We just purchased a blue spotted jawfish for our tank, and put him in a few hours ago. He immediately selected a spot a distance away from the bed of deep substrate we placed especially for him, and behind a piece of liverock. We would greatly prefer that he create his burrow in the deep part of the substrate, in better view. But we don't want to prod him into moving, only to have him choose an even more remote location (ie the back of the tank!). Is there a way to "pursuade" him to move to our desired location, before he gets too comfy?
blue spotted jawfish- need immediate advice
- Thread starter daveNandi
- Start date
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Fishboy-from-NY
Aquarium Advice FINatic
You need to let him first get acclimated to your tank. He will select a location after the acclimation process. I suggest that you give him a couple of days and make sure that he eats since they are know to die of starvation.
reefobsessed
Aquarium Advice Freak
Mine moved almost daily. He will move so just let him go. Give him lots of colorie things to build with. Mine used to try to decorate with my live snails or hermits. Would really make him mad when he placed them just right & they'd walk away... Cool little fish enjoy!!
silverain420
Aquarium Advice Regular
I agree with reef obsessed. I have a pearly jawfish that I didn't even see for the first week and a half... When he came out, he had built a burrow in the back of the tank. Within another week or so, he moved it to the center of the tank. I think they just try to stay low key and feel most safe in a burrow. Once they are used to the tank, it is true they like to be able to see all around, so will probably move to a more open and suitable spot.
HoopsGuru
Aquarium Advice FINatic
What size tank? It is often difficult to get them to feel at "home" and burrow in the open if they do not have a wide area around them to which they can monitor their surroundings. The will normally hover above their burrows with a 360° view of some distance.......or else they will burrow under rocks. As mentioned, be sure to provide plenty of course substrate, they will require for their vertical burrows.
The tank is a 46 GAL bow front. He has now moved twice. This time he made a burrow that has 2 entrances, one on each end of a piece of LR. He's been there for 2 days, and we like the spot so we hope that he's settled.
So far he's only sharing the tank with a single scarlet cleaner shrimp.
David
So far he's only sharing the tank with a single scarlet cleaner shrimp.
David
HoopsGuru
Aquarium Advice FINatic
With only 30lbs of sand, I imagine it to be maybe 2-3" deep at the most? They prefer to make vertical burrows and need very deep sand with a mixture of courser material to reinforce it.
When I researched and purchased mine, I found information that if they don't make a vertical burrow...they will become quite stressed as burrowing under rocks is not their natural preference. I cannot prove this, but I can provide that IME with mine, it did not stop with one burrow under a rock (I provided a 10" square area of 7" deep sandbed and it was not enough either), it ended up burrowing frantically everywhere. I hope you have better luck as the finer particles make for quite a mess!
It would be nice to hear frequent updates, it is a marvelous fish that i wouldn't mind hearing other experiences with it.
When I researched and purchased mine, I found information that if they don't make a vertical burrow...they will become quite stressed as burrowing under rocks is not their natural preference. I cannot prove this, but I can provide that IME with mine, it did not stop with one burrow under a rock (I provided a 10" square area of 7" deep sandbed and it was not enough either), it ended up burrowing frantically everywhere. I hope you have better luck as the finer particles make for quite a mess!
It would be nice to hear frequent updates, it is a marvelous fish that i wouldn't mind hearing other experiences with it.
scuba_steve
Aquarium Advice Addict
(I provided a 10" square area of 7" deep sandbed and it was not enough either), it ended up burrowing frantically everywhere.
i disagree with this statement sorry :-( i feel that if they didnt stay in their hole it was due to something disturbing them or due to their nervous temperment u have to turn your lights off and leave an 03 on for 30 min so they can settle down and sleep (mine at that time grab a small half clam shell (found on the beachs everywhere imo ya cant have enough of these for these guys!! which i add a small hand full every couple of weeks to keep them busy building ) and covers the opening to their hole and gone for the night no worries )!! once they have the home they want they tend to stay there !!
i have had 2 yellow head in my 90 for almost a year now and they have started to spawn and they only have 4" of sand !! just added a 3rd and its settling down now been about a week !! but ive found that they all will hide for a week or so then want to be in front of the tank so they can see you and everything else movin around !! as for aggression as long as things stay a few inches from them they could care less even with the new yellow head which is way smaller !!
have had these before and would be able to keep them for a while and things looked good then one day they be all freaked and or jump out !! and imo it was all about who and what is in with them and all about turning the lights off slowly !! and i think keeping them busy with diff kinds of shells helps as well !! the wife thought it was kinda silly to buy a fish she thought she would only see its head all the time but mine our out more than they are in there holes
and now their her favorite
i disagree with this statement sorry :-( i feel that if they didnt stay in their hole it was due to something disturbing them or due to their nervous temperment u have to turn your lights off and leave an 03 on for 30 min so they can settle down and sleep (mine at that time grab a small half clam shell (found on the beachs everywhere imo ya cant have enough of these for these guys!! which i add a small hand full every couple of weeks to keep them busy building ) and covers the opening to their hole and gone for the night no worries )!! once they have the home they want they tend to stay there !!
i have had 2 yellow head in my 90 for almost a year now and they have started to spawn and they only have 4" of sand !! just added a 3rd and its settling down now been about a week !! but ive found that they all will hide for a week or so then want to be in front of the tank so they can see you and everything else movin around !! as for aggression as long as things stay a few inches from them they could care less even with the new yellow head which is way smaller !!
have had these before and would be able to keep them for a while and things looked good then one day they be all freaked and or jump out !! and imo it was all about who and what is in with them and all about turning the lights off slowly !! and i think keeping them busy with diff kinds of shells helps as well !! the wife thought it was kinda silly to buy a fish she thought she would only see its head all the time but mine our out more than they are in there holes
and now their her favorite He has now closed off one of the two entrances to his new burrow with a couple of small pieces of rock, but he's still in it. He defends it quite zealously from the occasional hermit that ventures too close. He'll pick up the hermit and move it if it's a smaller one. He tries to move the larger hermits, but can't lift them. He spends some time out of the burrow, but stays close to it.
He is eating when we feed and seems to enjoy watching my two sons (age 2 and 5) even when they point at him and (against the rules) tap on the glass.
The sand is not evenly distributed around the tank. He tried burrowing in some of the deeper areas before he settled here where he's got 2 - 3 inches.
He is eating when we feed and seems to enjoy watching my two sons (age 2 and 5) even when they point at him and (against the rules) tap on the glass.
The sand is not evenly distributed around the tank. He tried burrowing in some of the deeper areas before he settled here where he's got 2 - 3 inches.
scuba_steve
Aquarium Advice Addict
dont worry if he want more sand he will swim to a spot and grab some mine do it all time to time !! good news and happy for you but again try to add small shells so he has alot to work with
HoopsGuru
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I understand your opinion scubasteve, but I am only relating my experience not stating any kind of fact. The statement you disagree with is the actual events that occurred in my tank.
I agree with you 100% that when they feel comfortable in their burrow they will not leave it, but at the same time that was my point as well. It is not their natural preference to dig under liverock and thus why I understand mine tried out several places. In my experience, the unnatural trials and retrials in my tank created a huge mess that affected all of the livestock in my tank. This is more of what I was trying to point out which I think we just interpreted differently so I most likely did not explain myself in good enough detail.
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