Anthias
Although Anthias resemble damsels in shape and size, the two should never be confused. Where damsels are the goats of the Saltwater world, Anthias (also called "Fairy Basslets") are finicky and many starve to death in captivity. In the wild, they eat zooplankton, and will not accept anything but in the aquarium. They also need to be fed nearly constantly, three times a day at least. The best way to ensure the health and longevity of an Anthias is to attach a refugium where you can grow copepods to "drip" into the display tank. Unlike many other saltwater aquarium inhabitants, they can be kept in groups.
The Bartlett's Anthias. This is one of the hardier members of the genus, although they can be delicate shippers. It must be kept in a spacious tank with optimal water quality. Provide it with plenty of hiding places and do not add it to a tank with any remotely aggressive tankmates. However, once it acclimates, it can take care of itself (that is, it can be kept with moderately pugnacious species like pygmy angels and small dottybacks, but until it acclimates, it can be wimpy). If you want to have a group, they should only be housed in a large tank of over 100 gallons. They will do fine singly.
Also known as the lyretail coralfish, the lyretail anthias or the scalefin anthia, but may be simply known as the goldfish. The sea goldie is a common sight to scuba divers in the Indian Ocean, and is a typical representative of the subfamily of Anthiinae (Anthias).
This species shows marked sexual dimorphism;
* Female: Length up to 7 cm, orange/gold colour with violet streak below the eye* Male: Length up to 15 cm, fuschia colour with elongated 3rd ray of the dorsal fin, a red patch on the pectoral fin and elongated margins of the tail.
The midas blenny, Ecsenius midas, goes through a phase of yellow colouration and is a social mimic of the sea goldie.
Pseudanthias pleurotaenia is a Pseudanthias fish from the Pacific Ocean that is also known as the squarespot anthias or pink square anthias. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade and grows to a size of 20cm in length. Males have bold coloration, with a pink squared spot on their side, while females are completely orange in color.
The Threadfin Anthias has a distinctive colour pattern and an elongated third dorsal fin spine and caudal fin lobes. Males have a prominent orange stripe from the eye to the middle of the pectoral fin. They also have a wide maroon band on the outer margin of the pelvic fin. Females and juveniles are greenish-yellow.
The Threadfin Anthias occurs from the Philippines through to the northern Great Barrier Reef and east to Vanuatu. It is often seen in aggregations above dropoffs on outer reef crests. Females greatly outnumber males.
This species grows to 12cm in length.