Huly March 12, 2013 Share March 12, 2013 (edited) We have 2 bartlet Anthias, well last night we noticed this guy has been picked on bullied whatever you want to call it. We are not sure by who but I think it is the other Anthia and Pez thinks it might be the Midas Blenny or other Anthia. What do you suggest in situations like these? Remember we do not have a refugium to drop the guy in: Edited March 12, 2013 by Huly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunWyrm March 12, 2013 Share March 12, 2013 (edited) I'd have to say it's the other anthias - you can't just have 2 or even very small groups peacefully of any species of Anthias for very long. Eventually they'll go after each other - you need to have enough of them to have a proper hierarchy. Depending on the species that number grows. Is there any other tank you can put her in? like a qt? As a second suggestion (no idea if this would work but it's a suggestion:) I would try getting a bunch of healthy females to distract your dominant anthias. However this would be pretty risky, as the newcomers could pick on the already stressed anthias, if left in the display, not to mention potential introduction of disease. When this happened to mine, I removed her - only to have her die of infection to her wounds. What I would suggest because of that, would be to separate her in a quiet place with some preventive medication. Edited March 12, 2013 by YiatzOfEden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad March 12, 2013 Share March 12, 2013 I agree with the above on all counts. It was probably the other anthias... though the second guess of midas blenny is a possible too, since they can be nippers and will swim with the anthias. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunWyrm March 12, 2013 Share March 12, 2013 ^+1 The midas is a close second to potentially causing this. IME the larger blennies are pretty aggressive with things that look similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huly March 13, 2013 Author Share March 13, 2013 Trying to catch injured fish to move to other tank. So far fish is winning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k March 14, 2013 Share March 14, 2013 The Midas Blenny is typically found with shoals of certain Anthias. why not find out what species are compatible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huly March 14, 2013 Author Share March 14, 2013 The Midas Blenny is typically found with shoals of certain Anthias. why not find out what species are compatible? I read live aquaria stats and compatibility chart before every purchase (from my phone at the LFS) and it says they get along. After the issue and more watching and more reading other sites I see that Anthias need to be single or a harem not just 2. I also noticed the other Anthia is the one that is chasing him etc. I have tried to catch him but so far he is winning. If I so much as walk by the tank he darts for his cave now. LOL I even tried putting live brine in a net then when he swam in to snag it but instead I caught 2 hermits and a clown. This little monster stayed away! We set up a seperate tank to put him in where he doesn't get picked on but he does not want to move. Our thought was make sure he is ok and heals then find him or her a new home. Is there a better source than live aquaria? I always thought they were the most reliable for basic info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy357 March 14, 2013 Share March 14, 2013 I personally would just buy another Anthia and call it a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huly March 14, 2013 Author Share March 14, 2013 I personally would just buy another Anthia and call it a day. Do you think 3 would do the trick? I do not mind that option but when I think of "harem" I think 5-10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunWyrm March 14, 2013 Share March 14, 2013 (edited) ^If you buy just one more you're going to have problems. By problems I mean the same problem you're having now. 3 does not make very good harem long term imo. Live aquaria is a very VERY basic "Anthias get along with blennies" and I don't think is a good guide at all because it is so broad and generic. I always type specifics into google, like "bartletts anthias with midas blenny" then you get threads from other forums of ppl having or have had the same fish and similar experiences. I try to go through a ton of people's opinions before putting things together. Edited March 14, 2013 by YiatzOfEden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huly March 14, 2013 Author Share March 14, 2013 ^If you buy just one more you're going to have problems. By problems I mean the same problem you're having now. 3 does not make very good harem long term imo. Live aquaria is a very VERY basic "Anthias get along with blennies" and I don't think is a good guide at all because it is so broad and generic. I always type specifics into google, like "bartletts anthias with midas blenny" then you get threads from other forums of ppl having or have had the same fish and similar experiences. I try to go through a ton of people's opinions before putting things together. That is a good idea. Sorry we are still new and learning and I thought it was a good one to go by. Is there a good book I could download to my kindle then look up there too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella March 14, 2013 Share March 14, 2013 Live aquaria is a very VERY basic "Anthias get along with blennies" and I don't think is a good guide at all because it is so broad and generic. I always type specifics into google, like "bartletts anthias with midas blenny" then you get threads from other forums of ppl having or have had the same fish and similar experiences. I try to go through a ton of people's opinions before putting things together. +1 ... there guide is somewhat useless.. I do the same kinda research. RC is a great place to search too.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunWyrm March 14, 2013 Share March 14, 2013 Google is free and much more than just one author's view point. Books are great for other subjects but not for stocking imo. You need others' actual experience here (and more than just one or two threads imo!). I think you could do 5 in that tank but that's just me not knowing your tank at all - I also don't know what the minimum number for Bartlett's is (it could very well be much higher) and you should research the species more imo and what others have kept long term as far as numbers (again just tons of google). Single anthias are great, personable fish if you decide to not get any more. I caught mine by scooping the net in the tank really fast when i tossed in a bunch of food. She had no time to react to the net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huly March 14, 2013 Author Share March 14, 2013 Google is free and much more than just one author's view point. Books are great for other subjects but not for stocking imo. You need others' actual experience here (and more than just one or two threads imo!). I think you could do 5 in that tank but that's just me not knowing your tank at all - I also don't know what the minimum number for Bartlett's is (it could very well be much higher) and you should research the species more imo and what others have kept long term as far as numbers (again just tons of google). Single anthias are great, personable fish if you decide to not get any more. I caught mine by scooping the net in the tank really fast when i tossed in a bunch of food. She had no time to react to the net. good point! It is just hard being a noob. You think you are doing what's right and good then you find out different. You are right though with expierances vs books. I have noticed that with this hobby. Yeah if you want to go Anthia hunting in my tank feel free lol So far it is outsmarting me! If I move in my living room it darts for the cave. I can be on the opposite side of the room. Pez was laughing at me last night. I decided after a few attempts to give him a break and hopefully he will forget what I am trying to do and I will get him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunWyrm March 14, 2013 Share March 14, 2013 I know the feeling! As long as she's active, eating, and doesn't have significant damage to the body/tail she's doing ok enough in my book, you might be able to just observe her in this tank if she's not getting any worse. If you really can't catch her it might be worth it to add a few more as long as they're slightly smaller - your dominant one should focus on the newcomers and they might (in theory) let the larger, beat-on one be the dominant female, if not at least then she goes to the bottom of the hierarchy and the aggression would be spread out a little more. You also have to take in the risk of introducing disease with the new ones however, so please buy carefully... One thing I learned from my Huchtii anthias experience is to always have a VERY dominant male, and if he dies get a replacement asap - the fights for dominance that occur afterwards and while the dominant female is changing are never pretty. And we're all noobs, some of us just know more about some topics than others. I have no idea what I'm doing with my skimmer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huly March 14, 2013 Author Share March 14, 2013 I do not have a male that I know of. Would adding a male help? I think they are different colors and my two look exact same. She seems to be happy and healthy besides the top fin (photos above) She was mimicking the Benny and the Tang last night! They were hanging on one side playing in the flow while the other was with the clowns on the opposite side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunWyrm March 14, 2013 Share March 14, 2013 It's also possible you have two sub-males or 2 females changing at the same time, maybe even a male and a sub. That could explain new aggression that you might not have had before if you've had these fish for a little while. Look up some images of bartlett's and compare them to both. Look at the color differences on the top of the head. Yours looks like it has much less yellow on the face than some on Google. Disclaimer - I have not yet kept bartlett's and their color patterns are pretty confusing to me lol. Before getting a "super male" or anything like it, you should definitely make sure the aggressor right now isn't changing because if you were to add a nicer male now, even with a few more females, you'll have the same thing again. My personal plan (I'm not sure at this point if it's the right one but it's definitely what I should've done for my huchtiis) is to keep another full male in a separate tank in case something happens to the male with the harem. I know this isn't something everyone can do - my crazy self has tanks spread all over the house though... This way if anything goes wrong I can replace the male the same day with another equivalent male. The best thing you can do right now is compare google images to your anthias and see what's really going on. Then devise a plan as to what sex and how many fish you're going to add if any. It's good that she's hanging out with the other fish, that will probably help her a lot. TL;DR - Anthias hierarchy's are like a very complicated soap opera... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunWyrm March 14, 2013 Share March 14, 2013 Hope I'm not giving terrible information here... If anyone has more experience with bartlett's please step in and save me from putting my foot in my mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huly March 14, 2013 Author Share March 14, 2013 There is no such thing as too much info! I was having a blast watching her and the two play last night. It was like they had a game I can do this, can you? No but look what I can do and so on. It was too cute! No agression at all just playing in the flow. Going to research and google photos now. Thank you so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunWyrm March 14, 2013 Share March 14, 2013 (edited) Keep watching, you're sure to see some really neat interspecies behavior. My hawkfish break up fights all the time with my male always going after the bully, the female always sitting very close to the victim (I have too many damsel related fights going on right now lol). Really, really interesting to see. I'm sure I anthropomorphize my fish way too much, but there are some social behaviors that are unique (and really cool!) in the tiny environments we keep. Edited March 14, 2013 by YiatzOfEden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huly March 14, 2013 Author Share March 14, 2013 If I am reading this proper we might be screwed! It is very hard to tell from what I have seen but both of our Anthias might be turning male. I am going to take a closer look tonight at the heads but I think both now have hot pink stripes which supposedly the males get as they start to change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunWyrm March 14, 2013 Share March 14, 2013 Which one do you like more? Keep one as your harem male, and one as a backup lol. (If you do this I'd wait a few weeks for a full change to male) This might become whichever one you catch first... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huly March 14, 2013 Author Share March 14, 2013 Which one do you like more? Keep one as your harem male, and one as a backup lol. (If you do this I'd wait a few weeks for a full change to male) This might become whichever one you catch first... yeah just from the images I saw it looks possible. We are going to be keeping a sharp eye on both to see what we need to do and then one will probably find a new home within the WAMAS community WAMAS helps fix your mistakes LOL It is really hard to tell as some photos show females with all yellow heads and some state a female with a pick stripe but all male photos start as a pink stripe then turn more pink. We have had them since mid February and it looks like from old photos both have gained pink in their heads! We got 2 thinking like clowns one would go male one female then we would have a pair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huly March 14, 2013 Author Share March 14, 2013 You can see the submissive injured one above but here are a few shots of the bully when we got them and now. Got them they were a lot lighter Now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huly March 14, 2013 Author Share March 14, 2013 Here is a full tank shot! Shows injured one off to see the Benny and the bully with the clowns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now