Lyretial anthias are always becomes one of most interesting species in the world because of their colorful patterns and beautiful fins. Even for saltwater fish, lyretail anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis) have beautiful colors. Differentiating between the sexes can be important for fish kept in the confines of an aquarium, because these fish are very aggressive.
The Lyretail anthias is known under many different names, such as Squami Anthias, Pink Anthias, Scalefin Anthias, and Jewel Anthias. Lyretail anthias or Orange lyretail anthias are however the most commonly used names for this species. It is one of the largest anthias and it is also one the hardiest and most readily available species. You should usually be able to get a hold of this fish without too much trouble. It is a good choice if you want to try keeping anthias.
Scientific Name : Pseudanthias squamipinnis
Family : Serranidae (Sea basses: groupers and fairy basslets)
Size : 6 inches
Temperature : 74 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit
Origin : Indian Ocean and Western Pacific Ocean
Lyretial anthias is a marine aquarium fish native to Indo-west pacific. Most interesting feature about lyretail anthias is all the fishes in the species born as females and will change to male upon growing. The color of this species also changes in growing stage.
The Lyretail Anthias is the social butterfly of marine aquariums. This eye-catching fish is incredibly active and helps draw out shier fish that share the aquarium. The Lyretail Anthias is also known as the Scalefin and the males have bright red coloration of varying hues while the female Lyretail Anthias tends to be more orange in coloration.
The Lyretail Anthias does best when kept in a group and housed in a species-specific aquarium of at least 125 gallons in size. Male Lyretail Anthias are best kept alone or with several females. Though the Lyretail Anthias generally occupy the middle of the aquarium, it appreciates the availability of several hiding places.
The lyretail anthias is unlike many other anthias species easy to care for and can be recommended to beginners that have an aquarium large enough to house them. They need large aquariums despite their small size as they have a semi-pelagic lifestyle and swim a lot.
Anthias species all share the trait of being hermaphroditic. If a dominant male perishes, the largest female of the group will often develop into a male to take his place.
Battle of the Sexes
All anthias start life as females. The largest, most dominant female in the school becomes a male. Large schools, with one male and many females, live as harems on reefs. Males will drive off any other males, and females will create a pecking order by beating up subordinates. Due to this aggression, it can be very difficult to keep more than one in captivity, except in very large tanks with one male and multiple females.
Size
You can differentiate between the sexes by size. Males grow larger than females. Females usually top out at around 2.75 inches, while males may reach half a foot in length. However, a female can become male in the absence of other males, so fish of intermediate size could be females in the process of becoming male.
Coloration
Lyretail anthias live over a very large area. Because of this, many color variants exist. Females can range from yellow to orange to reddish. For this reason, lyretail anthias are also called "sea goldies" in parts of their range. Males always have a more purplish color than females. Additionally, males have a reddish patch on their pectoral (side) fins. This reddish blotch is never present on female lyretail anthias.
Finnage
Males and females also have different fins. On males, the fins are longer. Also, the top and bottom spine on the male's caudal (tail) fin extend, trailing behind the fin. Additionally, the third spine of the dorsal (back) fin extends upward on the male. This spine looks almost flaglike. In general, if a lyretail anthia has any rays extending off its fins, it is probably a male.
Lyretail Anthias care and aquarium setup
The lyretail anthias lives above coral reefs in the wild and your aquarium need to mimic the conditions they faces in the wild. This includes rapid current, hiding places and open water.
To provide them with a suitable environment you should make sure that the aquarium has strong circulation with a few calmer areas where tired lyretail anthias can rest. The aquarium should contain a lot of caves among live rocks. Try to provide them with a couple of large overhang where they can rest when they want to come out of the light. Feel free to include corals in the decoration. Make sure that you leave plenty of open space for your lyretail anthias to swim on when you decorate the aquarium. They prefer a not too brightly lit aquarium.
Ideal conditions for the lyretail anthias is pH 8.1-8.4, salinity 1.020-1.025 and temperature 72-78ºF (22°C - 26°C)
Feeding Lyretail Anthias
Giving your lyretail anthias a proper diet and enough food are two of the most important aspects of keeping this species. They feed on plankton in the wild and in aquariums you need to give them a varied diet. They might or might not accept flake food. They have very small mouths and need to be fed small food. Suitable food can for instance be mysid shrimps, vitamin enriched brine shrimp, and finely chopped sea food. You should feed your lyretail anthias at least 3 times a day. Feeding them color enhancing food can help make sure that they don't loose their color.
Breeding Lyretail Anthias
Sexing lyretail anthias is easy: the males are more colorful than the yellow females. The male also has a very elongated dorsal spine while females don't.
The lyretail anthias is a protogynous hermaphroditic species. This means that all lyretail anthias are born as females and only develop into males if there is a shortage of males. If the male fall prey to a predator the dominant female turns into a male in a couple of weeks. Once they have turned into males they can not turn back. If you buy a group of juveniles you will end up with a harem.
No one has as far as we know successfully bred lyretail anthias in aquariums.
