Flame Anthias (Pseudanthias ignitus)

Flame Anthias Pseudanthias ignitus
Name	Flame Anthias
Name Lat.	Pseudanthias ignitus
Family	Sea Basses
Family lat.	Serranidae
Order	Perch-likes
Order lat.	Perciformes
Origin	Indian Ocean
Habitat	Seaward reefs
Diet	Planktivore
pH	8.1-8.4
Hardness	8-10 °KH
Behavior	Semi-aggressive
Keeping	Group
Reef Compatible	Yes
Care Level	Easy
Life Span	3-5 years
Protection	No
Metric Units
Size	6 cm
Temperature	24-28 °C
Salinity	33-36 ‰
Aquarium	~ 400 l
US Units
Size	2.5"
Temperature	75-82 °F
Salinity	1.020-1.025 sg
Aquarium	~ 100 gal

Distribution and habitat

The distribution area of Pseudanthias ignitus is the Indian Ocean, from the Maldives and the Andaman Islands to Thailand. They mostly live on the slopes of outer reefs with strong currents in 10-15 m depth.

Maintenance

They require a well-structured aquarium with a reef structure (many crevices and caves) and with live stones that act like a biological filter, as well as plenty of swimming space with a steady current. Only lime-rich, heavy metal-free sands, gravels, stones or sea sand of various grain sizes may be used as substrate

Filters, skimmers and heaters are necessary to ensure water quality, as well as pumps to simulate tides, swells and bottom currents. Lighting must correspond to the species-appropriate day-night rhythm of the animals

Salinity: 33-36 ‰	pH value: 8.1-8.4
Carbonate hardness: 8-10 °KH	Nitrate content: 2-8 mg/l
phosphate content: 0.01-0.1 mg/l	nitrite content: 0.0-0.05 mg/l

For salinity, an average value should be aimed for, which may only vary slightly by +/- 0.5 ‰. Ammonia and ammonium must not be measurable. Special attention must be paid to consistently good water quality and water values.

Diet

They are permanent feeders, feeding mainly on zooplankton and suspended algae. The food change does not always succeed without problems. The food supply should consist of a combination of live and frozen food, such as small mysis, krill, fish roe, lobster eggs, artemia, cyclops and bosmids, or a commercially available frozen special food mixture enriched with vitamins for plankton eaters. Dry food (granules, flakes) is rarely accepted

It is recommended to feed small portions several times a day (5-8 times). Regular and varied feeding promotes health and increases resistance.

Behaviour and compatibility

They should be kept in a group of at least 6 animals. To avoid ranking fights, one group should be introduced into the aquarium at a time. They have a highly specialized social behavior, skirmishes with short chases are normal (hiding places). Care should be taken when socializing with surgeonfish and red colored wrasses are often not tolerated. They usually behave peacefully towards other fish.

Sex dimorphism

They are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning males develop from functional females when needed. The males have a whitish underside of the head and are more reddish in color than the females, which have longer ventral fins.

Reproduction and breeding

There are no known reports of successful breeding in the aquarium.

Important

In case of danger they disappear in a flash into coral and rock crevices. A weak night light is advantageous, as they tend to jump out of the aquarium in complete darkness

It is recommended to keep these typical reef inhabitants together with corals and not to keep them in a fish-only aquarium.

If different species are kept together, make sure that the fish match each other in terms of water quality and temperature requirements as well as their social behavior, and that the setup meets the needs of all species kept together. Newly introduced fish must be acclimated slowly to the water in the aquarium

Further literature can be found in your pet store.

References

Text: Werner Winter; Image: Franz Lowak

Source: KUITER & DEBELIUS (2007): Atlas der Meeresfische: Die Fische an den Küsten der Weltmeere, Kosmos Verlag; ENGELMANN (2005): Zootierhaltung - Tiere in menschlicher Obhut: Fische, Verlag Harri Deutsch

• Gemäß § 21 Abs. 5 Tierschutzgesetz idgF