Jawfish is missing its tail

[desertrat505]

I think while my Jawfish was burrowing it injured its tail and has a big chunk missing. Will it grow back?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I think while my Jawfish was burrowing it injured its tail and has a big chunk missing. Will it grow back?

What species of jawfish?
How long have you had it?
Does it have a stable burrow now, or is it outside of a burrow?

Jawfish's normal habit is to burrow, so they are not really going to injure their tail, they are well adapted for that process. More likely, the jawfish abraded its tail because it didn't have a comfortable burrow, and it has become infected. A picture would help, but I understand the difficulty in getting one....

Jay

 

[desertrat505]

What species of jawfish?
How long have you had it?
Does it have a stable burrow now, or is it outside of a burrow?

Jawfish's normal habit is to burrow, so they are not really going to injure their tail, they are well adapted for that process. More likely, the jawfish abraded its tail because it didn't have a comfortable burrow, and it has become infected. A picture would help, but I understand the difficulty in getting one....

I don't think he made it, I can't find him anywhere

It was a black cap jawfish
a couple of months
It did have a burrow

I think my problem is my substrate, it's too loose and would cause his burrows to collapse.

Thanks for the post.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I don't think he made it, I can't find him anywhere

It was a black cap jawfish
a couple of months
It did have a burrow

I think my problem is my substrate, it's too loose and would cause his burrows to collapse.

Thanks for the post.

Yes, collapsing burrows can be an issue. I’ve tried mixing smaller gravel with larger pieces and found that works pretty well.
Jay

 

[Sharkbait19]

Any other fish in the tank? I wouldn’t be surprised if the chunk missing was due to aggression.