Flashing Tilefish

[cbadrik]

Does anyone currently has any in their tanks and do they still flash?

 

[snorvich]

I have one. But I have never seen it flash.

 

[skibum9884]

I believe it is better when they do not flash? As I recall, it is a sign of stress.

 

[small alien]

How long have you had yours, Steve? What color is it generally? I always thought those looked so cool, but if they don't flash, then it kind of limits the appeal even though they are still a very pretty fish.

 

[snorvich]

How long have you had yours, Steve? What color is it generally? I always thought those looked so cool, but if they don't flash, then it kind of limits the appeal even though they are still a very pretty fish.

Since I am color blind, I am the wrong person to ask. To me it looks like an "iridescent blue". Not quite three years and it is definitely somewhat cryptic.

 

[cbadrik]

I have one. But I have never seen it flash.

Steve ,

Same here! I have had mine for almost a month and had never seen it flash. I thought what they said might be true about it being stressed and that's why they flash, but i beg to differ. I have a powder blue tang that could not stop bothering him for almost 2 weeks. Every time the tilefish came out of its home, about 20 seconds or so, he would get chased right back into his hole.

The past 2 weeks the powder blue started to ease up and now lets the tilefish swim out in the open and then sometimes not, but yet to see him flash from being chased/harassed.

Last night I decided to wipe down my glass and noticed that every time I that i dried the glass and made the screeching noise, the tilefish would flash but would still stay out, like nothing was happening. If i wiped the glass and it didn't make any noise, he would hang out and stay the same electric blue color. I'm wondering if it's the noise that causes them to flash.

If you don't mind, I was wondering if you could try the same and report back to see if you get the same results? All I used is 2 paper towels. 1 to wet the glass and 1 to dry.

My wife is going to kill me, since my discovery, I have gone through 2 rolls of paper towels.:lolspin::lolspin::lolspin:

Chris

 

[snorvich]

Well, I have acrylic for all of my tanks including the one the tile fish is in. Add to that, I use Novus to clean so there is never cleaning "noise". I will try and figure out a way of replicating that noise.

 

[Iwishihadgills]

They wont flash when they are excited? Do any of you guys have them paired up?

 

[cbadrik]

I don't have mine paired. I'm working on it.

 

[snorvich]

No, only a single. Does someone know how to sex them?

 

[Iwishihadgills]

im interested in if they not only flash just from fright but also when mating or courting. Or if they are in a group and its used to relay that danger is coming.

 

[LemonLemon]

i had a pair, they died of fright and i replaced them with a trio.

the trio stayed with me for every well and ate everything. but they never flashed and will only do so when stressed. but once comfortable, the stress factor hardly gets to them and so they are blue almost all the time.

moreover, they tend to hide when stressed and change their colours in their hiding hole. so it's pretty useless to see them flashing unless you keep them in bare tanks.

anyway i sold the trio when i tore my first tank down.

 

[small alien]

Interesting. Thanks.