Continued from page 1If for some reason the supermale is removed from the group, e.g. through disease or predation by other fish, one of the bachelors will assume the role of supermale. Aggressive behavior can occur when this takes place to determine which one of the bachelors gains that position. There are many candidates. On the reef this can be quite a sight.
Spawing occurs just before sunset. Supermales band together and initiate zigzagging u-shaped swim patterns, ascending higher and higher into the water column. The rest of the colony is stimulated by this behavior and follows the supermales. While this goes on, supermales become even brighter in color and may exhibit aggressive behavior towards bachelors.
At the top of the ascent, supermales pair up with ripe females and the pair display to each other by gaping their mouths and swimming in wriggling patterns. Eggs and sperm are released into the water column; whether bachelor male add their genes to the pool of sperm is not known.
Just before the daylight completely fades and darkness starts to set in, the whole colony of Anthias retreats to the coral of their choice. It is interesting to note that this may be the same one they were hovering over before but it may also be a different one.
Anthias share their habitat with other fishes such as damsels of the Family Pomacentridae, including the genera Dascyllus and Chromis. This is interesting from an aquarium standpoint as the latter fish are usually considered aggressive but, in most cases, will not bother Anthias fishes.
Aquarium care is fairly easy since they are non-aggressive and are plankton feeders. Good water quality is obviously a must but hobbist tend to ensure that this is so anyway. Because of their feeding habits, no mechanical filtration should be used on the tank and the fishes benefit from the addition of zooplankton on a fairly regular basis. If a hobbyist is unable to keep Anthias, he or she should definitely consider whether or not the fishes are able to obtain enough plankton.
They are non-aggressive to corals. They appear to really favor the presence of cleaner shrimp in the tank. They are not known to be prone to parasitic attacks except when you first receive them and when they are still under heavy stress from transportation. Slow acclimating to the tank is therefore suggested. Treating them with Vitamin C in a holding tank before adding them to the main aquarium is an excellent practice as well. Anything that can be done to refortify the fishes is beneficial and will greatly enhance the rate of success you will experience.
These fish are best kept in a small harem of one supermale and five females. They should be placed in an aquairum no smaller than 100 gallons. Lonely specimens will generally not do well.
Since Acropora is their favorite coral they will do real well in tanks where this coral is present but this is not a requirement. More important is the size of the tank and the feeding of plankton.
Should you place all females in a tank you may very well observe the sex change mentioned earlier. This may take several months before it actually happens though. The fishes first need to get accustomed to their environment, fortify themselves and be generally free of stress. Do not keep Anthias with aggressive fishes. This will continuously stress them and may cause them to jump out of the tank.
Daily if not twice daily feeding is a must. Frozen plankton can be used. In aquariums with plenty of live rock they will derive some food from the animalcules that inhabit such rock. This is not sufficient though, and supplemental feeding is a must.
Caves of some sort in the aquarium are a plus but having branched coral is better. Lighting should be moderate to high but need not be metal halide type, unless of course you also keep corals in the tank that need such lighting.
In part II we will be discussing various types of Anthias.
July 1997
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