Blue spotted jawfish advice

[xmjxflipx]

I was thinking about getting one of these fellas, i know they are known jumpers from what ive read. I know they live burrows and caves, which shouldnt be a problems cause i have an engineer goby, maybe they can share some space or something, I just love the color on this guy..........i dont have a canopy or top to my tank. Just a t5 fixture with mounting legs. has anyone kept this guy in their tank without a top successfully?

 

[MattL22]

Can't keep that fish in the tank when u have a tOp let alone no top might last 2 days b4 u found him on the floor

 

[NaClCrocodile]

I think that's the wrong way to look at it. I'm sure it has been done, but if they have a reputation of jumping then why not just make a screen top for it? It's an awfully expensive fish to hope it doesn't jump IMO.

 

[xmjxflipx]

im not a good DIY kinda guy to make a screen to be honest. If anyone does know how please let me know...i know there was a guy here on r2r that use to make the screens for the tanks, forgot his name but i remember seeing pics of it and they were really well done.

 

[Speg]

I don't really think they burrow in caves like convict/engineer gobies. They would rather dig a hole straight down in the sand and peek their heads out<---which is what makes them an attractive fish.

You really do need a DEEP sand bed to keep these successfully. 6 inches is probably right at the line of "acceptable". It'll also be important that you turn your powerheads off when feeding since you'll want to drop food(probably pellets) real close to that little hole they're peeking from.

Good luck.

 

[drainbamage]

I kept mine in a 24 gallon tank with no lid. He was housed with some small gobies, and was the largest fish in the tank. Also, tank had a 5" deep sand bed, so he was able to make himself a nice deep burrow. I think these are the key pieces-fish don't go jumping out for fun, they get spooked and it's a last resort. Give them a setup they're happy in, and they won't be going anywhere. To a degree, power shut off to that tank while I was away on vacation, was off for enough time that the water in the skimmer went anaerobic, and when the power came back on, it flushed into the tank and wiped out everything. Jawfish was still in his burrow when I found him But still, even when the tank went toxic, he didn't feel the urge to jump, his natural defence of hiding in his burrow was the most powerful instinct.

Want to get another one one of these days, but don't have a tank where I could put that deep of a sand bed as of yet.

 

[xmjxflipx]

o really ..man....i keep my tank high flow...with 2 k4 and 2 k3 in the back to prevent detritus build up and some random flow...........when i drop pellets or brine shrimp the my fish and engineer gobies just peek out and just grab the foot out of their holes......I guess ill try and do some more research before jumping the gun on this guy but i appreciate all the info.......reallly looking into a colorful fishes that doesnt get really large maybe 4-5 inmax and doesnt break the bank too.

 

[xmjxflipx]

I kept mine in a 24 gallon tank with no lid. He was housed with some small gobies, and was the largest fish in the tank. Also, tank had a 5" deep sand bed, so he was able to make himself a nice deep burrow. I think these are the key pieces-fish don't go jumping out for fun, they get spooked and it's a last resort. Give them a setup they're happy in, and they won't be going anywhere. To a degree, power shut off to that tank while I was away on vacation, was off for enough time that the water in the skimmer went anaerobic, and when the power came back on, it flushed into the tank and wiped out everything. Jawfish was still in his burrow when I found him But still, even when the tank went toxic, he didn't feel the urge to jump, his natural defence of hiding in his burrow was the most powerful instinct.

Want to get another one one of these days, but don't have a tank where I could put that deep of a sand bed as of yet.

how long did u have him in your tank before the tank went toxic...i have about 5 in" sandbed.......im glad u had success with him w/o the lid. Ive only had one casualty in my tank with my lawnmower blenny jumping out and it was cause i spooked him, jumped out so far that it was behind my dresser table.....and wasnt able to save the guy

 

[Speg]

what size is your tank?
what type of tank is it? Reef/FO?
how many/what fish do you have now?

If you decide not to go the jawfish route, maybe we can come up with some other "colorful fish".

 

[gar732]

I wouldn't take the chance without a lid of some sort. There was a how to thread on here for the screen tops but I can't seem to pull it up. Its really easy to do and also inexpensive. I'm actually about to make some myself, if I get around to it tomorrow I'll post some pics. A buddy of mine had one of these and it went carpet surfing before he had the chance to get his lids together. Its better to have the lids and not need them than to need them and not have them.

 

[xmjxflipx]

thanks speg...a tank like urs 46 bow reef tank, i have 2 black and whites, a mysterry wrasse 2 engineers....another fish i like is the bartletts anthias i want to get a pair...Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Bartlett's Anthias

 

[xmjxflipx]

o yes i do have a blue tang. about 2".....yes i know they need a prob larger tank and the such....but they have alot of personality and like to swim around....
I do have a special section in the back of my tank....its about 12-15" length section that is 4 inches wide where i have a koralia 3 placed right in front and my blue tang likes to race and swim against the current, guess thats how it gets its daily exercise for the day.

 

[AquaNerd1]

honestly, i would steer clear of this fish altogether. they are extremely difficult to ship. and once at the lfs or your house, they typically wither away pretty quickly. they need slightly cooler temperatures, as they are from the sea of cortez. they are prone to all sorts of diseases, including their very own disease...blue spot jawfish disease.

as for burrows, you don't need a deep sand bed. the bsj will form a horizontal burrow and will go under parts of the live rock. they do prefer the vertical burrow, but will do it other ways if the sand is too shallow.

 

[xmjxflipx]

oo thanks for pitching in brandon ill trust ya since u are the expert with marine biology ....what do you think about the pair of bartletts anthias though.......just want one more fish or a pair that is bright and colorful....

 

[ddiver]

I had one in my previous 90 , open top and never had a problem with it jumping. Like someone said previously, They don't go jumping out for fun. Their first instinct would be to dart back in their burrow or in the rocks. Same goes for firefish.

 

[Speg]

The 46 gallon bowfront is a "pretty tank" but it sure sucks for fish selection.

I honestly think that you've got enough fish in that tank as it is. Going to risk overdoing it with many more...

Anthias are a really really really pretty fish. They're even prettier if you can get them as schools...Anthias do like to swim though and really deserve a bigger tank than a 46.
If you had a refugium, I'd say that dragonnets are pretty colorful (manderin/target). A coral beauty is an awesome fish and they're pretty cheap. A 46 is not bad at all for a coral beauty--they do pick on a few corals (sometimes) so that's one issue that comes with them.

 

[drainbamage]

honestly, i would steer clear of this fish altogether. they are extremely difficult to ship. and once at the lfs or your house, they typically wither away pretty quickly. they need slightly cooler temperatures, as they are from the sea of cortez. they are prone to all sorts of diseases, including their very own disease...blue spot jawfish disease.

as for burrows, you don't need a deep sand bed. the bsj will form a horizontal burrow and will go under parts of the live rock. they do prefer the vertical burrow, but will do it other ways if the sand is too shallow.

Just to point out-most diseases I've noticed are often brought about by an animal who's enduring stressed conditions. To point out that these guys suffer from a lot of diseases, but then say they don't need the DSB to provide them their deep burrows which they prefer, is somewhat contradictory. Give them their ideal habit, and perhaps they won't break down with diseases?
I purchased mine while I was manager at a LFS, got him straight from an importer who brought them across the border from the Sea of Cortez (as in I got him from the styro box that had just been driven across the border). Had him for 6 months before the tank crash, he was happy, healthy, and quite plump looking. Woud usually hang out fully exposed, but directly above his burrow and would dart back in immediatley.
Tank was a very light flow tank, had a CPR backpak and maybe one or two small powerheads and that was it.

 

[AquaNerd1]

oo thanks for pitching in brandon ill trust ya since u are the expert with marine biology ....what do you think about the pair of bartletts anthias though.......just want one more fish or a pair that is bright and colorful....

anthias, though small, need quite a bit of room. they also need to be fed a lot. i've seen the most success when feeding multiple times per day. you could try a sunburst antias. they stay small and are actually loners. they don't need groups or to be paired up. very attractive fish too.

 

[xmjxflipx]

The 46 gallon bowfront is a "pretty tank" but it sure sucks for fish selection.

I honestly think that you've got enough fish in that tank as it is. Going to risk overdoing it with many more...

Anthias are a really really really pretty fish. They're even prettier if you can get them as schools...Anthias do like to swim though and really deserve a bigger tank than a 46.
If you had a refugium, I'd say that dragonnets are pretty colorful (manderin/target). A coral beauty is an awesome fish and they're pretty cheap. A 46 is not bad at all for a coral beauty--they do pick on a few corals (sometimes) so that's one issue that comes with them.

yea i know...fish selection is limited........ its the one i started out over a year ago.........better than no tank at all though... the bioload isnt too bad...i have a good skimmer large size sump and do the microbacter, reefbiofuel system for my corals and nitrates.....i think the max size for the anthias is 3" or 3 1/4" which isnt bad...i could possible get away with it...

 

[xmjxflipx]

anthias, though small, need quite a bit of room. they also need to be fed a lot. i've seen the most success when feeding multiple times per day. you could try a sunburst antias. they stay small and are actually loners. they don't need groups or to be paired up. very attractive fish too.

just saw a pic of the sunburst...thanks...i like the colors too, thanks for the suggestion