Although Anthias resemble damsels in shape and size, the two should never be confused. Where the girls are goats in the world of salt water, Anthias (also called "fairy Basslets) are finicky and many die of starvation in captivity. In nature, feeding on zooplankton, and will not accept anything more than the aquarium. It is also almost always have to be fed three times a day at least. The best way to ensure the health and longevity of an Anthias is to place a shelter where they can grow copepods "drip" in the display tank. Unlike many other inhabitants of the saltwater aquarium can be kept in groups.
Common name | Taxonomy | Description | Max size | ||||
Bartlett's anthias | Back and face light yellow, underside pink with a swallowtail-shaped caudal fin. | 9 cm (3 inch) | |||||
Bicolor anthias | Similarly shaped and coloured to Bartlett's Anthias, but with a slightly more rounded back. | 13 cm (5 inch) | |||||
Cooper's anthias | Orange back and finnage with white patch below the mouth running down toward the anal fin with pink sides. | 14 cm (5 inch) | |||||
Diadem anthias | Pink fish with yellow streak on top of head running along the lateral line. Caudal fin is red with yellow tips. | 7 cm (2 inch) | |||||
Orangehead anthias | Pink underside with orange back and mask, dark red splotch on caudal fin, along with iridescent blue anal and pelvic fins. | 13 cm (5 inch) | |||||
Redbar anthias | Tannish-pink with a single vertical red stripe and a dorsal fin with the skin between the rays pulled back like on a lionfish. | 12 cm (4 inch) | |||||
 Lyretail anthias | Also known as Sea Goldie. Orange with lyre-shaped caudal fin. | 15 cm (6 inch) | |||||
 Squareback anthias | Red back and pink underside with distinctive blue square shaped marking and blue fins. | 20 cm (7 inch) | |||||
Stocky anthias | Orange back with cream colored underside. As its name suggests, slightly stockier than other Anthias. | 19 cm (7 inch) | |||||
 Threadfin anthias | Olive green with black caudal fin and red stripe running from the eye to the pectoral fin. | 12 cm (4 inch) | |||||
