TankBud

Bicolor anthias

Pseudanthias bicolor

Also known as Yellowback Basslet, Yellowback Anthias, Bicolor Basslet

SaltwaterFish

Bicolor anthias (Pseudanthias bicolor)
Izuzuki · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
5.1 in
13 cm
Minimum tank
125 gal
475 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Serranidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific reefs, from East Africa and Mauritius to Hawaii and the Line Islands

Overview

The bicolor anthias is a mostly peaceful reef fish for the open water of a large tank. It is considered one of the easier anthias to start with.

Did you know

The bicolor anthias is the most widely ranging anthias in the genus Pseudanthias. It turns up on reefs from East Africa and Mauritius all the way to Hawaii and the Line Islands. Its spread is far wider than that of any close relative.

Caring for the bicolor anthias

The bicolor anthias needs a tank of at least 125 gal (475 L), with a large footprint of open swimming room. Build a rockscape with plenty of caves and an overhang or two for shade. Run brisk water movement, broken up by a few calmer pockets where it can rest.

Keep the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It has a small stomach, so feed it several times a day to hold its weight and color.

Keep it singly or as one male with several females, with enough open water for it to hold a loose territory. It can be territorial toward its own kind and similarly built anthias, so give it room if you keep more than one male. It leaves corals, clams and ornamental shrimp completely alone, so it is a safe reef tank mate.

Males are pale violet, with a yellow back that runs onto the upper tail and a long first dorsal spine trimmed in purple. Females are lavender with a more subdued yellow back. Breeding it is hard.

Good to know

The bicolor anthias, Pseudanthias bicolor, belongs to the family Serranidae. It is a protogynous hermaphrodite that lives in small harems. Every fish starts out female, and the largest female converts to male if the group loses its male.

In the wild

The bicolor anthias lives on coastal and outer reef slopes across the Indo-Pacific, usually in small groups at 5 to 60 m. It favors spots where the current is strong and zooplankton is abundant. It shelters among ledges and overhangs in the rockwork and rises into open water to feed.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The bicolor anthias is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a bicolor anthias need?

A bicolor anthias needs at least 125 gal (475 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a bicolor anthias need?

A bicolor anthias is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

How big does a bicolor anthias get?

An adult bicolor anthias reaches about 5.1 in (13 cm).

How can you tell a male bicolor anthias from a female?

Males are pale violet, with a yellow back running onto the upper tail and a long first dorsal spine trimmed in purple. Females are lavender, with a more subdued yellow back.

Related species