Redoing the Seafloor with Tile: The Subfamily Malacanthinae, Part II by Henry C. Schultz III

In the previous release of Fish Tales I opened the door on the Tilefish family. I will spare you a recap (or force you to read Part I if you haven't already!) and move right into this month's feature, Malacanthus. They stand opposite those featured last month, Hoplolatilus, and represent the second half of the Malacanthinae subfamily. If you did read last month's piece, then you may want to forget a large part of it because these two genera are not only different enough, biologically speaking, for ichthyologists to assign them to two distinct genera, but aquarium hobbyists should regard them much the same - similar, but worthy of distinct characterization.

In sharp contrast to Hoplolatilus, Malacanthus (Bloch, 1786) was formally described over 100 years prior to Hoplolatilus with the formal introduction of M. plumieri. Furthermore, Malacanthus has had no new additions to the genus since before Hoplolatilus existed! Lacepède (1801) introduced M. latovittatus and Guichenot (1848) described M. brevirostris to the world before the release of M. plumieri (Gunther, 1887). In total, Malacanthus is good for a hat-trick of species; that's three species, for those unfamiliar with hockey-speak.

The obvious reason for the distinct difference in the era of their discovery within the same family is solely due to the depths at which Malacanthus species are found. Shallower depths did not need to wait for the invention of S.C.U.B.A. before their first exploration, thus fish found in shallow water were the first that science had the opportunity to formally describe.

Only one species from Malacanthinae occurs in the Caribbean or Atlantic Ocean - Malacanthus plumieri. Records indicate individuals erecting ruble fortresses as far north as South Carolina and continuing south through Brazil. Ascension Island is their maximum eastward distribution, and their westerly distribution is stopped only by landfall along the American, Mexican and South American shorelines. The remaining two species in the genus Malacanthus, M. brevirostris and M. latovittatus, are widespread in the Indo-Pacific, both hailing from the Red Sea south along East Africa, west through Japan and stretching as far south as the cool waters of New Caledonia and eastern Australia.

Although M. plumieri is twice the size of the subfamily's next largest species, as hobbyists we can still use its den size for reference with other species of the subfamily. All members construct a similarly sized den in proportion to their body size. Malacanthus plumieri constructs a home over 6' wide and 3' deep. The territory these fish will extend outside their den is impressive. Malacanthus species are not nearly as frightful as their Hoplolatilus cousins, resulting in a much larger home range. Adult males of M. plumieri have been known to actively patrol an area 100 x 100 feet, or 10,000ft² (Michael, 2004).

In contrast to the plankton-feeding Hoplolatilus genus, Malacanthus species generally do their hunting on the seafloor. Their meal tickets are brittle stars, crabs and various shrimps, including small mantis shrimp. For the larger individuals, small wrasses and other fish, eels and…well…pretty much anything they can catch and swallow is fair game. Although these fish become large, their streamlined body shape includes a slender jaw line; one that is nowhere near the proportions of a similarly sized grouper.

Whereas Hoplolatilus sp. has not allowed ichthyologists the opportunity to witness a spawning event, Malacanthus plumieri has given biologists at least a small insight into their sexual behavior. The protogynous hermaphroditic males mate with a small harem of females, usually numbering up to six individuals. All these females are closely guarded during the daylight hours by the male, but they do not share their burrows with one another. Each female may defend a territory up to 300 square yards, but 50 - 100 square yards is more common. A single male may have to cover up to 900 - 1000 square yards in order to defend all the females in his harem. Females mated during up to 80% of the nights when they were observed, often mating two or three times each night (DeLoach, 1999). Malacanthus species release their eggs and gametes several feet into the water column, thus ensuring a large geographical spread of their pelagic larvae. Because Hoplolatilus are also pelagic, they are assumed to perform this same release of gametes and eggs as well.

As might be expected with a large mound of rubble smack in the middle of a sand bottom seafloor, this structure tends to attract a lot of attention. For example, the Caribbean Tilefish's mound attracts Yellowhead Jawfish on the den's outskirts, Lantern Bass on the den's fringing edge, Scorpionfish sitting inside the rubble mound and Cherub Angelfish roaming throughout the entire micro ecosystem.

Remembering the previous discussion on Hoplolatilus, I discussed their being delicate and poor shippers; more often than not it's difficult to acquire a healthy specimen. Fortunately, Malacanthus species are considerably different. As they most likely are collected from shallower waters, they usually arrive at local stores in decent health and, consequently, adapt easily to a home aquarium.

They are still scared, though, of most anything quicker or larger than themselves, but within a peaceful aquarium they typically settle in more quickly and become bolder than their Hoplolatilus cousins. However, they may feed upon the small gobies and pipefish generally considered ideal tankmates for Hoplolatilus. As a result the hobbyist needs to ensure that any tankmates do not appear to be bite-sized morsels. This especially includes mobile invertebrates such as ornamental shrimp, which will likely end up as worm food after exiting the Tilefish's backside. Again, corals are not at risk unless they resemble construction materials.

Compatibility chart for Malacanthus species:

Fish	Will Co-Exist	May Co-Exist	Will Not Co-Exist	Notes
Angels, Dwarf	X			Good choice.
Angels, Large		X		Larger individuals will likely frighten the Tilefish.
Anthias	X			Good choice.
Assessors			X	The Tilefish may harass the Assessor.
Basses		X		Tilefish should be added first.
Batfish		X		Tilefish should be added first; start with juvenile Batfish.
Blennies	X			Good choice.
Boxfish	X			Good choice.
Butterflies		X		Tilefish should be added first; start with a juvenile Butterfly.
Cardinals		X		Good choice, but avoid adult Tilefish with juvenile Cardinals.
Catfish	X			Good choice.
Comet		X		Good choice but add the Comet first.
Cowfish	X			Good choice.
Damsels			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Dottybacks		X		Stick with the small, peaceful Dottybacks.
Dragonets	X			Good choice.
Drums		X		Tilefish in first; start with a juvenile Drum.
Eels			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Filefish		X		Tilefish in first; start with a juvenile Filefish.
Frogfish		X		Ensure that the Frogfish cannot swallow the Tilefish.
Goatfish			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Gobies		X		Good choice assuming the Tilefish cannot swallow the Goby.
Grammas		X		Good choice provided enough rockwork exists for the Gramma.
Groupers			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Hamlets			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Hawkfish		X		Tilefish in first; start with a juvenile Hawkfish.
Jawfish	X			Good choice.
Lionfish	X			Good choice.
Parrotfish			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Pineapple Fish		X		Peaceful nocturnal fish will require more rockwork than normal for a Tilefish aquarium.
Pipefish			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Puffers			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Rabbitfish			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Sand Perches			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Scorpionfish	X			Good choice.
Seahorses			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Snappers			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Soapfish			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Soldierfish			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Spinecheeks			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Squirrelfish			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Surgeonfish			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Sweetlips			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Tilefish		X		Avoid Hoplolatilus species.
Toadfish			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Triggerfish			X	Not a good choice as the Tilefish will be harassed or frightened.
Waspfish	X			Good choice.
Wrasses		X		Leopard, Fairy and Flasher wrasses are all good choices.

Note: While many of the fish are listed as possible tankmates for Malacanthus species, you should research each fish individually before adding it to your aquarium. Some of the mentioned fish are better left in the ocean or for advanced aquarists.

Ah, yes, I do believe I failed to mention "aquarium size" in the above paragraph. This always makes for an interesting discussion when larger fish enter the picture, and this is obviously the case with Malacanthus species - in particular, M. plumieri. Any fish that can reach 24" in length certainly needs an aquarium at least 8' in length and several feet wide before it will truly begin to settle in and feel comfortable. This poses a financial obstacle to most hobbyists, and thus I recommend the much smaller Malacanthus species as an alternative to the larger ones. Keeping species reaching lengths of up to 12" is a much more realistic alternative for a home aquarium, if not still near the upper limit. Nevertheless, aquariums around the 200-gallon mark and 6' long will do fine for most Malacanthus species, given a minimalist approach, while appreciably larger aquariums should be considered essential for large adults.

Although Malacanthus species are not planktivores in the wild, they will learn to feed from the water column in a home aquarium. A well-balanced diet constructed around a carnivore's dietary requirements is essential for Tilefish. Various shrimp, including Artemia, Mysis and prawn should be provided, as well as silversides for the larger individuals. Malacanthus species are active fish and therefore require fairly large portions of food. Rather than trying to get a large amount of food to the fish in one feeding, break the feedings into at least two separate feedings per day.

Once again, rubble piles are of the utmost concern for successfully keeping these fish. This means having an extensive amount of excess rubble available for continual addition to the aquarium as needed. The Tilefish will place the rubble where they want it, so as an aquarist you need to concern yourself merely with getting it into the aquarium; the fish will undoubtedly find it anywhere it lies within the enclosed glass box. Larger rock walls or caverns are not necessary, unless required by other aquarium inhabitants. Open sand stretches covering at least one end of the aquarium are advisable to assist with the rubble architect's comfort level.

Much the same as Hoplolatilus species, Malacanthus species require a tight-fitting lid on the aquarium. As they are not as frightful as their smaller cousins, Malacanthus species are not as likely to perform airborne acrobatics and suffer self-induced dehydration, but this is a simple, effective and affordable precaution which should be taken nonetheless.

The Atlantic M. plumieri can be found for sale in American markets, but it has never truly gained much fanfare. The Sand Tilefish, the rather boring common name granted to the largest of aquarium-kept Tilefish M. plumieri, can create burrows as deep as 3' and as wide as 6'. A deep sand bed large enough to satisfy that requirement would almost certainly bring a tear to Dr. Shimek's eye.

The remaining two Malacanthus species attain sizes roughly only half that of M. plumieri. Although 12" is still a very large fish for a home aquarium, this no doubt is a better choice than their larger Atlantic cousin. The most attractive member, M. latovittatus, features bold striping which evidently resulted in their common name - the Striped Tilefish. Another key feature which makes the Striped Tilefish an attractive consideration is the color difference manifested between juveniles and adults. The almost entirely black juvenile slowly loses most of its black coloration, which is replaced by a magnificent electric blue with a black stripe originating from the tail and fading as it approaches the gills. Perhaps in an attempt to gain protection while they are young, the juveniles' coloration is similar to that of Labroides dimidiatus.

The constant construction zone encircling the Tilefish's den is certainly entertaining to observe firsthand. Not only that, but when provided with optimum housing conditions, Tilefish set up a natural home and thrive in a home aquarium, providing the aquarist with many years of enjoyment. As with most any decorative saltwater animal, however, inappropriate conditions will cause a lack of natural behavior, characteristics and personality, and thus will stress the fish and cause its early demise. This is a family of fish which requires a little extra planning prior to purchase and a diligent search to find healthy specimens. Performing each task, in turn, will no doubt go a long way toward long-term success keeping Malacanthus species.