TankBud

Blotched anthias

Odontanthias borbonius

Also known as Borbonius Anthias, Blotchy Anthias

SaltwaterFish

Blotched anthias (Odontanthias borbonius)
Vassil · CC0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
5.9 in
15 cm
Minimum tank
100 gal
380 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Rare
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Serranidae
Origin
Indo-West Pacific deep reefs

Overview

The blotched anthias is a peaceful deepwater anthias for the middle of a reef tank. It is among the hardier anthias once it is feeding.

Did you know

The blotched anthias was captive bred by Biota Palau in 2017, one of the first anthias ever raised in commercial numbers. That turned a deepwater rarity into a fish that arrives already used to aquarium life.

Caring for the blotched anthias

Give the blotched anthias a tank of at least 100 gal (380 L), with substantial rockwork, shaded overhangs and open water in front. Go easy on lighting at first, since new arrivals often hide under bright reef lights.

Keep the temperature at the cool end of the reef range, within 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C), with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. Feed small meaty foods such as mysis, enriched brine shrimp and fine pellets a few times a day. Several small meals suit it far better than one large one.

Unlike the shallow-water Pseudanthias, the blotched anthias is usually kept one to a tank. Kept singly, it avoids the harem infighting that complicates other anthias. Choose calm tank mates, because it holds its own but should not share a tank with bullies.

It ignores corals and ornamental invertebrates, so it is fully reef safe. Breeding it is hard.

Good to know

Odontanthias borbonius was described by Valenciennes in 1828 and belongs to the family Serranidae. It is a planktivore, built for picking food from the water column.

In the wild

The blotched anthias comes from deep reef walls and rubble slopes in the Indo-West Pacific, roughly 90 to 300 meters down. The light there is dim and the water stays cool. It hovers near ledges and ducks into caves.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The blotched anthias is a peaceful, solitary 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 blotched anthias need?

A blotched anthias needs at least 100 gal (380 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a blotched anthias need?

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

What does a blotched anthias eat?

A blotched anthias eats small meaty foods such as mysis, enriched brine shrimp and fine pellets. Feed it a few times a day, since several small meals suit it better than one large one.

How big does a blotched anthias get?

An adult blotched anthias reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm).

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