Overview
The Purple Queen Anthias is a strikingly coloured anthias with a deep purple-to-lavender body and a bright yellow or gold dorsal stripe running along the back, one of the more visually vivid anthias species commonly available. It's a naturally social, shoaling fish that shows its best colour and behaviour when kept in a small group rather than alone.
Like other anthias it's a constant, fast-metabolism feeder that needs regular meals of small meaty foods throughout the day, doing best in an established, stable tank with good water flow to support its active planktivorous lifestyle.
Its larger size compared to some other anthias and vivid colouration make it a popular centrepiece choice for a bigger reef display.
Compatibility
Purple Queen Anthias are peaceful and reef safe, ignoring corals and invertebrates entirely. They do best in a group of one male with several females, and can be housed with other peaceful reef fish without issue, though boisterous or aggressive tankmates can outcompete them for food.
Multiple males in a small tank may show aggression toward one another, so stocking ratios matter if keeping a group.
Health & quarantine
As with all anthias, this species can decline quickly if underfed or exposed to unstable water conditions, so a mature tank and consistent feeding schedule are essential. A minimum two-to-four-week quarantine with careful feeding monitoring is recommended, and new arrivals should be watched closely to confirm they're eating within the first few days.
Frequently asked questions
Should I keep Purple Queen Anthias alone or in groups?
How often do Purple Queen Anthias need to be fed?
Is the Purple Queen Anthias reef safe?
What happens if the male in a group dies?
What tank size suits a group of Purple Queen Anthias?
Care guidance is drawn from our own experience — every fish is an individual, so treat it as a starting point, not a guarantee. Not sure if a species suits your tank? Come ask us in store. New to the terms? Read the care-terms glossary.