Lyretail Anthias

Care at a glance

Overview

A planktivore that needs feeding several small meaty meals a day (mysis, enriched brine, copepods, finely prepared foods) or it slowly wastes away, which is the main reason it is rated harder than a typical damsel. Best kept as one male with a group of females, or as several females alone; two males will fight. Peaceful toward unrelated tankmates but competitive at feeding time and can nip very small shrimp. Keep only one male per tank unless the system is very large.

In the wild

Lives over coral reef slopes and drop-offs in the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea, hovering in large aggregations in the water column just above the reef where it picks plankton from passing currents. Females stay close to shelter and dart back into the rockwork when threatened. In the aquarium it wants plenty of open swimming room above the rock plus caves and overhangs to retreat into.

Good to know

Pseudanthias squamipinnis is a protogynous hermaphrodite: fish start life as females and the dominant individual in a group changes sex to become a brightly colored male. Males are orange-red with an elongated dorsal spine and a purple spot on the pectoral fin, while females are orange-gold, so the two sexes look like different fish. If a male dies, the top-ranking female will begin transforming into a male within days.

Did you know

A single group can hold dozens of females ruled by one dominant male, and the whole social order is fluid: remove the male and the boldest female literally becomes the new male within a week or two.

Related species

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  Bicolor Anthias

  Pseudanthias bicolor

  5.1 in (13 cm)125 gal (475 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Huchtii Anthias

  Pseudanthias huchtii

  4.7 in (12 cm)90 gal (340 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Square Anthias

  Pseudanthias pleurotaenia

  7.9 in (20 cm)100 gal (380 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Evansi Anthias

  Pseudanthias evansi

  4.7 in (12 cm)75 gal (285 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Purple Queen Anthias

  Pseudanthias tuka

  4.7 in (12 cm)75 gal (285 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Dispar Anthias

  Pseudanthias dispar

  3.7 in (9.5 cm)70 gal (265 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)