| Care: |
Medium
|
| Temperament: |
Semi-Aggressive
|
| Reef Safe: |
Yes |
Max Size:
|
5" |
| Tank Size: |
125gal |
Lyretail Anthias are a beautiful and fascinating addition to a reef tank. They're highly sexually dimorphic, which the males displaying deeper red and purple coloration and a high dorsal spike, while the females are orange with a much lower spike. In addition to being dimorphic, like all anthias, they're sequentially hermaphroditic. A dominant male will lead a harem of females, and when he dies, the most dominant female will undergo a rapid transformation and take over his position.
Care
Lyretail Anthias are active swimmers, and grow to an adult size of 5". They do best kept in small groups consisting of a male and several females in a large tank of 125 gallons or more. Like other anthias, they have a highly active metabolism, and require multiple feedings per day to maintain weight, making them moderately difficult to keep.
Diet
Lyretail Anthias can sometimes be picky and shy eaters at first, and should be offered a variety of meaty frozen foods multiple times a day. Over time, they may acclimate to prepared flake and pellet foods.
