Nano-Reef.com » Fish Information » Bluespotted Jawfish
Bluespotted Jawfish
Scientific Name
Opistognathus rosenblatti
Common Name
Bluespotted jawfish, blue dot jawfish
Average Size
3-4 inches
Region
Sea of Cortez
Identification
Head and upper body are a brownish yellow shading to a orange yellow towards the front. Rear of body is a brownish blue and entire body is covered in electric blue spots. Males will change to a flat white color on the back half of their body during breeding season. Eyes are orange with large black pupils.
Nano Reef Size
10 gallon minimum for one fish, a 20 gallon or larger aquarium is ideal.
Temperament
Moderately aggressive towards smaller fish and invertebrates that get too close to its burrow. Highly aggressive towards members of its own species, it's not recommended to keep more than one in a nano reef. Sight barriers may help curb aggression, as well as providing it with lots of building materials to keep it occupied.
Current
Low to medium
Hardiness
Hardy once established, but suffer from collection, shipping, and mysterious ailments (the dreaded BSJ - Blue Spot Jawfish disease). Quarantine no less than 3 weeks to ensure fish is healthy and eating. Copper is not recommended for jawfish. They sometimes suffer from intestinal parasites, if the fish is eating well and not putting on weight consider a commercial de-worming product (Hex-A-Mit works well). Blue Spot Jawfish sometimes come down with a malady that resembles brooklynella in clowns - no definitive cure or cause is known at this time and a thorough quarantine is the best preventative with new specimens.
Behavior
Will spend much of its time either rearranging its den or looking for food and danger. Will venture from its home to look for building materials and will even steal them from neighboring jawfish residences prompting a gill flaring display and sometimes a tussle. When not building they hover above their burrows peering in every direction for a snack or a potential jawfish snacker.
Feeding
Meaty foods, commercial preparations. Feed often and a varied diet. Like their more docile cousins the yellowhead jawfish, these need to be fed several times a day for optimal health and can decline quickly if they stop eating.
Notes
All jawfish are deceptively fast swimmers and can jump out of the smallest opening in a tank. Once settled in they are less likely to jump but a sealed tank or at least eggcrate is recommended to keep them off the carpet.
Bluespots are collected from the Sea of Cortez. They live at the base of steep rocky cliffs in deep water.
Michael Peterson 08/23/2003
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