Tilefish… such personality!

[christinna77]

I want to hear all about your tilefish and their personalities!

I just got my skunk yesterday, and I'm in love. First of all, it isn’t scared at all - it swims right to the front of the tank to stare at me. It’s always hungry, constantly on the hunt. No matter what I throw in, it wants to eat it.

It’s also extremely curious. Yesterday I covered the QT tank to reduce transit stress since I move around the room a lot, and it poked its head out the entire time. It’s always looking for a way out - swimming to the surface with its head up, checking the lid. It does this during feedings too, which makes me a bit nervous lol. I never leave the lid off without watching, because I know it would jump out the moment I look away.

It’s so photogenic too, it LOVES posing for close up pictures. I usually try not to get attached until after quarantine, but this one already stole my heart.

 

[Kasrift]

I have one (had two, but one jumped through the eggcrate lid) flashing tilefish in QT right now. I agree with everything you said, they are very curious fish. Doesn't fuss at all when I do a water change and swims in and out around my hand. Definitely checks the surface too much for my liking.

 

[christinna77]

I have one (had two, but one jumped through the eggcrate lid) flashing tilefish in QT right now. I agree with everything you said, they are very curious fish. Doesn't fuss at all when I do a water change and swims in and out around my hand. Definitely checks the surface too much for my liking.

Hah, I actually layered two egg crate lids on top of each other, so there’s absolutely (I hope) no way for it to jump out now.

What’s your method for transferring them? I tried using my hands, but as soon as I submerged it and slowly opened my grip to release it into the QT tank, it jumped out for about ten seconds before I could put it back in - got my heart pumping, lol. Thinking of using a bucket next time.

 

[JoJosReef]

I believe @Slocke also likes tilefish.

 

[Slocke]

Yes!!
I love them, just fish they had a higher long term survival… but otherwise the best fish as they really do have great personality!

 

[Kasrift]

Hah, I actually layered two egg crate lids on top of each other, so there’s absolutely (I hope) no way for it to jump out now.

What’s your method for transferring them? I tried using my hands, but as soon as I submerged it and slowly opened my grip to release it into the QT tank, it jumped out for about ten seconds before I could put it back in - got my heart pumping, lol. Thinking of using a bucket next time.

I'll use a clear cup. Putting the two into the QT tank, they didn't care at all about being handled.

I've had the tilefish in a 20g long QT tank since April 30th, I ran three rounds of Prazi 8 days apart and one week of observation. Last week I finished 7 days of API general cure mixed in the food daily and now just doing observation before I put into the display.

I'm going to get a second one again, as I think it will do best in pairs.

 

[Kasrift]

@i cant think I read all your posts on the flashing tilefish before I got them. I'm not running copper because I don't want to cause copper burns on their gills since they are sensitive and I don't want to shorten its life. They are really good eaters, so prazi didn't affect anything.

It's pricey, but in almost four years of this hobby I've never seen the flashing tilefish for sale. @Fish & Coral Store has a ton in stock right now on their website.

@christinna77 I have the same double eggcrate now. I had eggcrate and an Amazon box lying on top of it, I took the box off after a water change and came out and found the second one on the floor. It sucks because it had finished the 3 rounds of Prazi and I was close to getting it to the display.

 

[Kasrift]

One last observation @christinna77 , when the pair were in the QT tank, they didn't surf the surface as much. They swam together lower in the tank, around mid level a lot.

 

[i cant think]

Tilefish is my favourite family of fish outside of wrasses and there’s a reason for it!
1. Their personalities are like dogs - constantly begging for food and attention (two of mine used to spit water for attention - my wrasses then picked up that trait).
2. Their colours! I’ve had a couple of flashing tilefish over the years and my last tile was a marcosi called Colgate (for obvious reasons). Even wrasses struggle to compete with them for colour!

Oh, you may be wondering how many I’ve had…
Well, here was my first Flashing (Chlupatyi)

I’ve had maybe 3 of this species - maybe 4 I’m not too sure. It’s one id have again in a heartbeat! I only have photos of the first one I had - I had that guy for around 6-8 months or so, and he thrived until March (specifically a week before my birthday…) where he decided to take his 3rd and final leap whilst I was feeding.

And Colgate my Macrosi :)

 

[Kasrift]

Tilefish is my favourite family of fish outside of wrasses and there’s a reason for it!
1. Their personalities are like dogs - constantly begging for food and attention (two of mine used to spit water for attention - my wrasses then picked up that trait).
2. Their colours! I’ve had a couple of flashing tilefish over the years and my last tile was a marcosi called Colgate (for obvious reasons). Even wrasses struggle to compete with them for colour!

Oh, you may be wondering how many I’ve had…
Well, here was my first Flashing (Chlupatyi)

I’ve had maybe 3 of this species - maybe 4 I’m not too sure. It’s one id have again in a heartbeat! I only have photos of the first one I had - I had that guy for around 6-8 months or so, and he thrived until March (specifically a week before my birthday…) where he decided to take his 3rd and final leap whilst I was feeding.

And Colgate my Macrosi :)

Great name.

I believe you said in another post that tilefish will get along. I was thinking of adding skunk tilefish too, but I didn't want to upset the flashing ones.

 

[christinna77]

Am I understanding it right that running copper isn't recommended for tilefish? I was going to start dosing in a few days, but now I'm worried. Should I just do two rounds of GC and observation only instead? Unfortunately, I don't have anything else on hand but Copper Power and GC, since I'm in Canada.

Also, @i cant think , beautiful pictures! Colgate cracked me up. We've been thinking of naming ours Nigiri

 

[Slocke]

 

[Slocke]

I just realized that the tile looks like it had a run in with a bristleworm and that's why it was visiting the cleaner wrasse and shrimp

 

[i cant think]

Am I understanding it right that running copper isn't recommended for tilefish? I was going to start dosing in a few days, but now I'm worried. Should I just do two rounds of GC and observation only instead? Unfortunately, I don't have anything else on hand but Copper Power and GC, since I'm in Canada.

Also, @i cant think , beautiful pictures! Colgate cracked me up. We've been thinking of naming ours Nigiri

I wouldn’t let a tilefish touch copper personally, it seems to do more harm than anything else - they commonly seem to get Copper Burns. I’ve found them to be pretty resistant to disease as a whole - definitely do an observation though!

 

[i cant think]

Great name.

I believe you said in another post that tilefish will get along. I was thinking of adding skunk tilefish too, but I didn't want to upset the flashing ones.

Yep! Tiles can be added together or separate and they tend to group happily IME.
I still use mirror tricks and what not when mixing tiles but it’s rare I need them for the tilefish (the other fish are another matter)

 

[Kasrift]

That dusky tilefish is huge. The cleaner wrasse looks tiny on him. I read tilefish can eat small shrimp/crabs? No issues with the tiles and cleaner shrimp?

 

[i cant think]

That dusky tilefish is huge. The cleaner wrasse looks tiny on him. I read tilefish can eat small shrimp/crabs? No issues with the tiles and cleaner shrimp?

The larger tiles (Banquilos) can definitely munch on inverts but our Hoplolatilus species rarely do that - they’re primarily planktivores :)

 

[Kasrift]

The larger tiles (Banquilos) can definitely munch on inverts but our Hoplolatilus species rarely do that - they’re primarily planktivores :)

Good to know. I was nervous, I wanted to get Junda Lin peppermint shrimp for my new tank and they are on the smaller side. I read the captive bred ones are really good at eating aiptaisia and want to prevent any chance of it in a new tank, but also want to make sure I don't get anything that will eat them.

 

[christinna77]

I wouldn’t let a tilefish touch copper personally, it seems to do more harm than anything else - they commonly seem to get Copper Burns. I’ve found them to be pretty resistant to disease as a whole - definitely do an observation though!

Awesome, will do. Glad you mentioned it! The tilefish was at the LFS for 2 weeks already doing great, and seems healthy, but I just put it together with a new butterfly they received last Friday. So, I think what I'll do is GC now, then observe for another 2 weeks, transfer it to DT, and then do copper with the butterfly only

 

[Kasrift]

Awesome, will do. Glad you mentioned it! The tilefish was at the LFS for 2 weeks already doing great, and seems healthy, but I just put it together with a new butterfly they received last Friday. So, I think what I'll do is GC now, then observe for another 2 weeks, transfer it to DT, and then do copper with the butterfly only

Sounds like you are doing things the right way with good level of caution. If you are concerned about infection, you could send off a eDNA test to Aquabiomics. Worth it if you are super concerned. I don't want anything getting into the display, so I'm sending off my fourth one for the QT that I have the flashing tilefish in right now.