All fish / Malacanthidae

Starck's Tilefish

Hoplolatilus starcki

Also known as blue-headed tilefish, bluehead tilefish, starcki tilefish, stark's tilefish, purple-headed tilefish, blue-faced tilefish, ハナビヤマドリモドキ, 斯氏似弱棘鱼

A slender, active tilefish with a bright blue head that fades into a pale or yellowish body and tail. In the wild it hovers above rubble slopes on outer reef drop-offs, often quite deep, and darts into burrows when alarmed. Reef keepers prize it for its striking colour and peaceful nature.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

13 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

400 litres

Keep as

Singly or as a bonded pair; groups only in very large tanks

Diet

Carnivore: mysis, enriched brine shrimp, chopped seafood and small meaty frozen foods fed several times a day

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western and central Pacific: Philippines and Indonesia east to Pitcairn, Micronesia

Breeding

It is a pair-forming egg scatterer that spawns in open water, but captive breeding has not been reported and is not practical in home aquariums.

Good to know

Very nervous and prone to jumping, so the tank needs a tight-fitting lid, and stress from collection deep on the reef means it needs careful acclimatisation. Keep it away from aggressive tankmates and give it rubble or rockwork it can retreat into.