Mr. Fishy Fish
Well-known member
Since we already have a wrasse thread, I figured we should also have an anthias thread. Your experiences may help others in the future, please describe their behavior, how much you feed them, and anything else you'd like to add. I'll start with some pictures of my male Lyretail anthias and his harem of six females. Excuse the poor quality, I'm still trying to figure out how to take pictures with my phone under blues.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Description:
First off Lyretail Anthias do not school. If anything, lyretails only shoal once in a while when someone accidentally scares the crap out of them, or for other reasons I've yet to understand. My lyretails display the latter behavior in Figure 1 and they normally shoal like this right before the lights go out. As I do not purposely scare the crap out of my fish in order to take pictures, I can't give you a visual of the former. When they shoal in the former manner, it's not harmonious. You can clearly see them cowering in fear as they shoal under the rock work shown in Figure 2. That is also where they sleep, they always shoal in that same spot when they get scared. I believe this is because they feel secure in the territory they sleep in. It's not the same as the latter sort of shoaling. When they do shoal in the manner shown in Figure 1, they are in a state of harmony and look stunning. With that said, you would rarely see them shoal like this. So, if you're looking for a group of fish that will stay close together most of the time, then you should probably look elsewhere. Throughout, the day the females separate into different groups (or go solo), but the majority stick somewhat close to each other as shown in Figure 2. The male cruises all over to assert his dominance towards each member of his harem by chasing them. When I say he chases them, he doesn't relentlessly chase them; he stops after quickly asserting his dominance. Right before or when the male gets abusive, he displays both his dorsal and pelvic fins. Yes, lyretail males abuse their harem regularly. They need to do this to display their dominance, otherwise, one female may transition into a male. If that happens, then I, the transitioning male, and the current male are all going to have a problem. This will most likely end with one of the two males dead. That's not all, the females also get into minor scuffles with one another throughout the day. Right before or when the females get into their scuffles, they display their aggression by flashing their dorsal fins. Right before the lights go out, the females get much more aggressive towards each other. Once the lights go out sometimes all hell breaks loose. I've seen the females basically square up and lock mouths while the male watches. I believe the females are challenging one another for the other's place in the hierarchy when they do this.
Feeding: Currently I feed my lyretails anthias about 10-13 small meals a day
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Description:
First off Lyretail Anthias do not school. If anything, lyretails only shoal once in a while when someone accidentally scares the crap out of them, or for other reasons I've yet to understand. My lyretails display the latter behavior in Figure 1 and they normally shoal like this right before the lights go out. As I do not purposely scare the crap out of my fish in order to take pictures, I can't give you a visual of the former. When they shoal in the former manner, it's not harmonious. You can clearly see them cowering in fear as they shoal under the rock work shown in Figure 2. That is also where they sleep, they always shoal in that same spot when they get scared. I believe this is because they feel secure in the territory they sleep in. It's not the same as the latter sort of shoaling. When they do shoal in the manner shown in Figure 1, they are in a state of harmony and look stunning. With that said, you would rarely see them shoal like this. So, if you're looking for a group of fish that will stay close together most of the time, then you should probably look elsewhere. Throughout, the day the females separate into different groups (or go solo), but the majority stick somewhat close to each other as shown in Figure 2. The male cruises all over to assert his dominance towards each member of his harem by chasing them. When I say he chases them, he doesn't relentlessly chase them; he stops after quickly asserting his dominance. Right before or when the male gets abusive, he displays both his dorsal and pelvic fins. Yes, lyretail males abuse their harem regularly. They need to do this to display their dominance, otherwise, one female may transition into a male. If that happens, then I, the transitioning male, and the current male are all going to have a problem. This will most likely end with one of the two males dead. That's not all, the females also get into minor scuffles with one another throughout the day. Right before or when the females get into their scuffles, they display their aggression by flashing their dorsal fins. Right before the lights go out, the females get much more aggressive towards each other. Once the lights go out sometimes all hell breaks loose. I've seen the females basically square up and lock mouths while the male watches. I believe the females are challenging one another for the other's place in the hierarchy when they do this.
Feeding: Currently I feed my lyretails anthias about 10-13 small meals a day
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