Stocky Anthias

Overview

The Stocky Anthias (Pseudanthias hypselosoma) is exactly what its name suggests — a broader, chunkier anthias than the usual slender fairy basslets. Base colour is pink, but a displaying male lights up beautifully with an orange back, fine yellow lines, a cream underside and a red-marked dorsal, while females are smaller and softer pink. It's one of the larger anthias in the trade, reaching around 18 cm, and it brings real presence and constant movement to the middle of a reef.

Found across the Indo-Pacific from the Maldives to the Great Barrier Reef, it hovers in shoals over protected reefs and lagoons, picking plankton from the current.

Crucially for anyone new to the group, the Stocky is one of the hardier, more forgiving anthias. It tends to accept prepared foods readily and settles reliably in an established reef — so while it still needs frequent feeding, a harem setup and a big tank, it's a great first anthias for a keeper who can meet those needs.

Compatibility

Toward the wider community the Stocky is peaceful and mixes well with calm reef fish such as wrasses, chromis, gobies, dartfish and non-aggressive tangs. It should only be housed with peaceful company, though — boisterous or dominant tankmates will stress it and keep it hiding.

The territorial side comes out with its own kind. Keep it as a harem of one male to several females (a group of six or more shows the most natural behaviour), and avoid housing two males together, as they'll fight. Add the group at the same time to spread out any aggression. A male will display to and gently harass his females, which is normal harem behaviour and part of what makes a shoal of these so lively to watch.

Health & quarantine

The Stocky is among the more robust anthias, with a reputation for adapting reliably and taking a variety of foods fairly quickly — a big part of its appeal. That said, the usual anthias fundamentals still apply: it's most susceptible to marine ich and bacterial issues when stressed or newly imported, so a quarantine period of a few weeks and a slow, unhurried acclimation pay off. Buy a fish you've seen feeding, keep it with peaceful tankmates, and maintain stable, pristine, well-oxygenated water with strong flow. Its fast metabolism means consistent, frequent feeding is essential to keep condition up. Given that, it's a hardy, long-term reef fish.