Stark’s Tilefish

Overview

Stark's Tilefish is a slender, elegant fish with a soft blue-grey body and a distinctive dark stripe running from the eye to the tail, spending much of its time hovering near a burrow it constructs in the substrate or rockwork. It's a peaceful, reef-safe species that adds graceful mid-to-upper water column movement to a larger reef tank.

It needs a good deal of open swimming space along with secure rockwork offering plenty of crevices for retreat, since it dives for cover instantly at any sign of danger.

It's a notorious jumper, more so than many other reef fish, making a completely secure, gap-free lid an absolute requirement rather than a nice-to-have with this species.

Compatibility

Stark's Tilefish are peaceful and fully reef safe, ignoring corals and invertebrates. They can occasionally show territorial behaviour toward other tilefish sharing the same burrow area, so multiple individuals need adequate space and separate refuge zones.

They generally coexist well with other calm, non-aggressive community fish and are rarely a source of conflict in a mixed reef tank.

Health & quarantine

This species is generally hardy once settled, but it is an exceptionally strong jumper, and even a small gap in the aquarium lid is often enough for it to escape, so this is the single most important practical consideration when keeping it. A minimum four-week quarantine is recommended, and providing secure rockwork with crevices from day one helps it settle and feel safe more quickly.