Deep Sand “Zone” for Jawfish?

[JoeinLA]

Maybe out of left field, but Im interested in getting one or two blue spotted jawfish (or other jawfish). Im reading that they need a 6” bed or a DIY PVC setup. One thought I had was to maybe wall off an area of my tank and raise the sand behind the wall o’ rock to 6”? Not sure how that would work, but otherwise i don’t think I’d want a 6“ bed throughout.

any other thoughts/suggestions? or just go with one of those DIY PVC burrows?

also this would be for An 85 gal display that’s roughly 36L x 24W s 28H.

Thanks In advance.

 

[Chrisv.]

Wanted to try to convince you to go with the pearly jawfish instead of blue spotted. They are MUCH better suited to aquarium life because they are from warmer water. They need a little less space, too. It's hard to tell from many of the pics but when they are really thriving they take on a beautiful opalescence and have a yellowish head. Such characters. KP aquatics even has mated pairs from time to time, and at good prices.

 

[Chrisv.]

I think you could probably get away with less than 6" for pearly jawfish (which are smaller) and I do think there is a benefit to having a few pvc pipes under the sand. Also, I'd suggest mixing in some coarse sand and make some calcium reactor media in near the burrow so that they can make a more stable entrance.

 

[JoeinLA]

Wanted to try to convince you to go with the pearly jawfish instead of blue spotted. They are MUCH better suited to aquarium life because they are from warmer water. They need a little less space, too. It's hard to tell from many of the pics but when they are really thriving they take on a beautiful opalescence and have a yellowish head. Such characters. KP aquatics even has mated pairs from time to time, and at good prices.

Fair enough. I certainly will consider it given the temp issues with the BSJ as well.

Does the pearly jawfish have the same 6” sand bed requirements? And, if so, any thoughts real my “elevated sand” zone?

 

[sherb]

Wanted to try to convince you to go with the pearly jawfish instead of blue spotted. They are MUCH better suited to aquarium life because they are from warmer water. They need a little less space, too. It's hard to tell from many of the pics but when they are really thriving they take one a beautiful opalescence and have a yellowish head. Such characters. KP aquatics even has mated pairs from time to time, and at good prices.

I want to second Chrisv's comment with my own first-hand experience. I purchased a blue-spotted jawfish without knowing much about them other than they needed a deep sand bed. It was completely stupid move on my part - the single biggest mistake that I've made in this hobby. The experience lasted about six months before the jawfish died. In addition to tearing apart my DT, I couldn't keep the fish properly fed. I even tried setting up a dedicated species tank for it. I'm sure you'll find people on R2R successfully keeping them (> 1 year), but you'll find plenty more negative experiences here. These fish need special attention from experienced keepers. IMO they should not be collected at all.

Pearly jawfish, on the other hand, are lots of fun, much easier to keep, and have just as much character as the BSJ.

Good luck!

 

[Chrisv.]

Fair enough. I certainly will consider it given the temp issues with the BSJ as well.

Does the pearly jawfish have the same 6” sand bed requirements? And, if so, any thoughts real my “elevated sand” zone?

I would probably stick to 4" or more, with coarse substrate mixed in.

 

[Hungrypede]

Make sure you have a lid!

 

[ApoIsland]

Maybe out of left field, but Im interested in getting one or two blue spotted jawfish (or other jawfish). Im reading that they need a 6” bed or a DIY PVC setup. One thought I had was to maybe wall off an area of my tank and raise the sand behind the wall o’ rock to 6”? Not sure how that would work, but otherwise i don’t think I’d want a 6“ bed throughout.

any other thoughts/suggestions? or just go with one of those DIY PVC burrows?

also this would be for An 85 gal display that’s roughly 36L x 24W s 28H.

Thanks In advance.

If you have 1-2 inches of sand spread evenly throughout your tank that is plenty. The jawfish will take it and mound it up where he wants it. Also include some thumbnail sized pieces of rubble and watch what he can do with it. I had one build what appeared to be a brick and mortar castle. Wish I had a picture. Those fish are amazing.

 

[Chrisv.]

Also it's worth saying that it doesn't all have to be deep. Ok to have a deep area. I suggest having the deep area in full view though, the burrowing behavior is so fun to watch