Twinspot anthias

The twinspot anthias is a marine reef fish of the family Serranidae, found in the Indo-Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean. Males are brilliant orange-red with a distinctive elongated body and marking, while females are more uniformly orange-yellow, showing the strong sexual dimorphism typical of anthias. It is a planktivore that lives in aggregations along reef slopes and drop-offs, feeding on drifting zooplankton in open water. Groups are haremic, led by a dominant male, and females can change sex to replace a lost male. In captivity it requires a large, well-established aquarium with strong water flow, plenty of open swimming room, and multiple daily feedings of enriched mysis and brine shrimp to maintain condition. It is peaceful but can be shy initially and does best in a species group with calm tankmates in a peaceful reef community.