All fish / Serranidae (Anthiadinae)

Flame Anthias

Pseudanthias ignitus

Also known as flame anthias, flame basslet, ignitus anthias, nemanthias ignitus, flame fairy basslet, andaman anthias, ヒレナガハナダイの仲間, 火焰海金鱼

A small, slender anthias. Males are fiery orange-red with a yellowish back and blue-edged fins, while females are a softer orange with yellow tones. Reef keepers buy it for its strong colour and lively swimming in open water, and it is reef safe.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

8 cm

Temperature

23 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

300 litres

Keep as

One male with several females, or a single fish

Diet

Carnivore: frequent small feeds of mysis, enriched brine shrimp, copepods, finely chopped seafood and quality pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

4 to 6 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Eastern Indian Ocean: Andaman Sea, Maldives, Sri Lanka and western Thailand coasts

Breeding

It is a protogynous hermaphrodite that lives in harems, with the dominant female changing into a male if no male is present. It scatters pelagic eggs, and rearing the larvae in home aquariums is very rarely achieved.

Good to know

It needs feeding several times a day and can struggle to settle after shipping, so it suits experienced keepers with mature tanks. Males fight each other, so keep only one male per tank unless the system is very large.