The Anthias That Wasn't One
There are some really great Anthias species that are on the hardy list, some of these are small and docile(ish) and reef safe. Conversely, there are many gorgeous / unique small ones that are more challenging to keep, or are very aggressive, or get pretty big. Many hobbyists like yourself have found themselves wanting a small (lets say under two inches) schooling anthias that is a little different than what is commonly available, but are dismayed by the options available, or are quickly out of their depth with a group of fish that has very intense husbandry demands. It is to you, that I make the following suggestion. You're looking at the wrong fish.
Really what you want is a stunningly colorful group of fish, preferably with a jaw dropping male that flashes about putting on a show for a harem of beautiful but slightly less extravagant females... Anthias give you this, but so does another fish, in fact a whole group of fish; so why haven't you thought of keeping a harem of Flasher (aka Fairy) Wrasses like the Carpenter's Wrasse (Paracheilinus carpenteri)? These are everything you want from a group of Anthias, but in a much more aquarium friendly package. Carpenter's Wrasses stay small, are extraordinarily docile, are completely reef safe, and exhibit all the same brilliant color and harem activity you want to see from the Anthias, so what's the holdup?
Carpenter's Wrasse is a common fish throughout the Central and Western Pacific Ocean, where they are a relatively deep water species; they are frequently collected between 100 and 200 feet deep. This depth of collection means they are somewhat less frequently seen than many fish with similar wild population distribution. They form large schools near deep reefs where they eat a wide variety of suspended foods. They are hermaphroditic, and the most dominant female in a group will segue into a male if there isn't one, or there are insufficient numbers of males in a school.
Carpenter's wrasses are easy to keep, and will do just fine in any aquarium that has a stable environment within the parameters we always talk about with reef husbandry. Temps from the mid 70s to 80 or so, we like to keep ours at 78. Your targets for alkalinity, salinity and pH are the same as any properly utilized quality saltwater mix, and so if you are keeping up regular water changes and keep an eye on excess nutrients, you should have no problems keeping them. They like lots of flow, and copious rockwork with many small hiding places. A sand bed is not requisite, as these will usually sleep in crevices in your rocks. Your rock scape should be glorious; the more places these have to hide, the more bold they will be.
We feed them a meaty mix of thawed marine based foods and a good high quality pellet at the same time. It doesn't take long for them to greedily take the pellets, even here in our system. One note is that the Flasher Wrasses in general are so peaceful that they may hide during feeding when initially placed. Be sure to keep them with other very docile species and be patient in your attempts to get them used to your presence tank side. Paracheilinus carpenteri are a very active fish, and thus should be fed small meals, at least 2x a day, and more / smaller meals never hurt.
So, for those of you who want that a brilliant, small, schooling, hardy, reef safe, docile fish, you should look into a harem of Carpenter's Wrasses, think 5 or more. The rebuttal is going to be, but aren't these going to be a ton more expensive than Anthias, and to your surprise and delight, the answer is no, they aren't. In fact, most are a little less money than even the most common Anthias like Lyretails and Dispars. So head to your LFS, and tell them, “I would like a harem of Carpenter's Wrasses from Quality Marine please.” Everyone who sees your aquarium is going to think you are a genius for utilizing this wildly underappreciated fish so well in your display. You can take the credit. We're good with that.