Yellow headed Jawfish

[Haydn]

A LFS near me has some in, they are a good price and I must admit I hadn't considered them before but looking at the little guys antics I'm thinking of adding 3-4 to my tank.

The tank is large enough for them, I have 4" to 6" deep mixed substrate (when I set up the tank I was thinking shrimp/goby pairs but it didn't happen) so hopefully this will be deep enough? The tank is a metre deep so jumping shouldn't be a problem.

What are they like in a tank, what's the survival rate/time like. I have a lot of Anthias in the tank and although the fish are small and peaceful, will the busyness of the tank spook them. I feed 4-5 times per day for the anthias, I believe jawfish also feed in the water column will they be fast and brave enough to compete.


Are they likely to build their burrows at the front of the tank or disappear round the back. Will they interact or just fight, they are all together in the LFS and seem OK but that isn't a true test as they are probably stressed.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Old Fritz]

I kept these in my store a lot and they are a really Hardy fish. They are similar to firefish in a way because you won't really see it for like a week but they do get more confident. First couple of weeks you make have to Target feed their little burrow just to make sure they get food. After that though they will dart out into the water column to get food but most of the time they will stay near their burrow. They kinda make it randomly I noticed they like to make the burrow where there is an overhang by a rock. They have a nice iridescent look to their lower half. Anthias should be fine with them and I have kept them with most other fish without issue.

 

[Dragon52]

Before I added mine to the tank I created a home for it under a pc of rock & he took right to it. I hollowed out a small section of sand then place the rock over it & he finished it. Your sand bed is deep enough for them. They will come out of their burrow/home to eat but don't usually stray to far from it.

 

[Eva Rose]

Yellow headed jawfish are colonial so since your tank is large enough, I would definitely add 3 -4 as you wanted. Your sand bed depth is fine. As previously mentioned, set up some possible areas for them to make a burrow. Find possible cave/burrow locations. Then set a few small empty shells near the ‘entrance’/hole to caves. Choose shells that are not jagged, broken or sharp. Do not use crushed coral or sharp rubble. They love the various small shells.
When you add them to the tank, if you can gently hold one in your hand you can release it right outside a cave. They often will bolt right inside for security. While they may not decide on that cave as their final choice, it helps them feel more secure. If you just free release into the water column they often cower on the sand bed stressed @ fish swimming above them.

 

[SeaJay]

Mine always burrow where they are visible from the front. You can pretty much pick a decent spot, maybe start a little burrow under a rock and release them right there. They will want to hide quickly and will likely take the nearest cover and if it's suitable, just build a burrow right there. When I introduced my bluespot, he didn't even make it down to the sand before he hid in a hole in a rock. He stayed there until the coast was clear and then dropped down and burrowed right under that, been there ever since. He does rule the roost, so if he decides he wants to go hang out in the yellow head's burrow for a little while, he goes and does that. The yellow head has a second burrow he uses on these occasions. When the bluespot goes back to his burrow, so does the yellowhead. It's really neat to watch. They generally will not come out of their burrow any farther than having their tail at the opening, but they will dart out & back in like lightning to grab a piece of food.