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| General Reef Discussion In this forum we discuss issues related to keeping marine and reef aquariums in a friendly flame-free environment. |
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07-10-2002, 01:47 PM
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#1
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Holtsville, NY (Long Island)
Posts: 178
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New Jawfish
Hello All!
Purchased my first fish for the tank yesterday a beatiful opisthognathus aurifrons, pearly jawfish.
I am a little unsure if I am supplying him the right building matierials....
I have a 5" DSB with 1 inch of a much coarser grain, but still I am unsure if what I have here is unsatisfactory for his needs. If anyone can recommends on this subject it would be greatly appriciated. Right now I've been braking up some bleached coral and giving him about 1 cm sized pieces.
Basically Im a little concerned because
Last night about 15 minutes after he was introduced to the tank he started digging out his tunnel and looked like he was doing fine (he was even coming out of this tunnel to feed on the drifting micro-organisms within the hour). This is when I added the pieces of crushed/bleached coral....he used some and looked good. Then this morning I found a new hole on the other side of the tank...... I know they move around a bit in the beginning, but I hope its not because I am not supplying him with the right building materials...
Thanks for any help in advance...
Pete
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07-10-2002, 01:52 PM
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#2
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Nothing to See Here
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Montana
Posts: 5,815
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I think your jaw fish will settle down after awhile! They do like bigger chunks for putting around the entrance to their tunnel! You have one beautiful fish there! Congrats! Johnny  |
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07-10-2002, 02:11 PM
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#3
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Lansing, MI
Posts: 53
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Hi, Tric. Congratulations on your new fish. I think he will settle down too. Sounds like you have a nice deep sand bed for him.
The most important advice I have for you is to jump-proof your tank. I used to have a blue spotted. He initially jumped over into my overflow. After that incident, I bought egg crate and covered the whole top of my tank. Regardless, he managed to jump through one of the small holes in the egg crate and flopped down onto the carpet. This all happened while I was at work and when I came home, he was already dead. It was a dreadful loss for me because I had become quite fond of him. Instead of egg crate, I now wish I had used a nylon mesh screen over the top of the tank. My LFS had suggested the egg crate.
Best of luck to you. They are a most entertaining fish.
Kelly |
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07-10-2002, 03:18 PM
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#4
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Holtsville, NY (Long Island)
Posts: 178
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Thank you all for the nice replies!
Kelly-
I have read a few articles that they are notorious jumpers....by the way did you have other fish in the tank with him?......I hear they are much less likely to jump in they are introduced to the tank first...might just be a rumor. I do have eggcrate over the tank right now, I think I will try and get some more potection though.....better safe than sorry
Pete |
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07-10-2002, 06:18 PM
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#5
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Lansing, MI
Posts: 53
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Tric, yes I had other fish: a small yellow tang (about 2 inches) and 2 false perculas. He was never bothered by the others. He was very competitive for food and every now and then I would see him bolt to the surface and splash at the top. Never could see a reason for him doing that. Thought he would never get out through the egg crate but was, unfortunately, wrong about that.
I have since heard that blue spotted jawfish are not as likely to stay in their burrows and a bit more rambunctios than other jawfish. In any event, I just wanted to warn you to not rely on the egg crate to protect your fish.
Kelly |
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07-10-2002, 08:36 PM
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#6
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Little Fishy
Join Date: May 2001
Location: New Bern, NC
Posts: 249
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My yellow head Jawfish likes lots of small snail shells. He uses them around the entrance of his cave. He goes nomad on me every 4-6 months and digs all over the place, but he always comes back to his origional cave.
__________________
Chris Lupton
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07-10-2002, 09:54 PM
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#7
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Holtsville, NY (Long Island)
Posts: 178
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Chris---
Mine seems to enjoy the tranquility that the back of my tank offers.... I was hoping to influence him to live in a place I could see him easier by placing some "builing blocks and mini hammer"  No such luck.
I can see him pretty well though from the side of the tank which is good enough for me. Everyone in my house thinks I am really stange for keeping a tank with no fish in it for so long....If I have to explain the ammonia cycle to one more person ERRR! Then yesterday I hear: "I waited this long to see a fish, and you get one that is never out and hides in the sand! .....No, I don't like that fish.....Would it be okay if I went to the store and bought some fish that I like?" Thank god I am not as hard to please as some people in my family... Sorry for the rambling
Anyway, He's doing great in the back of the tank, he's usually 1/2 to 3/4 out of his cave waiting for meal. Very Frisky little jaw...
I know these fish are real timid, but has anyone had any luck feeding them by hand? Also, do these fish ever really get used to people presence near the tank? mine seems to dart in a cave when we get too close.....I hoping in time he will "warm up" to our presence...
Thank you all
Pete |
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07-10-2002, 10:09 PM
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#8
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Little Fishy
Join Date: May 2001
Location: New Bern, NC
Posts: 249
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Mine will eat from my hand but will haul "tail" back to his cave if you make any sudden movements.
My Jawfish and Flame Hawk are my favorite fish!
__________________
Chris Lupton
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07-10-2002, 10:36 PM
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#9
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Holtsville, NY (Long Island)
Posts: 178
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Chris:
Wow! Do you feed him from the surface or way down on the bottom? Also, I have been feeding him frozen brine, what are you using?
Finally I read a few posts that stated sex can be determined by looking for 2 black dots under the chin....Take any stock in that?
BTW, The males are believed to have the dots....
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07-11-2002, 02:48 PM
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#11
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squid
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: New Bern, NC
Posts: 6
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This is Hamburglar again. I just have two profiles from when the BB moved and I'm to lazy to fix it.
I feed my Jawfish lots of different stuff like my other fish. I try to alternate with OSI flakes, OSI pellets, freeze dried krill, and a blender mush from a LFS (mostly clams, mussels, shrimp, fish). The jawfish seems to like the freeze dried krill the most (big pieces) and the pettets that drop to the bottom. He will take the krill from my fingers with the other fish.
__________________
http://www.lupton-net.com/reeftank
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07-11-2002, 09:07 PM
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#12
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Shark
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
Posts: 1,588
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Just a note, for Jawfish to burrow adequately, they must have a very varied range of grain sizes in the sandbed, from 5 mm down. They use a great deal of different sizes for their wild burrows.
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