Squareblock Anthias
Snapshot: Also known as the Squarespot or Squareback Anthias. Females rock a yellow body with a lavender belly and sometimes a slick blue line from nose to fin. Meanwhile, males strut their stuff in pink with a lavender belly and a light rectangular shape on the side.
Other tidbits: Can grow up to 20cm or so. Native to the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region.
Bare bones must know: Live-rock fish-only system, fish-only system, or reef aquarium. Larger size aquarium needed. Low, indirect lighting.
Aquarium set-up: Begin with a fine to medium-grain sand substrate. It's Anthias heaven for sifting. Anthias love hideaways, perches, and hangouts. Mix up live rock with different shapes and sizes to craft caves, overhangs, and swim-throughs. Give them plenty of room to zip around freely. For this Anthias variety to shine in all its glory, keep the lighting low and indirect, or risk dimming its brilliant colors.Maintain an aquatic utopia by nailing the basics: rock-solid water quality with top-notch filtration and routine partial water changes.
Feeding: Anthias thrive on variety, gobbling up frozen mysis shrimp and enriched brine shrimp. Over time, sprinkle in high-quality flake foods in small doses throughout the day. But for the pièce de résistance, set up a refugium packed with copepods and amphipods — an endless buffet of live treats for these lively planktivores.
AQT note: All our fish feast on a diet of seaweed, marine pellets, flakes and frozen treats under our care. Keep the feast going in your tank!