fenner> | 
|
Leather Coral… Closed / Male Scalefin Anthias… Capturing 10/17/07
Hi there,
<Hi K, Mich here.>
Firstly I'd like to say this site is
great and thank you in advance for your assistance.
<Well, glad you
like it and welcome!>
Problem 1:
I purchased a leather coral 3
days ago on a lump of live rock roughly 1kg in weight with over half a
dozen small hitchhikers growing on it. The small anemones
<Yikes! Is
it Aiptasia? Does it look like anything on this page:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/aiptasidfaq2.htm
and a few small corals
attracted me more than the leather coral itself which is about the size
of a fist. This is revealing to be a foolish mistake on my behalf.
<Uh-oh!>
The hitchhikers are doing well and are always open and look
healthy
<If it's Aiptasia, I'm not surprised.>
but the leather
coral itself hasn't opened up since I introduced it into the tank except
once but very slightly.
<Sometimes takes time.>
Now that I think
about it, it was closed in the display tank before I purchased it which
concerns me,
<Mmm, me too!>
as it was in a leather coral only
tank with most of the others open barring a few. About a dozen to be
precise. I have placed the live rock about half way in the tank with
medium water flow directed onto it.
<Sounds OK.>
My local aquatic
store have advised me that “it will wake up in a few days”
<It can.>
but I needed reassurance and decided to seek your expertise. I don’t
know whether it’s ok or dying.
<Mmm, doesn't sound sick or dying,
just unhappy for now.>
Please help as I do not want to lose this
coral before I have experienced its beautiful splendour.
<I'd give it
a little time, change your carbon and perhaps do a water change.
Sarcophyton corals can be quite chemically toxic to other corals and
there may be other corals in your tank that are chemical producers as
well. The carbon or PolyFilter will help reduce allelopathic potential.>
Problem 2:
In an impulse buy (I seem to do this a lot)
<Not good.
Is always best to research any prospective purchase.>
I bought a
female Scalefin anthias around 4 months ago. I found it to be quite shy
but very peaceful and pretty so I thought I’d get another one a week or
so later. (I wasn’t aware at this time that this species is sequential
hermaphrodites) To my luck it was slightly bigger than the first. You
can see where I’m going with this.
<Uh-huh.>
Pretty much as soon
as I introduced it into the tank it started chasing the other one
around. Within a month it turned into a male and became aggressive
towards my clown fish too. Recently it has made a game of nipping at my
cleaner shrimp when feeding in an attempt to drive them away!
<Yikes!>
The transformation process was interesting but definitely
not worth the bother. I know that by adding more females I could calm
him down but I don’t want to have to do that. I am tired of this pest
but despite my best efforts I haven’t been able to catch the little
troublemaker to take him back to the local aquatic store as he is fast
and loves to hide in burrows which my blue cheek goby dug under rocks
before it died.
<Uh-oh!>
Whatever it takes I want it out of there
before it causes some irreversible damage and I don’t mind taking the
female back if it means the male will go. I’ve been told it wouldn’t go
into a trap and taking down 20kg of stacked live rock and risking damage
to other inhabitants is my only option! Which I’m not too keen on doing
for obvious reasons. Is this really my only option?
<There are other
options... You will want to do some further searches on the Internet and
perhaps check on some bulletin board sites... One option that I have
heard used with success is feeding the fish in the corner for several
days and then taking a length on acrylic, placing it in the tank while
feeding and trapping the in this corner.>
Tank specs: 260ltr (68
gallons) Juwel tank, 2 Tetra Tec 700 filters, Vectron 2 uv filter, v2
Skim Protein Skimmer, factory standard heater (does the job), factory
standard pump for water flow (not so great) and an additional power head
with 850 gph flow rate, 2 marine white light bulbs (I was told these
were adequate for soft corals),
<I would do more research here, this
doesn't sound like sufficient light to me and may contributing to your
Sarcophytons’ displeasure.>
air block, and 20kg live rock with live
sand.
<Your system would likely benefit from some additional LR.>
The systems been running for 6 months.
<A young system.>
Tank
inhabitants:
Yellow tang, blue tang,
<Too small a system for
either of these fish, let alone both of these fish!>
2 Ocellaris
clowns, female Scalefin anthias, male Scalefin anthias, 3 cleaner
shrimps,
<Better in even numbers.>
12 turbo snails (started off
with 6, in 6 months they have doubled!), red sea pulse coral,
<Xenia?>
pink pussy coral,
<No idea what this might be and
Googling it isn't exactly helpful.>
leather coral, Japanese pagoda
tube worm.
<?>
Please find pictures attached.
<Mmm, no pics
were included.>
Thanks again,
<Welcome!>
regards K
<Cheers,
Mich>
Lyretail Anthias Behavior...Why Are My Females Changing To Males? –
08/02/07
You guys rock:-)
<<Why...thank you>>
Here’s my
question. I have a male and 3 female Lyretails, they been doing great
for over a year :-) now. One female is changing (to me it looks like a
different species but I've been wrong before hehe) and chasing the old
male into hiding :-( .
<<Mmm, strange that the dominant female would
change/oust the existing dominant male...perhaps the latter has become
injured/sick/too old to exert his dominance>>
Now if this female is a
female Lyretail turning to a male would it be best to pull out the old
male or the aggressive female?
<<I’m figuring the “change” is
occurring for a reason...if you are concerned for the “old” male’s
welfare then this is the fish I would remove>>
Do they do this
regularly?
<<Not as you have described... Not in my experience...>>
Meaning after a year or so if I pull out the old male will this new male
will be chased by a soon to be new female that changing a year or so
down the road?
<<This is not typical behavior>>
And is it normal
to have group and always having to replace with females over the years
due to male changing?
<<Not normal in home aquaria, no... As long as
the dominant male stays healthy, the tank is of a size that multiple
territories are not established (usually requires “at least” several
hundred gallons), and the harem is not too large to manage, then I would
expect the dominant male to be able to suppress the females from
“becoming” males>>
Thanks for any input you have.
<<Happy to
assist>>
Love ya all,
Keith :-)
<<Mmm...but we’ve only just met
(grin). EricR>> Fairy
Basslet in hiding 7/8/07
Hello WWM!
Long time reader,
First time poster
<Welcome. We are strangers but once>
I have had
2 Bartlett's Anthias for 3 yrs now. The male appears in poor health.
<Mmmm... like most Anthiines, better to have in a larger number
grouping... but this/these may well be reaching senescence... old age>
I have a 120 reef system with sump, skimmer, good flow produced by close
loop with sequencing unit and chiller. I do bi monthly 20% water
changes. Tankmates include a Majestic Angel,
<Mmm, this species
needs more room than this... by about a minimum of twice>
2
Ocellaris, 3 Chromis, 2 Banggai Cardinals. I feed 2x a day every other
day a mix of Mysis, Formula 2 frozen and Cyclop-eeze. (small amounts,
slowly....a 6 yr. routine) I also add locally cultivated reef stew to my
tank once a month.... yummy treats!
My problem is this, for the past
3 days the male Anthias has been hiding in rock crevices around the
bottom of my tank.
<Perhaps age... maybe something to do with the
other fish/es...>
The first day, he came out to eat. Yesterday he did
not come out during feeding time; however, he did move about, but ate
nothing ( I fed out of schedule to entice him out ). Today, he is MIA. I
assume he is in the back rockwork not visible to me.
<Maybe>
I did
notice that his color became more intense during this time. The pink hue
almost a hot pink. I thought that perhaps his breathing was labored as
well.
I did look closely at him and noticed NO evidence of injury or
outward sign of bacterial infection.
I was hoping you would be able
to shed some light on my experience.
Thank you for your dedication.
Kim
<Mmm, if there were room psycho- and physio-logically in this
system, I'd suggest adding three or five more females of the species...
As it is... just waiting. Bob Fenner>
Re: Fairy Basslet in
hiding – 07/08/07
Thank you for your reply Bob,
<Welcome Kim>
The male Anthias has indeed found hiding in the back of the tank. I
shooed him to a crevice in the front of my tank. If/when he dies, I
would like to easily remove whatever portions my Jumbo Nassarius snails
do not devour.
<Okay>
As he was swimming to the front, he wasn't
really swimming, he was more like shimmying with his tail down and snout
up. He is still fat as ever and his color is extremely intense, I would
say at least 2x or even more....it's almost as if he's running a high
fever 0_o
<Good desc.>
Regarding possible harassment between tank
mates. I have a peaceful community for the time being.
<Ah, good>
I have often thought about trading to my LFS the well mannered (reef
tank) Majestic that I have had for 5 yrs. (small for his maturity...
maybe 6" in length),
<This is likely "it" size-wise here... Has been
"bonsaied" by the size et al. restraints of this system>
I just don't
know if he'll be placed in a better environment and this bothers me. I
have arranged my tank in such a way as to provide the most possible
lateral swimming area. I have taken much grief on forums for my approach
as I use less LR than is popular today. I have 110lbs in my 120 AGA and
20 gal sump.
<I see>
Using island and arches to provide the hiding
spaces needed; I like to keep my rock completely surrounded with brisk
current keeping pores from clogging quickly, not to mention more surface
area for the biological filtration process to take place.
<Well
stated; and done>
Apologies for my long windedness.( I could have
gone on and on :) )
Thank you for your time.
Kim
<And you for
sharing. Bob Fenner>
Gender Change In Square-Spot
Anthias - 02/23/07
Hello there,
<<Howdy>>
Love your
website.
<<Thank you>>
It's proving as addictive as marine
aquarium keeping (seeing that I am writing this at 1:30 pm. after
reading today's FAQ's).
<<Indeed>>
I purchased a mature
90-gallon system six months ago and thus far, all is going well.
<<Cool>>
I am thoroughly enjoying this wonderful new hobby, and
recently read The Conscientious Marine Aquarist, which I thought was
great.
<<Excellent>>
I've looked through the information you
have provided on the square <<spot>> Anthias (Pseudanthias
pleurotaenia), but still have a question.
<<A very neat fish>>
I
know that in a group of females, one will eventually become male, but is
the reverse true?
<<Not once the transformation is
completed/final...in my experience>>
My LFS sold me a pair of males
(both have square blocks on their side), saying that one would
eventually become male.
<<I think you meant to say "female?">>
Have I been misinformed?
<<In my opinion...yes>>
It's been four
months now and one continues to show dominance behavior (charging, not
nipping) toward the other, although at times they seem quite comfortable
together.
<<An illusion>>
There have been no noticeable physical
changes in the smaller, non-dominant one (or the larger one
either). Both appear healthy, eat well, and have grown since I
purchased them.
<<My experiences in this area have been the
subordinate male will eventually just "disappear" (die) from the
stresses put upon it by the dominant male...even in a very large
system>>
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
<<Wish it were
more "upbeat">>
Susan
<<Regards, EricR>>
Re: Gender
Change In Square-Spot Anthias - 02/24/07
Thanks for your prompt
reply and good advice.
<<Quite welcome>>
I will talk to my LFS,
he's a reasonable man and I'm sure will be willing to take one of them
back.
<<Sounds great. EricR>>
Susan
Anthiine
Behavior/Dichromatism - 12/04/06
Hello,
<<Howdy>>
Once
again I really appreciate all that you guys <<and gals>> do for us by
imparting your knowledge so willingly.
<<Happy to share>>
I just
had a question about Pseudanthias bimaculatus. I have a 135 gallon (6
feet) FOWLR whose current inhabitants are a powder blue tang, sailfin
tang, a Threespot (flagfin) angelfish, a percula clown, three green
Chromis and a diamond goby. In the earlier stages of the tank I
attempted to keep a harem of Lyretail Anthias with great success until
the most dominant female turned into a male (I started with four
females), and then the group started to widdle down until only the male
was left who was then gotten rid of.
<<Hmm, I have kept several
species of Anthiinae and to date have found the Lyretail to be the
"better" aquarium species...I currently have a small group (5) with a
very dominant and colorful male. Aside from lots of flashing and
"herding" of the females (a natural behavior), these fish have not
suffered any harm and have grown/done very well for more than a
year...albeit in a system more than twice the size of yours>>
Every
time I go into this LFS who I really trust and is really trusted among
other aquarists in the surrounding area (surprisingly hard to find one
of these...especially in New England) who have kept a group of four
Pseudanthias bimaculatus in their, I believe it is 90 gallon, reef
display for over a year and all are doing great.
<<Ok>>
But the
funny thing is that none of the four seem to have completely changed
into a male, or to the extent that I have seen in photographs of the
species, they all still seem to have a female coloration.
<<Hmm,
strange indeed that one would not have asserted dominance/changed to
male by this time...unless they were all "very" young to start and the
"change" is just around the corner...or perhaps something else in the
tank is suppressing these fish>>
So I was wondering which
arrangement you felt was the best; a group, pair, or single male for
this species and size tank?
<<Some species are better suited to
"grouping" under aquarium conditions than others, and none are a sure
thing as you discovered with the Lyretails, but I would be inclined to
attempt a group of 3-4 of these beauties>>
I also had a question
about water flow, the LFS's display has several SPS in it, and do you
feel that a high water flow could potentially limit aggression given the
conditions that these fish live in in the wild?
<<Nope...something
else is at play, or perhaps the dichromatism is just very subtle (have
witnessed this latter in "tanked changed" Anthiines before)>>
Thanks
for all of your help.
- Dave
<<My pleasure to assist. EricR>>
Lyretail Anthias...Females Turning to Males - 10/06/06
Good
evening.
<<Hello>>
I recently purchased 3 female Lyretail
Anthias, and they all appear to be healthy and getting along with one
another.
<<Excellent...one of the better/hardier species for
aquarium keeping in my opinion>>
I was wondering if the most
dominant will eventually become male?
<<Indeed she will>>
How
long does this normally take?
<<Hmm...have seen it begin almost
immediately...completed in as little as a few weeks time>>
I know
all Anthias can undergo a sex-change when a harem's male dies, but I was
unsure about my situation because they were all female.
<<No worries
mate, the dominant female will "convert." You may even want to consider
adding another female to spread the aggression among "pecking order" of
the remaining females. Having "too few' can sometimes be worse than
having too many>>
Sorry if this was a silly question.
<<Not at
all my friend>>
Dan
<<Regards, EricR>> Square Anthias
... Mmmm, sys., beh. 7/18/06
Hi
I was after a bit
of advice.
<But not now?>
We have a year old 5ft tank.
Everything going perfectly. We had a blue tang, mimic tang, blue
damsel and a Chromis.
<What happened to them?>
We just bought 4
more(3 days ago), a mandarin, a purple tang, longnose hawkfish and a
square Anthias. Our store said all were compatible.
<The Mandarin
may have a hard time getting enough to eat in this mix...>
The
Anthias hides in a crevice
<Typical for this species, especially
when new... and it will not likely come out much, w/o the presence of a
few females...>
and does not come out even to eat. we have noticed
it is slightly active in the middle of the night. The other fish don't
seem too hassle him, he's just a hermit! How can we make him come out?
Cheers Megan
<Mmm, please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anthiina.htm
and the linked files
above... particularly "Systems", "Compatibility"... Bob Fenner>
Re: square Anthias, not reading 7/19/06
hi
<Hi>
again
Nothing happened to the fish we had, I probably should have
used the word "have".
<Change in tense can be/was confusing>
My
husband, its his fish tank, didn't like the Anthias...my son and i did.
The mandarin is eating fine and looks to be getting plenty. How many
female Anthias should we get and also if we don't will the male die.?
thanks Megan
<Please read where you were referred to. There is much
ancillary information you need to be aware of... Bob Fenner>
Anthias/Blenny interaction - 01/01/06
Eric,
<<Carrie>>
I
just emailed you but I just had a thought......I have a Midas Blenny in
with the Anthias.......is it possible that is what is keeping the
females from changing?
<<Nope...more likely these fish are just very
young yet.>>
Ask Bob.
<<Okay, Bob?...>> >My best guess is yes...
the presence of the Midas does likely have an affect here. RMF<
In
the wild they are known to swim together.
<<Will do so in captivity
as well.>>
I also wonder if buying a male Anthias at this point
would
be an okay idea or should I not rock the apple cart.......
<<I see no problem with this...is what I did. Better to do so now
rather than after one of the females starts to make the change.>>
Take Care,
Carrie
<<Will be chatting my friend, EricR>>
Sex change of single Square-Back Anthias
Hello,
<<Hello -
Ted here>>
Thank you for your help with other questions I have
had. It has been a
great help to ask the questions that I cannot
find answers to after hours
of searching, and get quick
knowledgeable answers.
We have a female Square-back Anthias in our
75 gallon FOWLR tank. It is
about 3 1/2 inches now. This is the
only Anthias we have. The past few
days I have noticed that it is
showing some darker coloration around the
head. I am wondering will
an Anthias change sex to a male if it is the
only one, or do they
only do this in a group?
<<Given only one Anthias, it is unlikely
that the color change is related
to sex change. Fish will change
color when stressed or ill. If you are
not seeing any indications of
illness (white spots, rapid breathing, etc.)
or stress (strange
behavior) it may simply be the fish is maturing. I
would check the
system parameters and monitor things.>>
Thank you,
Andrew
Morgenegg
<<Cheers - Ted>> Shy (Or Scared!) Gramma
(8/17/040
Hello Crew, <Steve Allen tonight.>
I have another
question. I had Recently purchased a fairy Basslet from my LFS (local
fish store) <Gramma loreto, I presume.><<Actually, no. An Anthiine
species. RMF>> I took him home and floated him w/o quarantine (I know, I
know), <tsk, tsk> But anyways the first thing he seemed to do was go in
hiding, which I expected every fish would do when being introduced <yup>
but he really never came out, though I did get glimpses of him while
using the bathroom =) <I won't touch that one.> but that was the first 2
days he seemed perfectly fine but now I don't see him at all...is this
normal behavior or is something wrong? <They are shy, but will usually
defend d their chosen spot quite vigorously, even against larger fish.
And they do com out to feed unless ill or seriously intimidated.> My
Maroon Clownfish <the possible culprit here> and my Panther Grouper are
doing perfectly fine (no the grouper is an inch long, he wasn't eaten).
<Hmm...I've never seen one quite that small. Do bear in mind that it
will grow to 18+ inches and will be able to swallow the Gramma whole
someday, though he will likely eat it in pieces sooner than that. Maroon
clowns are very aggressive, and I would strongly suspect that it picks
on the Gramma behind your back to the point that the Gramma may have
gone into permanent hiding. In such situations, the intimidated fish
eventually starves to death.> But I was just wanting a quick background
on the fairy Basslet. <Read this:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/grammas.htm><<... anthiines.com>> Should
I wait a couple more days, or should I start tearing the rockwork away
in an attempt to find him? <Oooh, I would not want to be doing that.
First off, you're likely to squish something. Secondly, if the Gramma is
alive and hiding, he'll just hide again as soon as he finds a nice
cranny in the new arrangement. Thirdly, if he's dead, he is small enough
that your detritivores and biofilter should be able to handle the
decomposition load unless you have a small tank (less than 55G or so).
Tearing down rockwork is tedious and can wreak havoc on a stable system.
And you'll never can get it back to the same arrangement if you like the
way it looks now. Not worth doing without a compelling reason, such as
removing the Maroon Clown if he gets dangerous as he gets bigger. Though
beautiful, it is one of the most aggressive Clowns. I keep mine with
tankmates that don't take any guff. In your shoes, I'd keep an eye on
ammonia and nitrates. If no spike, I would let a dead Gramma rot in
peace. If you really think it is alive but never comes out during feeds,
you can go ahead and tear up the rockwork and find it. Remove as much
rock to plastic containers as you need to in order to be able to catch
your fish. (I recently had to pull a couple of hundred pounds out to
catch a 5" Picasso Trigger--a real PITB.) I would then remove the Clown
(and maybe even the Grouper) to a quarantine and let the Gramma
establish itself and grow comfortable for a couple of weeks before
re-introducing the others. Sometimes simply re-arranging the rock a bit
while all the fish are in there will break up territories, but I doubt a
Maroon Clown will be adequately confused by this.> Thanks a bunch, Chris
<Hope this helps.> Pseudanthias pleurotaenia
hi guys
I have a quick question.
I have a female square spot Anthias in a
125 gal. fish only tank, with
a red Coris wrasse and a maroon
clownfish she eats very well.
anyway my questions are is the juv.
coloration different from the
female coloration and will she turn to
a male without any other
Anthias in the tank?
<Juvenile
coloration (yellowish) intensifies (to a more bright, golden yellow)
with age, but most will not change to even a duller male coloration w/o
the presence of at least a single other individual of the same
species... better, best to have small, odd numbers of individuals
(3,5...) IF your system is large enough. Yours is big enough for three.
Bob Fenner>
thank you for any help
tom About: Dispar
Anthias
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2005
Hi! I'm wondering about Dispar
Anthias Pseudanthias dispar relating to adding on to my pair.
<Hello
Kevin, James (Salty Dog) to assist you.>
I currently have a 100 gal.
tank (fish only) with live rock and a 32 gal. hospital tank. In my 100
gal., I currently have 9 Blue-Green Chromis, C. viridis which are all in
healthy condition. I have a Blonde Naso Naso lituratus, a Yellow Tang
Zebrasoma flavescens, and a Red Coris Wrasse Coris gaimard. I've been
researching about Anthias in general for a while and learned about the
social groups, feeding, etc. I've always wanted to keep a shoal of
dispars, but rarely came across good specimens. One day at the LFS, I
came across two shy specimens which looked great!! I decided to buy them
at $14.99 a piece (pretty good from what I've seen in other places).
When I brought them home and put them into the tank, they hid for 3
hours. Then slowly started to peep out. The next day, they were out with
all the other fish. I
tried Mysis, but no luck ( though they were
lookin' at it!). Then, they turned into pigs!!!!!!! They now eat
everything I put in. Now, everything looks great, but I was just
thinking how nice it would be to have a few more of those beauties. Do
you guys think I could pull off adding 4 more to the tank? I mean will
the dispars in my tank accept the newcomers? If not, I already have my
mind set on some purple queens (not tuka), (Pseudanthias pascala). I
think the key to keeping docile shy Anthias is to first have an
established shoal of dither fish (Chromis), then put in the Anthias.
Without my Chromis in the tank, the dispars probably would not have had
the nerve to go feed. Well anyways, please reply, and I want to
compliment you guys on such an informative and well done web site.
<Kevin, I think you will be approaching the overcapacity of the tank.
Anyway here is a link to a very informative article by Bob Fenner.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anthiina.htm James (Salty Dog)>
- Anthias Question -
Howdy crew! <Howdy.> Quick question for ya.
<Ok.> I have 3 female lyretail Anthias in my 90G reef. They have been
in for about 2 weeks now. I noticed that two of the three are really
starting to have it out. They lock their mouths together and spin
around and around, very odd looking. I have read that they can be a bit
mean. Will they kill each other? <In time, yes.> Is this one trying to
become a leader, or a male? <Or at least assert its position in the
chain of command... this is very typical for Anthias.> Should I let this
continue or remove one of the two. <If you don't remove the others, you
will be left with one anyway.> Your recommendations would be greatly
appreciated. <You really need a much larger tank to attempt a small
school of Anthias, and even then the lowest one on the totem pole is
often lost.> Thanks.
Paul
<Cheers, J -- >
Anthias
Hey Bob,
I hope the holidays have been going
well for you!
<Yes Graham, thank you. Happy holidays to you and
your mom>
Anyway, after a year of waiting and researching, a I
finally purchased 11
Bartlett's Anthias for my aquarium a week
ago (1 large male and 10 females).
My tank was pretty much
designed just for these fish, and these fish are the
only fish
in the tank (besides a mandarin). All eleven of them eat pellets,
flake foods, Cyclop eeze, brine, and mysids like pigs. They're also
fed very
small amounts 7x daily. Recently I've been noticing the
male starting to act
aggressively towards the females (which I
expected), but two of the 10
females are being harassed more
than others. Both have been forced to hide
around the right side
of the tank, although they may venture out
occasionally and swim
with the loose school. Both of these Anthias being
harassed are
almost the same size as the male is. My question is if this is
why the male is bothering these two in particular.
<As you
state... due to size... these females are next to "turn into" males>
If so, is there anything I can do to ease the aggression? I have a
lot of
rockwork for them to hide, as well as extremely strong
current throughout the tank (4500 gallons). Any suggestions or
advice
would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Graham
<Comes down to two choices... with variations. To remove them or
not... and
hope for the best. Bob Fenner> |
Re: Anthias
Hi Robert,
<Hello Graham>
Well, It
turns out that one of the larger females that the male was
harassing turned into another male. Now, these two males are
almost the
exact same size. Is there any risk to having two
males, with a total of 9
females? So far, they each seem to
have a portion of the tank for
themselves, with the females
going between them.
Thanks for your reply!
Graham
<No problem likely... you have a good sex ratio, and good-sized
system.
Likely these two males will semi-peacefully compete.
Bob Fenner> |
Anthias woes
Hi Bob,
I am a frequent reader of your articles on both FFExpress and
WetWebMedia,
your book is also one of my favorite quick references. I
have been in the
hobby for a few years now and the culmination of my
experience is leaving
me with no answer to my latest problem. I have
a 180gal reef tank, large
skimmer, calcium reactor, and 25gal
plenum/algae refugium. About 3 weeks
ago my square box Anthias (the
dominant fish in the tank) stopped eating
(I've had him 8 months). No
visible parasites externally, not thin. I
thought he was taking a day
off, but hasn't eaten since. He would just
hide in a cave all the
time and wouldn't come out at all.
<Hmm, this has happened to my
experience with Pseudanthias pleurotaenia before...>
I moved him to
the refugium a week ago, thinking the live copepods would entice him and
that I could try to feed him with out the other fish out-competing him
for
food.
No luck. I regularly ( 2-3x a day) feed the tank a
random mixture
of about 10 different frozen foods soaked in Zoecon
and have also tried
feeding live brine shrimp.
<Good ideas>
He
just sits on the bottom of the refugium,
only moving occasionally and
refusing all food (even turning away when I
squirt it towards his
mouth). I still haven't noticed any severe weight
loss and he still
has excellent coloration. Is there anything else I can try?
<Actually
yes... the one item that you don't mention is conspecifics... you have
no females present with this specimen? In a semi-last ditch attempt to
restore its interest in feeding, life, I would place it/him back in the
main system and add two females of this species... ASAP. This (as are
most Anthiines) species is social, and may have "given up the ghost" for
lack of companionship. Bob Fenner>
Thanks, David
Lyretail Anthias Question---Somewhat Urgent
I have a school
of 5 Lyretail Anthias. Until recently the school consisted of 4
females and 1 male. About 2 weeks ago the male hurt his eye and has
been somewhat reclusive while it heals. Problem is in the meantime
the largest of the females has begun to transform to a male.
<Yes... this happens>
I have a well established 180gal community
reef tank. I didn't think this could happen while the original male
was still alive. The female that is in progress to turning male has
really begun to take on the behavior of a male. I am in need to of
some advise. I have included a picture of the hermaphrodite(?).
<Let's settle on "transitioning">
Should I remove this fish from
the tank? Will the original male turn to female?.
<Doubtful...
but in a 180 gallon with plenty of cover, they may all co-exist,
even be more lively, colorful with 1 1/2, 1 3/4 males...>
I
cannot find any good answers on this at all. My website is located
at http:/www.thecub.com if you wish to review my tank. Any help
would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mathew Sica
<Be
chatting. Bob Fenner> |
|
Re: Lyretail Anthias Question---Somewhat Urgent
Bob, Great to
hear from you so quickly sir. One more question. I had ordered 3 more
females I was going to add this Tuesday from a local independent) fish
store. Would it be best to hold off adding these fish Tuesday night or
do you think it would help the situation by keeping either male from
being too dominant?
<I would introduce them>
This would bring the
total to 6.5 females and 1.5 males. Once again I thank you for your
advice and will raise a glass of Guinness in thanks.
<Wish I was
there with one with you. Bob F, off to go jogging with the dogs, wife,
roomie>
Best Regards,
Mathew Sica Pink square Anthias
4 weeks of good eating and adjustment for my square Anthias...2 days ago
the fish started to butt the front on his mouth on the side of the tank.
Later the fish started to butt the front of the tank. Only does this
when lights are on! Will he hurt himself?
<certainly is stressful and
likely physically harmful. Do try to determine what caused the change in
behavior... a change in light is likely (new or different bulbs, sudden
use of carbon/chemical media which suddenly improves water clarity,
cleaning of a very dirty lens/cover that admits more light, etc)>
jacdavie Thanks!
<best regards, Anthony>
|
|
