TankBud

Lyretail anthias

Pseudanthias squamipinnis

Also known as Sea Goldie, Scalefin Anthias, Orange Anthias

SaltwaterFish

Lyretail anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis)
Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
5.1 in
13 cm
Minimum tank
129 gal
490 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Serranidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific and Red Sea

Overview

The lyretail anthias is a mostly peaceful anthias for a big reef tank with room to swim. It is not a beginner fish, but a keeper with some experience can manage it.

Did you know

A single group of lyretail anthias can hold dozens of females ruled by one dominant male. The social order is fluid, because if the male is removed, the boldest female becomes the new male within a week or two.

Caring for the lyretail anthias

Lyretail anthias need at least 129 gal (490 L), with plenty of open swimming room above the rock. Add caves and overhangs for them to retreat into. Keep the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4.

The lyretail anthias is a planktivore that needs several small meaty meals a day, or it slowly wastes away. Offer mysis, enriched brine shrimp, copepods and finely prepared foods. Its feeding needs are the main reason it is rated harder than a typical damsel.

Keep one male with a group of females, or several females alone. Two males will fight, so keep only one male per tank unless the system is very large. It is peaceful toward unrelated tank mates but competitive at feeding time, and it can nip very small shrimp.

Males are orange-red, with an elongated dorsal spine and a purple spot on the pectoral fin. Females are orange-gold, so the two sexes look like different fish. Breeding it is hard.

Good to know

Pseudanthias squamipinnis belongs to the family Serranidae. It is a protogynous hermaphrodite, and every fish starts life as a female.

In the wild

The lyretail anthias lives over coral reef slopes and drop-offs in the Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea. It hovers in large groups in the water column just above the reef, picking plankton from passing currents. Females stay close to shelter and dart back into the rockwork when threatened.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The lyretail 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 lyretail anthias need?

A lyretail anthias needs at least 129 gal (490 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a lyretail anthias need?

A lyretail anthias is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a lyretail anthias eat?

A lyretail anthias eats several small meaty meals a day, such as mysis, enriched brine shrimp, copepods and finely prepared foods. Without them it slowly wastes away.

How big does a lyretail anthias get?

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

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

Males are orange-red, with an elongated dorsal spine and a purple spot on the pectoral fin. Females are orange-gold, and the two sexes look like different fish.

Related species