Red-bar Anthias

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Broadly distributed in the tropical Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Line Islands, north to southern Japan, and south to Australia and New Caledonia. Inhabits current-swept reefs at depths of 10 to 60 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Belonging to the family Serranidae. Features a slender, streamlined body typical of water column feeders. Reaches a maximum total length of approximately 14 cm.

Social Behavior: Forms large schooling harems composed of a single dominant male and a harem of females. They swim actively and tightly together to deter predators.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: The male is reddish-pink with a distinctive vertical blood-red bar or patch in the middle of the flanks, and blue-tipped fins. The female is uniform pinkish-orange, lacking the red bar.

Aquarium Setup: Demands an aquarium of at least 300 liters to house a small group. Ample open swimming space and rock structures forming caves and tunnels are required. Excellent filtration with a strong skimmer is necessary. A lid is mandatory.

Diet and Feeding: Zooplanktivorous. In captivity, it must be fed 2 to 3 times daily with frozen foods like mysis, brine shrimp, and calanus. It can eventually adapt to high-quality dry micro-granules.

Water Quality: Pristine and highly oxygenated water is required. Temperature 22-27°C, pH 8.1-8.4, salinity SG 1.020-1.026. GH 15-25. Needs strong water movement to mimic its native current-swept habitat.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: 100% reef safe. Ideal for SPS and LPS reef aquariums. Coexists peacefully with other docile reef fish. Do not house with highly aggressive species or large predators.

Aquarium Breeding: Protogynous hermaphrodite. Captive reproduction is undocumented due to the extreme difficulty of raising pelagic larvae.

Risks and Diseases: Highly prone to starvation if not fed multiple times a day. Susceptible to marine ich (Cryptocaryon) if subjected to rapid temperature changes.