Lyretail Anthias
- Thread starter TJ Reefer
- Start date
Joker
Viking Corals
Which one are you looking at? There is one from the Indian Ocean and I forgot where the other is from. I have kept the ones from the Indian Ocean. They do best when you keep 1 male to 1 or more females. They swim in the middle to all around the tank and once settled in they will be gorgeous fish.
Greg Hiller
BRS Moderator
They are probably the best of the Anthias for reef tanks, that said, they don't have a super long lifespan. The male will die first and then the biggest female morphs to take his place. This continues until you have only one left. If you get more than 3 years out of them I think you are doing well. Should be feed very frequently, at least 2x/day ideally.
ReeferSutherland
Chas
If you want 4 then I would buy five or six
Bao
Non-member
How big is your tank? If it is 4' tank or less, I think it is best to keep just a pair (1 male and 1 female). The reason is that the male and the big females are very aggressive toward the smaller females. If you keep like 1 males and 2 or 3 females, the smallest female will get beaten up by all the bigger females and male and would quickly die in a small tank.
Lyretail Anthias is one of my favorite fishes but they need to be fed alot. You can feed them once a day and they still survive but they would lose those beautiful colors and become dull. I usually feed my Anthias once in the morning and 2-3 times after work in order to keep those vibrant colors. Also need to feed a good variety of frozen foods as well, not use frozen mysis shrimp everyday. It get very expensive after awhile trying to feed those fishes to keep their vibrant colors. I kept 2 pairs of Lyretail anthias before. The first pair lived for about 6 years or so. the second pair also lived for about 6-7 years.
The one from Indian ocean has more red on its body. The one from Indonesia or Fiji has red and purple on its body and it looks great coming in from the ocean. But it is quite difficult to maintain that Purple once in captivity after a year or so. To keep it in our tank, I think the Indian Ocean ones are better.
Lyretail Anthias is one of my favorite fishes but they need to be fed alot. You can feed them once a day and they still survive but they would lose those beautiful colors and become dull. I usually feed my Anthias once in the morning and 2-3 times after work in order to keep those vibrant colors. Also need to feed a good variety of frozen foods as well, not use frozen mysis shrimp everyday. It get very expensive after awhile trying to feed those fishes to keep their vibrant colors. I kept 2 pairs of Lyretail anthias before. The first pair lived for about 6 years or so. the second pair also lived for about 6-7 years.
The one from Indian ocean has more red on its body. The one from Indonesia or Fiji has red and purple on its body and it looks great coming in from the ocean. But it is quite difficult to maintain that Purple once in captivity after a year or so. To keep it in our tank, I think the Indian Ocean ones are better.
Johnson556
Non-member
I bought 11 of them which ended up in a trio...however that trio thrived for 2+ years until I sold them. Hopefully they're still doing well with who I sold them to
Countryreefer
Well-Known Member
I bought 2 females and the dominant one turned male, so now I have a pair that are doing well. I've had them now for about 2 years with no issues. By the way, the females cost less.
It was really cool to watch the change happen!
It was really cool to watch the change happen!
Joe Rice
Well-Known Member
I've had five for almost two years. They're real crowd-pleasers, particularly the male. The were all small females when I bought them.
I did lose a couple in my first batch while in quarantine. Then I ordered a few more and added them all to the display tank at the same time and they've been happy campers ever since.
I did lose a couple in my first batch while in quarantine. Then I ordered a few more and added them all to the display tank at the same time and they've been happy campers ever since.
Last edited:
LTibbs77
Non-member
I currently have a trio, they're good fish for me. They are active and the male only seems to chase the larger female. He's not super aggressive towards her but gives a little chase then lays off..... Maybe a couple times an evening. Had them for about 6 months without issue. They'll eat a lot and seem happiest when they eat a little bit a couple times a day. Beautiful addition to the reef tank for me
