Help me choose between some anthias

[reefs4life]

Hey guys, I'm getting ready to restock my tank and I wanted some suggestions and help on deciding which anthias fish I should pick. I have a 150G cube tank. I am looking into getting 3 of SUNBURST ANTHIAS but I would like 2 groups of a different species. These are my choices:

PINK ATHIAS - PSEUDANTHIAS SQUAMPINNIS
PURPLE QUEEN ANTHIAS - PSEUDANTHIAS TUKASQUARE ANTHIAS - PSEUDANTHIAS PLEUROTAENIA
SUNBURST ANTHIAS - SERRANOCIRRHITUS LATUS
PALE-BAR ANTHIAS - PSEUDANTHIAS ENGELHARDI
RANDALL'S ANTHIAS - PSEUDANTHIAS RANDALLI
PRINCESS ANTHIAS - PSEUDANTHIAS SMITHVANIZI

Thanks in advance for any advice. Fortunato

 

[jaa1456]

If your budget affords, I would look into the Ventralis anthias and add two sunburst. Although the sunburst will do fine alone.

 

[dubs]

Def sunburst I love those and u can throw another species

 

[reefs4life]

If your budget affords, I would look into the Ventralis anthias and add two sunburst. Although the sunburst will do fine alone.

Just looked it up and Ventralis is gorgeous but a bit out of my price range plus my source has the ones I listed so I'd rather stick to those. Why do you say just two sunburst? Is three too many?

 

[jaa1456]

In my own experience, they seem to do fine alone, or in a M/F pair. If you have three they tend to go after the third one until they kill it or it doesn't even come out of hiding. Other members might have had more luck, but I tried it twice with the same results. I got rid of the first pair and figured I would try another trio and the outcome was the same. It took about a month or so before they started to pair up.

As for your other anthias listed, I have no experience with any of them. I have always like the Randall's myself though.

 

[Jhoehlein]

Like other's have mentioned the Sunburst isn't a schooling fish like other anthias... I would stick to one, maybe a pair if they seem to be getting along at the LFS.

Squamipinnis are one of my favorite anthias - hardy, good color, decent size. I would get one male and as many females as you could handle, the males are feisty and it's better to diffuse the aggression.

Tuka are drop dead gorgeous, but difficult. They ship poorly and it's tough to get them to eat. I would only buy some I had personally witnessed feeding.

Squareback are hit or miss, but the ones that come in well are generally pretty hardy. The females are nothing special but a fully colored male is spectacular. In my experience they're also one of the more aggressive anthias.

I don't know much about Englehardi, haven't come across them before.

Randalli are right up there with Squams for me, great fish with great color. Not as solid as Squams but not a terribly difficult fish either.

Smithvanizi are beautiful fish, but also on the difficult side. Like the Tuka make sure they're healthy and eating before bringing them home.

Hope this helps!

 

[reefs4life]

Thanks guys! Appreciate the advice, just what I was looking for. Knocking it down to 2 Sunburst and probably 5 or so of the Randall's

 

[jhart]

Get a Pseudanthias Leucozonus

 

[MWoodhill]

you can try respledent anthias, hardy, gorgeous and schooling

 

[d5332]

Suddenly I want Sunburst anthias, who is your source?

Live Aquaria does not have them in stock. NYAquatic has Sunburst but I could be wrong, picture looks pale, not pink at all.

Thanks guys! Appreciate the advice, just what I was looking for. Knocking it down to 2 Sunburst and probably 5 or so of the Randall's

 

[MIKE NY]

I have had or still have most of those Anthias on your list and by far the easiest are the Lyretails I personally like the male Maldives which I have. My Purple Queens are probably the most difficult on your list and demand multiple small feedings throughout the day for long term success. I had my male for two years and still have a few females now. As mentioned Sunburst don't shoal and do better either as a mated pair ,if your lucky I was, or singularly. My male Randall's is another beauty but are shy and tend stay near the rock work and really don't shoal either. I would do a group of Lyretails and Dispars they do well and are an easier Anthias to start. then a Sunburst.

 

[canitolindo]

I was browsing and ran into this http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum...m/166259-tropical-island-pre-summer-sale.html