Starck's Blue Head Tilefish, Hoplolatilus Starcki

The Starck's Tilefish (Hoplolatilus starcki) can range in color from a bright sky blue as a juvenile, to pale yellow with a bright blue head as an adult. They are also known as Blueface Tilefish or Bluehead Tilefish.

The head of this fish is blue, and the body a pale yellow. The Blue Jaw Tilefish Goby is ideal for a dimly-lit, deep-water reef aquarium, although may eat small crustaceans, and require a tank with plenty of swimming space and a sandy bed, preferably live sand, to bury itself in at night and when threatened.

The Blue Jaw Tilefish should be housed in pairs or with other sand tilefish.

Their tank should be covered at all times as they are great jumpers. The Blue Tilefish Gobies tends to jump out so keep them in aquarium with lid or cover. The Blue Jaw Tilefish Gobies are observed to share the same burrow on sandy bottoms near coral rubble or leaf litter. They feed by one sifting a mouthful of sand while the other keeps watch for danger. They confuse predators by flashing their eye spots while swimming in such a way to resemble a sideway walking crab.

Maximum Size: The Blue Jaw Tilefish Goby grows up to 4 inches. The small size will come to you generally 2 to 3 inches; the medium generally 4 to 5 inches; the large generally 6 to 7 inches.

Minimum Tank Size Suggested: The Blue Jaw Tilefish Goby prefers a tank of at least 30 gallons with plenty of places to hide & swim. They require at least three inches of mixed substrate for borrowin.

Tank Conditions: The temperature between 72and 78 degrees Fahrenheit and a pH value of 8.3 or 8.4 are appropriate for Blue Jaw Tilefish Gobies. The specific gravity should remain between 1.020 and 1.025.. In an aquarium, the appropriate specific gravity would fall between 1.023 and 1.025.

Habitat: The Blue Jaw Tilefish has been known to spawn successfully while in an aquarium.

The Blue Jaw Tilefish are found in Indo-Pacific Ocean from Red Sea and islands in the western Indian Ocean to the Line and Marquesan Islands, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to the southern Great Barrier Reef; Mariana and Marshall Islands in Micronesia.

Feeding and Diet: The Blue Jaw Tilefish Goby are carnivore and their diet should consist of a variety of meaty foods, including brine shrimp, mysid shrimp and frozen carnivore preparations. Vitamin-enriched foods will help to keep their colouration bright. They need to be fed 3 to 4 times a day.