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
Origin: Indo-West Pacific deep reefs
Family: Serranidae

Overview

A deepwater anthias that does well kept singly, without the harem infighting that complicates other anthias. Feed small meaty foods such as mysis, enriched brine, and fine pellets a few times a day. It ignores corals and ornamental invertebrates, so it is fully reef safe. Choose calm tankmates; it holds its own but should not share a tank with bullies.

In the wild

Comes from deep reef walls and rubble slopes, roughly 90 to 300 meters down, where the light is dim and the water stays cool. It hovers near ledges and ducks into caves, so the tank wants substantial rockwork with shaded overhangs and open water in front. Keep the temperature at the cool end of the reef range and go easy on lighting at first, since new arrivals often hide under bright reef lights.

Good to know

Odontanthias borbonius was described by Valenciennes in 1828 and reaches about 15 cm. Unlike the shallow-water Pseudanthias species it is usually kept one to a tank, and it is among the hardier anthias once it is feeding. It is a planktivore built for picking food from the water column, so several small meals a day suit it far better than one large one.

Did you know

Biota Palau captive bred this species in 2017, one of the first anthias ever raised in commercial numbers, turning a deepwater rarity into a fish that arrives already used to aquarium life.