Anthias make up a sizeable portion of the population of pink, orange and yellow reef fishes, which will give your aquarium the perfect colour desired for.
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A Squareback anthias
Anthias are mostly small, peaceful, and beautiful; and are thus quite popular within the ornamental fish trade. Unlike many other saltwater aquarium inhabitants, they can be kept in groups. They mostly feed on zooplankton. They occur in all tropical oceans and seas. The first species recognized in this group was described in the Mediterranean and northeast Atlantic and was given name Anthias anthias by Carolus Linnaeus in 1758.
When kept in aquarium, they need to be fed nearly constantly, three times a day at least. The best way to ensure the health and longevity of an Anthias is to attach a refugium where you can grow copepods.
Here are the some of the common varieties of Anthias, which can be kept in a reef tank but most of them are difficult to care for.
• Bartlett’s anthias: Scientifically known as Pseudanthias bartlettorum, these are light yellow colour fish with pink underside. They have swallowtail-shaped caudal fin. They can grow up to 9cm.
• Bicolour anthias: Scientifically known as Pseudanthias bicolor, they look similar to Bartlett’s but the back is slightly more rounded. They grow to a maximum size of 13cm or 5.1 inches.
• Cooper’s anthias: Scientifically known as Pseudanthias cooperi, these have orange back and finnage with white patch below the mouth running down toward the anal fin with pink sides. They can grow up to 14cm.
• Diadem anthias: Scientifically known as Pseudanthias parvirostris, these are pink coloured fish with yellow streak on top of head running along the lateral line. Caudal fin is red with yellow tips. They grow up to a size of 7cm or 2.8 inches.
• Orangehead anthias: Scientifically known as Pseudanthias heemstrai, they have pink underside with orange back and mask, dark red splotch on caudal fin, along with iridescent blue anal and pelvic fins. They also grow up to a size of 13 cm or 5.1 inches.
• Redbar anthias: Scientifically known as Pseudanthias rubrizonatus, these are tannish-pink with a single vertical red stripe and a dorsal fin with the skin between the rays pulled back like on a lionfish. They can grow up to a size of 12cm.
• Lyretail anthias, Sea Goldie: Scientifically known as Pseudanthias squamipinnis, these is the most common variety which is seen in aquariums or reef tanks or even in under-sea photographs. Females are orange with lyre-shaped caudal fin. Males are fuchsia with red markings on fins. They can grow up to 15cm or 5.9 inches.
• Squareback anthias: Scientifically known as Pseudanthias pleurotaenia, these are fish with red back and pink underside with distinctive blue square shaped marking and blue fins, giving it its common name. These can grow up to 20cm or 7.9 inches.
• Stocky anthias: Scientifically known as Pseudanthias hypselosoma, they have orange back with cream coloured underside. As its name suggests, these are slightly stockier than other Anthias. They grow up to 19 cm.
• Threadfin anthias: Scientifically known as Pseudanthias huchtii, these are olive green-coloured fish with black caudal fin and red stripe running from the eye to the pectoral fin. They can grow up to 12cm or 4.7 inches.