Blue Spotted Jawfish burrow

[Nandez13]

I'm planning on getting a blue spotted jawfish soon. I have a 3" sand bed (.5-1.5mm) and 30 or so empty shells lying around of different sizes. Anything I can do to help to get the BSJ to burrow in a part of the tank I want? Pile up sand and the shells in a certain part of the tank? I see some people build a PVC burrow under the sand

Should I be looking to get some crushed coral or something similar to add to what I already have?

I love the look of this fish and would hate for it to burrow in a part of the tank that's not too visible. Or will he just do whatever he wants and constantly change burrows?

Would appreciate feedback from people that have one already

 

[edd]

i had BSJ, a great fish but makes a mess with sand.
mine had a few burrows under the rocks, but was always in front where he was visible.

 

[lanacane214]

hope your tank is covered very well,these fish jump,i had my tank covered and it still jumped out thru a very small opening

 

[knutez24]

They usually move to where the food is so they don't go far from their burrow. So feed in the area you want it to end up.

 

[JonnyJ]

hope your tank is covered very well,these fish jump,i had my tank covered and it still jumped out thru a very small opening

+1 , i have never had success with bsj. they just never seem to settle in. I have tried 4+ and they never lasted longer then 6 months.

 

[under10minutes]

My favorite fish.


Near impossible to determine where he'll burrow. I didn't give him shells but I gave him a ton of rock that I broke up with a hammer. I watched him for hours as he took each piece and reinforced the entry to his home. It's fascinating. He made himself at least 3 burrows and every morning I would spend some time trying to find him. I was always concerned he would jump out, and thankfully he never did. Best fish you can buy imo. Oooo and you should see him handle zombie snails.


Just a few tips. If you don't have one already you'll need a Julian's Thing or baster so you can target feed him. Although mine never jumped I'm told they do so you might want to invest in a top. Mine was very aggressive towards similar species. I'm not sure if it was just mine but they appear to be very stressed out. Anytime any fish came near him he would immediately hide in his hole. If/when I do it all over again I might try introducing him as one of the first fish in the tank.


Good luck!

 

[Nandez13]

+1 , i have never had success with bsj. they just never seem to settle in. I have tried 4+ and they never lasted longer then 6 months.

JonnyJ, why do you think that is?? What did you keep your temp at?


I do plan on having a screen on the tank for the bsj as well as for firefish. I do have a turkey baster that I'll use to target feed. Hopefully he'll pick a visible spot in the tank

 

[Silkyslim]

They will pick their own spot to burrow. I constantly place rock rubble near its burrow so it doesn't get the need to look for a new home.

 

[Silkyslim]

Here's a pic I've had it for about a year I my 90 gallon.

 

[Nandez13]

Any other input? Will be looking to get one in a couple weeks

 

[JonnyJ]

I just think it's a species that is so hit or miss. Temp was always 78 on a controller.

I have tried bsj in mixed reefs, fish only, and in my Sps dominated tank. (Friends have had the same results)

Plenty of sand, supplied with rubble, shells, and barnacles..


For the most part they would just stop eating (taste the food and spit it out) or constantly swim at the waterline with half their face literally outside of the water looking to escape. Also, every night I would hear the nightly dart jumps into the mesh top. Then watch them breathing heavy to recover..

Just always felt like they were unsatisfied.

I would also like to mention that I rarely lose fish.

 

[JonnyJ]

Either way, if you decide to get one I would avoid buying one that's drop shipped to save money.


Try and get a true qted fish that's eating. Even if it costs more.

 

[Jhoehlein]

+1 on making sure it's eating before taking it home. They seem to be coming in better as of late but still a finicky species. If it isn't calm, alert, and hungry at the LFS skip it and wait for another.

The most successful way to get a jawfish burrowing where you want is to give it a PVC tube to build a burrow around. It depends on the species but a Blue Spot should fit well in a 1" diameter piece, at least 4" long. Shove it in the sand or under your rocks where you want the burrow to be so that it acts as a sturdy entrance to the burrow. There's no guarantee your jawfish will use it, but a pre-made burrow should be preferred to building its own.

 

[TheHun]

"BSJ fish are not really tropical animals. That?s right; they live in cooler water. The Eastern Pacific coast, where the jawfish is found, is cooled by the California Current, a stream of cold water from Alaska. This makes it surprisingly cooler than you might think.
The practical implication is that water off the Californias is appreciably cooler than the same latitudes in the West Pacific, with the habitat of this jawfish being mostly in the upper 50s to upper 60s, and rarely lower 70s."

so you should not to try to keep around 80F, than you will be okay... So, do your homework?without taking shortcuts?and you will be much happier, and so will your fish!


http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/...sh-opistognathus-rosenblatti-full-article.htm

 

[Djbetterly]

They are an amazing fish, no doubt, but yes they are tough to keep. The first one I bought I had for over a year. He was very high maintenance, but he did well. He ended up dying just before I sold my old tank...kind of convenient in a horrible way. I'm starting to look for my second jawfish now, but I refuse to order one online simply because of the stress it puts on these fragile fish. Find one locally, and really look it over and watch it eat.

I ordered a box of rubble from marco rocks, and used my bone cutters to break that down even smaller. Every night I would give it a small handful and by morning the rubble was well organized.

Just be ready to be a true parent, these fish require work, and know that they will probably stress you out more than once.

 

[OOtzie]

Any other input? Will be looking to get one in a couple weeks

I would avoid blue spot jaw fish all together, they come from the same waters as the catalina goby which need cooler temperatures, now I know others will tell you they've kept bsj fish with no problems but I have found they cannot be kept longer than a year IN MY OPINION.

If your set on a jaw fish the yellow head pearly is an excellent little fish with a puppy like personality and its min gal requirements is 10gal so he'll do well in a larger reef.

 

[under10minutes]

I saw the Yellow Head Pearly this past weekend. And they are very beautiful.

I didn't know about the cool water thing with BSJ. I was going to get another one but after that little tid bit i'm gonna pass.

 

[TheHun]

I didn't know about the cool water thing with BSJ. I was going to get another one but after that little tid bit i'm gonna pass.

You made a best decision!

 

[Mattl22]

Ive tried few jaw fish they never lived past 3-5 months

Anyone having sucess with them?

 

[PhoenixOne]

Ive tried few jaw fish they never lived past 3-5 months

Anyone having sucess with them?

Mine lived 6 years and 3 months. He just recently died a few days ago. lfsmarineguy got him for me back in Feb '08. Took a day, maybe 2 for him to settle down and make his first burrow....1st one of many in my DT. The only 2 fish that bothered him in the beginning was my GBM Clownfish (only when he got too close) and my pesky bratty Hippo Tang. Once he had the perfect burrow, which was in between 3 large rocks AWAY from my Clown, he seemed very happy and ate like a pig. He ate mostly flake food with the occasional Mysis shrimp. Gonna miss him.