What do Lyretail Anthias eat?
As with most anthias species, Lyretail anthias feed constantly from the water column, on zooplankton, in the wild. In the home aquarium, especially after recent shipping and probable lack of food, these fish should be fed high protein content frozen/live foods in small portions many times throughout the day.
What do anthias fish eat?
They eat small organisms that float around in the water column, including copepods, crustacean larvae, and fish eggs. They are very active, flitting about the water column, picking off zooplanktors.
How many Lyretail Anthias should you have?
It's generally agreed that lyretail anthias will do well in groups of at least 4 or more in the home aquarium. It is preferred to keep more, though this pushes the tank size needed. Lyretail anthias are social fish that like to be in small groups.
How do I get my Lyretail Anthias to eat?
I have never had a issue with Lyretail Anthias eating flake or pellets.. Start with frozen food and start mixing in some flake and pellet. After a while just soak the pellets or flake in the juice from the frozen food especially pellets they need to be softened sometime.
Are lyretail Anthias Hardy?
The Lyretail Anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis, Peters, 1855), also known as the Scalefin Anthias, is among the most popular Anthias available in the aquarium trade today. This colorful fish is relatively hardy, active, and accepting of multiple environments and tankmates.
Will anthias eat pellets?
Over time most will adapt to eat anything and they learn from other fish during feeding frenzy to eat other stuff. A had a bimaculatus female that refused to eat anything but mysis for many months before coming around. Now they all eat frozen, flakes (mostly ocean nutrition prime reef) and sometimes small pellets.
How long do lyretail Anthias live?
around 5-6 yearsAnd while they DO share a familial branch with groupers, they aren't aggressive enough to hold their own against predators. As such, it's no real surprise their lifespan only comes in around 5-6 years.
Can you keep a single anthias?
Bottom line, they can live alone or in trios. Feeding them minimum 2-3 times is key to success.
How do you keep anthias alive?
Feeding Anthias Multiple feedings per day are a must, and the addition of a mature refugium is highly recommended. Even with a refugium, plan to feed anthias a diet of small meaty foods (e.g., frozen mysid shrimp or other foods for marine carnivores) at least three times per day.
Will Anthias eat nori?
Yes. All of mine will eat NLS and Formula 2 pellets.
Can different species of Anthias live together?
yes. there is always a pecking order, but you can. there are worse fish to combine, anthias are not too aggressive, and after the initial bullying, all will be fine.
How long do Anthias fish live?
around 5-6 yearsAnd while they DO share a familial branch with groupers, they aren't aggressive enough to hold their own against predators. As such, it's no real surprise their lifespan only comes in around 5-6 years.
How do you care for anthias?
2:044:59All About Anthias - Care & Feeding in Reef Tanks - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAll Anthea's require a medium to large tank I'd say 55 gallons or so at the minimum. But bigger isMoreAll Anthea's require a medium to large tank I'd say 55 gallons or so at the minimum. But bigger is always better. Because they're active swimmers.
Do Anthias eat seaweed?
Yes. All of mine will eat NLS and Formula 2 pellets.
Are Anthias nocturnal?
It is a nocturnal fish, leaving only at night to feed on zooplankton, small crustaceans and tiny fish. It has an interesting feature: they are all hermaphrodites, born females and, possibly at some point in their lives, they can turn into males.
Origins And Habitat
The lyretail anthias goes by many names but is pretty easy to identify.
Lyretail Anthias Tank Requirements
Though beautiful fish, lyretails aren’t the easiest fish to keep in the aquarium. This is largely due to their spatial and dietary needs. Still, the lyretail anthias is considered to be one of the easiest fake anthias to keep.
Lyretail Anthias Temperament
Lyretail anthias are active fish. They will usually stay at the top of or in front of the live rock, swimming loosely in their harem ( video source ).
Lyretail Anthias Tankmates
Not only are lyretail anthias reef-safe, but they’re also a great community fish all around. As mentioned before, space and dietary strains can cause individual fish to become more aggressive, but they can usually be kept with an assortment of fish.
Lyretail Anthias Diet
The hardest part of owning lyretail anthias will be keeping them fed. These are very active fish with high metabolisms, so they need to be fed regularly. This is also in addition to their need for small planktonic foods, similar to their natural diet in the wild.
Common Lyretail Anthias Diseases
Though lyretails are hardy fish, they can succumb to common aquarium illnesses rather quickly. For whatever reason, most anthias available in store are usually affected by one ailment or another. Because of this, it’s definitely recommended to provide plenty of time for quarantine before adding them to the main display.
Final Thoughts
The lyretail anthias is a beautiful saltwater fish meant for the reef aquarium. In the wild, these fish form harems and feed on planktonic organisms within the water column. This diet can prove to be difficult for some hobbyists, though lyretails usually adapt well to aquarium foods and conditions.
Table of Contents: Lyretail Anthias Care
While lyretail anthias may not present too many challenges, you’ll still want to keep an eye on the various links below to make sure you’re not missing any of the quirks in their care. Or you can read through the entire article and savor all of the details of these colorful relatives of groupers (yes, groupers).
Quick Facts
Common Names: Lyretail anthias, Scalefin, Blue-eye anthias, Purple-eye anthias, Sea goldie, Warpaint anthias, Orange fairy basslet, Lyretail fancy bass, Lyretail coralfish, Orange basslet, Orange butterfly perch, Orange sea perch, Red coral perch
Description of the Lyretail Anthias
Lyretail anthias come in some of the brightest colors you’ll find out on a reef. And that applies to the males AND females. Sexually dimorphic, you can quickly sort the two based on the color palette of their scales. Males use a red or pink hue, while females come in an orange or yellow shade.
Lyretail Anthias Lifespan
Lyretails aren’t the largest fish in the world, which is why they swim in schools around outer reef slopes throughout the Indo-Pacific region. (Safety in numbers) Those flashing colors stand out in a crowd, especially since they don’t go particularly deep into those drop-offs.
Creating the Ideal Lyretail World
You’ll find lyretail anthias throughout the Indo-Pacific region. They cluster throughout the Red Sea and the east coast of Africa, with another significant population around Fiji, Indonesia, and Melanesia. Divers frequently spot them at depths between 30-100 feet (10-30m).
Lyretail Anthias Diet
Lyretail anthias pose some trouble to aquarists when they first enter an aquarium. They need a little time to get acclimated. This means you’ll want to focus on quality proteins (frozen or live work best) to tempt their appetites. Once they’ve settled in, though, you shouldn’t have a problem.
Lyretail Anthias Behavior and Tank Mates
In the wild, lyretail anthias form schools over coral outcrops. A single male will patrol a territory, monitoring the harem of his chosen females. And while they’re peaceful fish, males WILL challenge one another over females and space. You’ll also see lyretails challenge other anthias species, especially if they look similar.
Beautemps Bristle Worm
I bought four days ago three Anthias (tricolor/princess/sunbursts) and tried to feed them with small pellets but they don’t touch it.
kcbrad Giant Squid
My anthias love frozen brine with spirulina, frozen mysis, flakes, pellets and Cyclopeeze. Mine are lyretail anthias, so they are pretty aggressive and don't have any problem eating with my other voracious eaters. In your case, squirt food into the current from the power head, anthias love to chase down their food.
Grant Feather Duster
My anthias love flake food and mysis. They do seem to like to chase food like kcbrad mentioned. They will become such aggressive eaters, you'll be worried about your tangs and wrasses getting enough food!
kcbrad Giant Squid
I don't know, I've never used that....but my LFS told me to stay away from food that isn't sterilized because it can bring disease and stuff into the tank. I'm not sure what that instant brine is.
Beautemps Bristle Worm
Found this flake as well which is fresh fish protein, fresh seafood, plankton, brine shrimp, minerals, vitamins and carotenoids.
marlinman Zoanthid
Anthias eat in the water column and they eat flake food and frozen food that is rinsed off well and cyclopeeze. They especially like mysis shrimp. I recently bought a mated pair of Pictillis Anthias from Australia and they would not eat anything. They both died and broke my heart.
Beautemps Bristle Worm
I tried last night the Baby Brine Shrimp and two of my Anthias started to eat it . the Sunburst didn't touch it however and didn't touch as well the flakes...
