Purple Tilefish

[Kremis]

Hey all, I picked up 2 purple tilefish today and was wondering if anyone had any extra advice about keeping them. They both ate within 1 minute of being put into the tank :dance: The tank is 180 gallons with a 2-3 inch sand bed. I read that they liked to be kept in groups, so I got 2 instead of 1 Anyone have any long term success stories with these guys?

 

[laga77]

They are the worst jumpers ever. They can get out of little holes just like an Octopus. I had a purple and a blue head. I lost the purple when he injured himself hitting the screen cover. When someone walked into the room, it would startle him, and he`d jump and hit the mesh hard enough to move the cover. They will also dig a cave and disappear for a day or two. The blue head is doing great and eats like a pig.

 

[Lmax8rn]

I have three purples and a flasher. Laga77 is 100% correct on the jumping comment, I have very tight fitting screens, but they still try to jump. I have even had to put gutter guard on my overflows and PVC along my center brace where all is up to the top screen. Yes, they were jumping into the 1 cm space on the center brace between it and the mesh top! Besides that, mine are VERY personable and always out. They love to swim up to me when I am near the tank, as they know I am their food source. I have had them about a year and a half, however tilefish in general can be difficult. I started with the 3 purples, which I still have, but along the way have introduced and lost 3 skunks, 2 blue headed, and one flasher, due to either jumping or a failure to thrive. Two of my skunks, I believe came from a careless warehouse and appear to have been collected with cyanide, from the research I did and the way they died.

Overall, they are by far my favorite fish, personable, beautiful, and peaceful reef fish, however I once had a yellow one that was a bit aggressive. The only fish my purples have EVER been aggressive with was a little snowflake eel, they would literally dive-bomb him, so the yellow tile and the snowflake were sold to a fellow reefer.

 

[Kremis]

I have three purples and a flasher. Laga77 is 100% correct on the jumping comment, I have very tight fitting screens, but they still try to jump. I have even had to put gutter guard on my overflows and PVC along my center brace where all is up to the top screen. Yes, they were jumping into the 1 cm space on the center brace between it and the mesh top! Besides that, mine are VERY personable and always out. They love to swim up to me when I am near the tank, as they know I am their food source. I have had them about a year and a half, however tilefish in general can be difficult. I started with the 3 purples, which I still have, but along the way have introduced and lost 3 skunks, 2 blue headed, and one flasher, due to either jumping or a failure to thrive. Two of my skunks, I believe came from a careless warehouse and appear to have been collected with cyanide, from the research I did and the way they died.

Overall, they are by far my favorite fish, personable, beautiful, and peaceful reef fish, however I once had a yellow one that was a bit aggressive. The only fish my purples have EVER been aggressive with was a little snowflake eel, they would literally dive-bomb him, so the yellow tile and the snowflake were sold to a fellow reefer.

oh boy, I have a snowflake eel. lol. Thanks for the advice :thumbsup:

 

[Lmax8rn]

oh boy, I have a snowflake eel. lol. Thanks for the advice :thumbsup:

You are welcome! How are your tilefish doing?