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James

Zen-Reefer
Location
Bay Ridge, BK
Rating - 100%
112   0   0
So, after having a BSJ find the only 1x1 inch hole in the top of my tank to go carpet surfing a couple of months ago, I finally got another 1 (actually second fish got beat up right away by a nasty hippo tang :( and got replaced for free. thank you Nanoaquatics!). Of course I made a new tank-cover that covers the entire top, not even with the inch that was there before.

This new jawfish made his burrow about 10-15 minutes after being placed in the tank. (first one took a day, second didn't burrow and was attacked at night). He found a good spot in-between the light and dark side of my tank. Of course, my overflow is covered with the tank cover but does not have a separate cover because I don't want a fish to get up there and then not find his way back to water and die 1 inch above the water... so of course, sometime during the second night, he disappears. I come home, and given my previous stupidity with this breed, I start getting worried when he is not in his home and hasn't created any new burrows (my old one had 5 going at all times, sometimes more and would rotate to whichever he preferred every few days.

After a frantic search, I look in the overflow, no luck. Look in the tank again, not there. Look in the overflow better... find him chilling at the bottom near the return. So I try for 10 minutes to net him. I can't get him so I try with my hands.... too big, my mitts won't reach past the PVC. So I decide to pull half of the overflow PVC out to see if that will let me net him... pull too hard and take the whole tube out. Sucks the water and jawfish down into the sump (no filter sock) like a high powered toilet flush. I bug out, flip on some lights (my sump is still pretty dark) and start unplugging the return, skimmer pumps and the carbon reactor. Find him near the Mag 9.5. Try to catch him. Houdini that he is, he slides out from my net and ends up by the PH probe. Try again, success. Put him back in the tank and he darts for the bottom... finds his home and starts going to work after 1 minute of just calming down in his burrow. Here is a cell phone video I took of him right after the ordeal He usually is not quite this excited but they usually are constantly doing something funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y-2QxHIK6Y

Going to Lowes tomorrow to get something to block the overflow with to prevent this from happening again. I am hoping he remembers how not-fun the experience was and just doesn't go into the overflow but I somehow doubt it.

Petitioning my wife (who names all the fish) to change his name from Angry Blue (the same name of the other BSJ) to Houdini.

-James
 
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James

Zen-Reefer
Location
Bay Ridge, BK
Rating - 100%
112   0   0
Zuska, yes, very much. I have never had an engineer goby but I would imagine they are similar with disturbing the sandbed. They are constantly digging burrows and spitting sand all over low rockwork and any coral on the sandbed. But well worth it in my opinion. Great fish, you just need a cover.

James
 

richardhmc

Advanced Reefer
Rating - 100%
29   0   0
i wonder what makes these fish want to jump out of their tanks so much!

I want one really badly but I don't want to put a cover. A cover in my opinion 1) just looks bad 2) blocks out light from my fixture.
 

James

Zen-Reefer
Location
Bay Ridge, BK
Rating - 100%
112   0   0
My cover is actually pretty nondescript. Made from wedding veil and a tiny silver frame, you can barely tell it is on unless you are looking from above the tank. I will take a picture for you when I can. But if you don't want a cover, don't get a jawfish, it is not an "if" they will jump but a when... I once saw a vendor on here saying that his jawfish did not jump and he has no cover.... I wanted to call shenanigans.
 
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
My cover is actually pretty nondescript. Made from wedding veil and a tiny silver frame, you can barely tell it is on unless you are looking from above the tank. I will take a picture for you when I can. But if you don't want a cover, don't get a jawfish, it is not an "if" they will jump but a when... I once saw a vendor on here saying that his jawfish did not jump and he has no cover.... I wanted to call shenanigans.

My brown jawfish, no top, and carpet led to a probably very painful death for the little guy. They are the coolest fish but no way I would ever have another without a top
 

richardhmc

Advanced Reefer
Rating - 100%
29   0   0
My cover is actually pretty nondescript. Made from wedding veil and a tiny silver frame, you can barely tell it is on unless you are looking from above the tank. I will take a picture for you when I can. But if you don't want a cover, don't get a jawfish, it is not an "if" they will jump but a when... I once saw a vendor on here saying that his jawfish did not jump and he has no cover.... I wanted to call shenanigans.

Did you tell a difference in light strength after putting on the cover? Like less light intensity?
 

James

Zen-Reefer
Location
Bay Ridge, BK
Rating - 100%
112   0   0
I cannot tell any difference whatsoever. That is not to say it is not there, but my eyes cannot tell. The coral is growing well with the cover on 24/7. Smoq also has the same thing (I got the veil from him) and his tank is growing as well. I will snap a picture of it. It is very thin material stretched to make the holes a decent size.
 

jdnumis

Advanced Reefer
Location
Long Island
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That was a cool video! Thank you for sharing. My BSJ committed suicide, I am gonna remember you when I get another in the future to talk about the netting
 
T

THEDLO

Guest
Rating - 100%
73   0   0
how deep are the tanks that these guys jump from...considering that the generally are bottom dwellers wouldnt a deeper tank discourage them from taking the trip to the surface..?
 

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