Tilefish compatibility!

[Lemons]

Hey folks! It’s been a while and recently I upgraded my tank and decided I might treat myself to an orini tilefish

now i know its best practice to keep them in pairs. However, I have a yellow spotted tilefish which is in the same genus:

Hoplolatilus Fourmanoiri​

Hoplolatilus Orini​

(I think… the taxonomy on these fellas is a little touch and go) but they do have the same shape just different colour


my yellow did have a partner some time ago but I suspect they had a swim bladder issue from collection or a tumor:(
(long story short they don’t have a partner anymore)


now do you folks think they’d pair up? Or atleast not squabble?

thanks!

 

[sc50964]

How big is your tank?

My experience of pairing of different tile species is zero success after three tries.

 

[Lemons]

How big is your tank?

My experience of pairing of different tile species is zero success after three tries.

It’s an 80 gallon display, 48x19x24 inch respectively. Lots of caves as i know my yellow loves to hide

 

[sc50964]

It’s an 80 gallon display, 48x19x24 inch respectively. Lots of caves as i know my yellow loves to hide

Looking forward to see your tilefish pairing project.

I too got myself a 6.5” oreni months ago. It wasn’t an easy one to QT but he made it through. My attempt to have 4 tiles in a 4’ tank that’s 65 to 70 gallon full of caves was not successful. Purple & flashing were lost. Still got a skunk and of course the oreni now in separate tanks.

 

[Lemons]

Looking forward to see your tilefish pairing project.

I too got myself a 6.5” oreni months ago. It wasn’t an easy one to QT but he made it through. My attempt to have 4 tiles in a 4’ tank that’s 65 to 70 gallon full of caves was not successful. Purple & flashing were lost. Still got a skunk and of course the oreni now in separate tanks.

Haha well then i might just have to pull the trigger and keep everyone posted!

 

[Lemons]

Looking forward to see your tilefish pairing project.

I too got myself a 6.5” oreni months ago. It wasn’t an easy one to QT but he made it through. My attempt to have 4 tiles in a 4’ tank that’s 65 to 70 gallon full of caves was not successful. Purple & flashing were lost. Still got a skunk and of course the oreni now in separate tanks.

And in retrospect i tried a flashing aswell… but he slipped through a 1/6” inch gap… i was out at the time so i wasn’t sure if the yellow tile was picking on him.
But for now I’ll remove my yellow and give him some sump time so hopefully they forget about their territory… and then get myself my dream fish lol

 

[sc50964]

And in retrospect i tried a flashing aswell… but he slipped through a 1/6” inch gap… i was out at the time so i wasn’t sure if the yellow tile was picking on him.
But for now I’ll remove my yellow and give him some sump time so hopefully they forget about their territory… and then get myself my dream fish lol

I’m confused. I thought you just have one yellow tile now. Is that the one going to the sump?

 

[i cant think]

Hey folks! It’s been a while and recently I upgraded my tank and decided I might treat myself to an orini tilefish

now i know its best practice to keep them in pairs. However, I have a yellow spotted tilefish which is in the same genus:

Hoplolatilus Fourmanoiri​

Hoplolatilus Orini​

(I think… the taxonomy on these fellas is a little touch and go) but they do have the same shape just different colour


my yellow did have a partner some time ago but I suspect they had a swim bladder issue from collection or a tumor:(
(long story short they don’t have a partner anymore)


now do you folks think they’d pair up? Or atleast not squabble?

thanks!

I just wanted to say;
Oreni will not remain bright in a highly lit tank, to keep those nice bright colours you’ll want to have a dimmer lit tank with a nice diet.
Also, if you plan to QT then be warned that most Tilefish die due to it. It’s best to just risk it and ignore the QT stage.
They should work well, and yes you are correct they are of the same genus. Working together should work however considering your current one has been alone for a short period of time you’ll want to use an acclimation box for the Oreni. Don’t mess with sumping tilefish, it rarely goes well and honestly messing with an already settled fish that is relatively difficult is a bad idea.

 

[sc50964]

I just wanted to say;
Oreni will not remain bright in a highly lit tank, to keep those nice bright colours you’ll want to have a dimmer lit tank with a nice diet.
Also, if you plan to QT then be warned that most Tilefish die due to it. It’s best to just risk it and ignore the QT stage.
They should work well, and yes you are correct they are of the same genus. Working together should work however considering your current one has been alone for a short period of time you’ll want to use an acclimation box for the Oreni. Don’t mess with sumping tilefish, it rarely goes well and honestly messing with an already settled fish that is relatively difficult is a bad idea.

Any other advise on oreni?

I guess it’s not in the same genus as purple, skunk, and flashing.

I find my skunk to be a lot bolder while the larger oreni is more cautious.

 

[i cant think]

Any other advise on oreni?

I guess it’s not in the same genus as purple, skunk, and flashing.

I find my skunk to be a lot bolder while the larger oreni is more cautious.

All tilefish in the hobby are of the genus Hoplolatilus to my knowledge, the Banquilos are of the Malacanthus.
Yes, Oreni are more timid however you may find if you dim the lights it will be more active as in the wild they are from low light areas and in our high light tanks they are unlikely to feel secure unless given many dark areas to hide.

 

[Lemons]

Yea haha sorry i guess my wording was a little out of wack, i have only one tile fish right now.

I’m confused. I thought you just have one yellow tile now. Is that the one going to the sump

 

[Lemons]

I just wanted to say;
Oreni will not remain bright in a highly lit tank, to keep those nice bright colours you’ll want to have a dimmer lit tank with a nice diet.
Also, if you plan to QT then be warned that most Tilefish die due to it. It’s best to just risk it and ignore the QT stage.
They should work well, and yes you are correct they are of the same genus. Working together should work however considering your current one has been alone for a short period of time you’ll want to use an acclimation box for the Oreni. Don’t mess with sumping tilefish, it rarely goes well and honestly messing with an already settled fish that is relatively difficult is a bad idea.

I’ll be getting my orini from a local vendor who QT’s using humblefishes protocols. I’ve purchased multiple times so i feel fairly confident using them.
But yea I won’t bother stressing it out more by QTing more.

and for sure i’ll leave my yellow tile remain in the tank

 

[Lemons]

All tilefish in the hobby are of the genus Hoplolatilus to my knowledge, the Banquilos are of the Malacanthus.
Yes, Oreni are more timid however you may find if you dim the lights it will be more active as in the wild they are from low light areas and in our high light tanks they are unlikely to feel secure unless given many dark areas to hide.

Yea i have my tank set up as more of a “”dim”” lit LPS reef. But probably nothing like the deep water they’re used too

 

[sc50964]

All tilefish in the hobby are of the genus Hoplolatilus to my knowledge, the Banquilos are of the Malacanthus.
Yes, Oreni are more timid however you may find if you dim the lights it will be more active as in the wild they are from low light areas and in our high light tanks they are unlikely to feel secure unless given many dark areas to hide.

Since they are all in the same genus, does that mean they all should be able to pair up or at least co-exist?

 

[sc50964]

I just wanted to say;
Oreni will not remain bright in a highly lit tank, to keep those nice bright colours you’ll want to have a dimmer lit tank with a nice diet.
Also, if you plan to QT then be warned that most Tilefish die due to it. It’s best to just risk it and ignore the QT stage.
They should work well, and yes you are correct they are of the same genus. Working together should work however considering your current one has been alone for a short period of time you’ll want to use an acclimation box for the Oreni. Don’t mess with sumping tilefish, it rarely goes well and honestly messing with an already settled fish that is relatively difficult is a bad idea.

What’s difficult about doing QT for them?

I find them to be about the same as others with the exception of flashing, which was a lot more sensitive/nervous.

The oreni was only difficult because it was super large and didn’t take FWD well at all so that’s one thing I won’t do to tile QT, especially the larger ones, in the future.

other than that, they were fine with prazi, coppersafe, aqua-cipro, and metroplex

 

[i cant think]

What’s difficult about doing QT for them?

I find them to be about the same as others with the exception of flashing, which was a lot more sensitive/nervous.

The oreni was only difficult because it was super large and didn’t take FWD well at all so that’s one thing I won’t do to tile QT, especially the larger ones, in the future.

other than that, they were fine with prazi, coppersafe, aqua-cipro, and metroplex

Generally they’re all rather sensitive to Copper levels and often get left with copper burns. They also as you discovered, most of the time don’t take FWD too well.

 

[i cant think]

Since they are all in the same genus, does that mean they all should be able to pair up or at least co-exist?

They can all coexist and often, they settle best when kept in groups (Even if those groups are composed of different species).

I’ll be getting my orini from a local vendor who QT’s using humblefishes protocols. I’ve purchased multiple times so i feel fairly confident using them.
But yea I won’t bother stressing it out more by QTing more.

and for sure i’ll leave my yellow tile remain in the tank

I would still be weary - Copper levels as I said in my previous post, can leave these guys with burns and that can risk shortening their lifespan.

Yea i have my tank set up as more of a “”dim”” lit LPS reef. But probably nothing like the deep water they’re used too

You’ll likely find if you have enough caves these guys are more out and happy in your setup as they have a much better settling time in darker areas (My flashing tiles I’ve tried have always stayed near a dark cave when settling in, after they tend to be out however my recent specimen has vanished and I don’t believe is still with me unfortunately).

 

[sc50964]

They can all coexist and often, they settle best when kept in groups (Even if those groups are composed of different species).


I would still be weary - Copper levels as I said in my previous post, can leave these guys with burns and that can risk shortening their lifespan.

You’ll likely find if you have enough caves these guys are more out and happy in your setup as they have a much better settling time in darker areas (My flashing tiles I’ve tried have always stayed near a dark cave when settling in, after they tend to be out however my recent specimen has vanished and I don’t believe is still with me unfortunately).

Sounds great.

how many of the same kind or different kinds have you successfully kept? Pls share those info - tank size, tank mates, hard scape, food, feeding, etc.

Thanks!!

 

[i cant think]

Sounds great.

how many of the same kind or different kinds have you successfully kept? Pls share those info - tank size, tank mates, hard scape, food, feeding, etc.

Thanks!!

I’ve looked after almost every species seen in this hobby however in my personal tank I have only ever tried 2 specimens of one species - Hoplolatilus chlupatyi.
My first specimen of chlupatyi was brought back in November 2021. That specimen jumped 3 times and unfortunately the third jump was it - Just after it had hit 6 months in captivity as well. When I had this specimen I was only doing one feeding a day however that feeding was filled with nutrients (I can’t exactly remember what I fed).
My second specimen of Chlupatyi was brought in February and has recently gone missing.
I have a few videos hanging around of both specimens :)
Specimen 1;




Specimen 2;


And here’s a recent FTS of the reef both specimens have been in, if I find a 3rd Chlupatyi from a reliable LFS I’ll likely pick it up as this species is a gorgeous species and as you can see, they don’t only display when stressed and display for a multitude of reasons (often certain colours mean certain things).

Most tank mates are seen in this photo however there are 12 fish including the tilefish in the tank and it’s a 4’x2’x18” Mixed Reef (Softie/Leather dominant).
The fish missing from that FTS is my YWG and the Tilefish (who I’m not sure is still around - He hasn’t been found outside the tank but he also hasn’t been in his cave for a while).

 

[Lemons]

Welp.. my bonding experiment will have to wait as now my tank has EEFW so gonna have to deal with the damages from that before splurging