Randall's Anthias

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep one, or a male with several females, in at least 285 litres with caves and overhangs and moderate flow at 24 to 27 C. It is reef safe and coral-safe, and slightly easier to feed than open-water anthias, but still needs several small meals a day of mysis, enriched brine and copepods. A refugium producing live pods helps a lot. Provide plenty of rockwork so it feels secure.

In the wild

Randall's anthias is a small pink-and-yellow anthias that stays close to caves and overhangs rather than open water. It darts in and out of the reef structure catching plankton. It is more bottom-associated and less exposed than shoaling anthias. Males carry brighter fin markings than females.

Good to know

Pseudanthias randalli reaches about 8 cm and lives near reef ledges in the western Pacific. It follows the usual anthias pattern of female-to-male sex change within a group. The species is named for ichthyologist John Randall.

Did you know

It hugs caves and ledges more than most anthias, so a reef with lots of overhangs suits it far better than an open tank.

Related species

• 

  Bartlett's Anthias

  Pseudanthias bartlettorum

  3.5 in (9 cm)70 gal (265 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Dispar Anthias

  Pseudanthias dispar

  3.7 in (9.5 cm)70 gal (265 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)

• 

  Huchtii Anthias

  Pseudanthias huchtii

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

• 

  Bicolor Anthias

  Pseudanthias bicolor

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