Flashing Tilefish pic
 

Picked this guy up on Friday. So far he only comes out to eat, hides under a rock most of the time. He stays blue and hasn't flashed since I first added him, which is good as the flashing indicates stress. This is a horrible picture, but my skills are seriously lacking with the camera.

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...3/DSC_0687.jpg

Great fishy :D

And nice to know that its eating because I heard that they can be a bit picky when it comes to food.

Why don't you just give it a small poke and see whether it flashes. Because other than that, you would never know whether its a flashing tilefish or just a regular one (a.k.a got ripped off by the seller) :P . JK :D

Thanks! Oh he flashes, did it constantly while acclimating and even for a while after he went in the tank. He's venturing out a bit more when it's quiet around the tank. I've read that too about feeding, he's quite aggressive when I drop in food and goes for the big pieces :mrgreen:

I'm glad I covered the tank, the first night after the lights went out, he beelined for the surface constantly. I was up late last night and didn't see him out at all. Was told to keep the tank covered for a few weeks while he settles in.

Great :D Eating fish = happy fish. That's how I judge :P

Do get a video up when it starts flashing. That fish is a gem :D

A video is a must. I have my camera by the tank every time I feed so hopefully I can get something decent.

very nice fish!

This morning I checked both tanks as I normally do, and found my tilefish stuck to the power head - dead. Not sure why. I noticed abrasions on his head but don't know if something in the tank caused it or just the powerhead. I had the tank covered to keep him from jumping, he was very active, ate like a pig and had become quite "social". He didn't flash often and if he did, it was at feeding time and did it to the other fish. Hate losing fish...:sad:

Ah sorry to hear about your loss :( I guess the curiosity got its life :(

im thinking you might need something like a foam piece around your power heads.
or something to stop the fish from being sucked into it

This was in my 55 gl tank, not the 180 and its a koralia 2. I don't believe the power head was the issue as he was a pretty strong swimmer and was all over the tank. Hard to say though, you might be right...

I think you're right about it not being the powerhead. I have yet to see a healthy fish have problems with one. I have however seen plenty of small fish picking at algae or food stuck to the powerheads without issue. It could just be the fish was too stressed and it finally caught up with the poor guy. It feels bad when you try your best to have a healthy happy tank for a new fish yet it still perishes despite your best efforts.:sad:

It sucks for 2 reasons - 1) this fish was so cool, he looked to me like he had a shark face, was greedy when it came to food. His base coloring was gorgeous purple/blue and orange/yellow on the edges of all his fins. He seemed really settled in the tank. 2) he was expensive.

I made sure I fed him as required, 2x's per day, tank was covered up which allowed our PITA cat to try to sit on top of the tank. No I don't think this was an issue as there was no way for the cat to get at the fish. The other fish (2 clowns, 2 cardinals and flame angel) did not bother him (that I saw) and he was not aggressive to the other fish. So the 2 fish I bought on the same day are now both gone.....

That is really unfortunate, Sheena. Even worse that it happened after three weeks in the tank. You'd think that by that point the chances of not losing him would be a lot lower.

Thanks Shelley, I know they are a tough fish to keep, which was why it went in the small tank with peaceful fish. I was told to keep the tank covered for a few weeks, but after watching how it swam, I was not going to remove the cover at all. I watched him every feeding and at no time was concerned. My RBTA has gotten huge in the last while, maybe it stung him? Maybe these are a fish that should be left in the ocean. I won't be trying another for sure.