Blue Spotted VS. Pearly Jawfish

[sdunkin]

I am wanting to get either a pearly or a blue-spotted jawfish, and I cannot decide which one. My LFS has a blue spot that has been there for 2 weeks and is eating well for $79 that I am thinking about getting. If I want a pearly I am going to have to order it, so it will probably be at least $50 with shipping and everything. I am planning on upgrading to at least a 29 gallon tank this summer (hopefully I will get the 40 breeder that I really want), but in the time being it will be in a 12 gallon along with a really shy 6 line that I may move to my 75 gallon.

[bluebastion]

I used to have a blue spot... well 3 actually (at different times)... 2 of them jumped ship. I would recommend that you have a lid if you have any jawfish at all.

[sdunkin]

The tank now is an Eclipse system 12, so it is fully enclosed, and when I upgrade I am having a custom cabinet built for the tank so it will also be fully enclosed.

 

Did your Blue Spots have a lot of personality? I have a thing for slightly rare fish, and if I get the blue spot, he will be the "showpiece" of the tank.

[bluebastion]

yes, they all have "curious" personalities... and to be honest, the pearly will too... they are really the same fish... just a different "design". At the price you can get it at, I'd have already bought it. Each one of mine was around 130 + shipping.

[sdunkin]

I am probably going to go ahead and get it, and I may have already but my "LFS" is almost 2 hours away. I just wanted to get some more opinions before I get it because I would feel absolutely horrible if it died (not because of the price, but because they are so hard to get).

 

Also, would I need to add some more sand to the tank? I have 20lbs in my 12 gallon (like a 10 with 2 extra gallons on top), so it is about 1-2 inches deep. I have heard that they need 2-3 inches, but I have seen people keep other jawfish species with less substrate then I have.

[FateX9]

personally i like the pearly jaw more than the blue spot, not a big fan of the color

but at $79, thats pretty cheap

[sdunkin]

I know it is a really good deal, which is partially why I am leaning towards it, especially since it will probably cost me at least $50 to have a pearly shipped to me (which is probably going to be the only way I am going to get one). I really like the fact that this one has been in their tanks for 2 weeks and is eating well. My only concern is that I really don't have all that deep of a sand bed. Will a jawfish be okay in about 1-2 inches?

[DarkMazda]

definitely get the blue spot; for that price its a steal and the pearly price you mentioned is overpriced.

 

I personally love both fish, me giving the blue spot the edge because of rarity and color, but i dont have the bills to pay for one at regular price right now (at $79 i think id jump on it). So for now I actually plan on getting a pearly once my lfs has them in stock. Anyhow, you cant go wrong with either

[Rehype]

Yep he'll be fine. They are notorious for sandscaping . So they will end up moving all the sand around to make burrows. Dont be surprised if you have less than an inch up front and 5 inches in the back.

[annamarie421]

This link helped me out when I got my BSJF, so I wanted to pass it along:

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/bluesp...espot-club.html

 

I had one for about two months, and he died without warning. They actually seem to have kind of a dismal survival rate in captivity right now (people suspect that there is either a disease of some sort, or poor collection practices may be to blame). If you decide to pick up the one at your LFS, I'd recommend taking a look through the thread in the link above to get some good advice for taking care of it. Mine ate a LOT, so in a 12g you'll want to be ready to do frequent water changes to keep nitrates down. And I think it would be a lot happier with more than 1-2 inches of sand. Whatever you decide, best of luck - both pearlies and BS are great fish!

 

Anna

[sdunkin]

This link helped me out when I got my BSJF, so I wanted to pass it along:

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/bluesp...espot-club.html

 

I had one for about two months, and he died without warning. They actually seem to have kind of a dismal survival rate in captivity right now (people suspect that there is either a disease of some sort, or poor collection practices may be to blame). If you decide to pick up the one at your LFS, I'd recommend taking a look through the thread in the link above to get some good advice for taking care of it. Mine ate a LOT, so in a 12g you'll want to be ready to do frequent water changes to keep nitrates down. And I think it would be a lot happier with more than 1-2 inches of sand. Whatever you decide, best of luck - both pearlies and BS are great fish!

 

Anna

 

Thanks for the link, it was very helpful.

 

I have heard that they don't have the best survival rates, but then I have heard that they are hardier then the pearly so I really don't know. He will probably end up being the only fish in the tank, and I am pretty anal when it comes to water changes anyways so I am not too horribly worried about nitrates. I have thought about adding another few pounds of dry sand (so there won't be a cycle) along with a pound or so of LR rubble for him to use to construct burrows with.

[chrisdamage]

Generally speaking, I don't really think that any jawfish should be in anything less than something like a 40B that has a big footprint as far as nano tanks go. To feel comfortable they need some sandy areas around them. They will only set up a burrow at the base of your LR if they can't find suitable sand space. Make sure that you do have open sand, that you put some kind of flat rock on the surface of the sand so that they can burrow under it and use the flat rock as the roof for their home.

[Sea Slug]

yes, they all have "curious" personalities... and to be honest, the pearly will too... they are really the same fish... just a different "design". At the price you can get it at, I'd have already bought it. Each one of mine was around 130 + shipping.

^+1 , I paid $150 for my Blue Spot three years ago , great fish , the 12 gallon nano cube in the kitchen is all his , he keeps my wife company when she is in there and always comes out whenever anyone goes for something out of the fridge , I was going to tear down the nano at one point to make more counter space and the wife /kids were not in favor to say the least . A little trick I used instead of a really deep sand bed was to bury a series of one inch PVC pipe with twist and turns under the sand bed . " Jaws " took to the piping instantly and is very happy in his nano . HTH

[sdunkin]

Well, I went ahead and bought him. He is currently acclimating, but seems to be doing well. He was at the LFS for about 3 weeks and I watched him pig out on some mysis right before I decided to get him. The colors are stunning, and pictures do not do them justice. All I have in my 12 is a little 6 line that is probably going to be moved to my 75 gallon, so the tank will be all for the jawfish, and I am planing on upgrading next spring/summer.

[supahtim]

did you add that extra sand? jawfish need a deep sand bed with larger grain substrate for burrowing.

 

lets see some pics

 

Tim

[sdunkin]

did you add that extra sand? jawfish need a deep sand bed with larger grain substrate for burrowing.

 

lets see some pics

 

Tim

 

I added another 5lbs of aragonite (sp), plus about a quarter of a pound of very small rubble (almost gravel size).

 

No pics yet. I didn't want to stress him out any more then I had. Hopefully I will be able to get some tomorrow. He seemed fairly personable in the store, and was swimming out of his hole to check me out.

[annamarie421]

I hope he does well for you! They absolutely are incredible in person - I completely agree that pictures do them no justice.

 

We really enjoyed ours while we had him, but decided that if we ever get another, it'll be in its own tank - something tall with room for a 6-8+ inch sand bed. I hope you'll contribute to the thread on RS - people are really trying to compile info on the BSJF there in hopes of improving the survival rates.

 

Anna

[sdunkin]

I hope he does well for you! They absolutely are incredible in person - I completely agree that pictures do them no justice.

 

We really enjoyed ours while we had him, but decided that if we ever get another, it'll be in its own tank - something tall with room for a 6-8+ inch sand bed. I hope you'll contribute to the thread on RS - people are really trying to compile info on the BSJF there in hopes of improving the survival rates.

 

Anna

 

Thanks, and I hope that he does well too! I am hoping that he will do okay because he was eating very well when I got him, and was quite happy in the tank that they had him in.

 

Another question: would it be a bad idea to add a little bit of crushed coral to the tank so that he will have some bigger pieces to play with?

[annamarie421]

I don't think you can have too many substrate choices for them to use on their burrows - I'd add it for sure.

 

Anna

[sdunkin]

That kind of what I was thinking. I have some CC laying around, so I will get it ready and add it to the tank tomorrow. I also added some extra small shells that I had, so hopefully he will have plenty of stuff to use.

[annamarie421]

Be sure to keep us posted! I waited a week to take pictures of mine because I didn't want to scare him...so I'll be patient for pics.

[sdunkin]

I am in no hurry to get pics, because I don't want to stress him out. I felt horrible because I accidentally scared him when he was acclimating and he jumped all over the bag (I just walked into the room and he freaked out). I figured that I would leave the tank lights off for the rest of the night, only turn acintics on tomorrow, and then go back to the regular light schedule on Friday.

 

Thanks again for all of the help!

[MyCatsDrool]

Another jawfish lover piping in.

 

 

I absolutely love them. In fact, they are the fish that got me into SW. Not clowns or corals or angels or tangs. The humble, but fascinating and adorable jawfish.

 

Here is what I have gathered in my research, and in my personal, brief experience so far with these cutie-patooties.

 

These guys and gals are sausage shaped anxiety attacks with fins. These guys are, as most SW fish, sensitive to water quality, but they are extraoridinarily sensitive to environmental stress. While bad water is often a cause of death, the most common cause is plain old stress. Shipping is extremely hard on them. When stressed in a bag or container, they will bang themselves about against the walls, and basically panic to death. So, once he is in the tank and calmed down, try not to change things too much too often.

Before I started buying jaws, I talked to Bob Fenner about them (I do some detail for WWM on the freshie questions from time to time). He highly suggested that if I wanted to get one, to buy one locally rather than having one shipped from an online retailer. It is best to pick a specimen at an LFS, put a deposit on it, and observe it for a month while still at the shoppe. They often make it about 2 weeks, eating fine and acting normally, then either suddenly die, or go on a hunger strike, and die. The other reason is that if a jaw is going to die from capture/shipping stress, it is usually within 72 hours.

 

They are, if they make it past the 2 week to 20 day window, otherwise very hardy fish. But, as being panic packed little spring loaded time bombs, are supreme jumpers. And, as I learned the hard way, egg crate is not a sufficient barrier to their superior jumping prowess. If you can fit your pinkie finger thru, they can jump out of it was the rule of thumb I devised. They have the ability to look up, around, and behind. They have an amazing aim. If they can get thru, they will. Think octopus when you are determining how to cover the tank. Otherwise, like I had happen to me, you will awake one morning to find your precious little buddy has suffered a fate of springing loose right into the gaping maw of the eagerly awaiting Cosmo T. Kat, Esq., who waited patiently all night for him to make a break for it. And a very fat, satisfied looking cat will be looking at you innocently with a tailfin sticking out of the corner of her mouth.

 

They are piggies. These guys can EAT. And their mouths are amazingly stretchy and they appreciate variety. I feed mine a staple diet of selcon and garlic soaked mysis and frozen cyclop-eeze, with occasional treats of krill, chunked silversides, squid, blanched and skinned peas mixed with chopped oysters, nori mixed with chopped scallops or shrimp from the grocer, etc. They are not picky eaters at all. And they LOVE to eat. But keep in mind, a hungry fish is a happy one. Also, the eating issue, as with any big eater, is a waste issue also. Water quality is a factor here, and these guys are pretty sensitive to pollution.

 

They DIG. And when they are bored with their current burrow, they will dig a new one. And the digging is much deeper and more maze like than you think. Try your best to ensure that nothing is going to collapse when they dig out the sand. Think like a jawfish when you put in your sand, rubble and rock. Also think like a jawfish when you add new sessile inverts like corals. They love to decorate their homes. Many a zoanthid in my tank has ended up a wall painting in the house of Zoot! the wonder Jaw, or as a wreath on his doorway. And don't think he won't find it and take it again if you try to move it. These guys are smart.

 

Think deep on sand. I gave mine 5 inches. He has dug to the bottom in most spots. And when he gets to the glass, he gets quite irritated with me. These guys are used to having to end to the sand they can dig. And they are not interested in creating a pile, then excavating that pile. It isn't the "right" consistancy, nor can they make a long, flat surface of consistantly deep sand, as we can. They like all kinds of sizes too. I gave mine sugar sand to rubble, and everything in between. Remember, try to think like a jawfish when you make his home. What would make you happy if you lived most of your life in self dug tunnels?

 

QT tank: This is an important thing many don't consider with their burrowing fish. Especially those who get very sick JUST from the stress of not being able to burrow. And jawfish can indeed get sick from that. A good example: They produce a MIGHTY slime coat. Part of the purpose of this coat is that they rub their bodies on the sides of their burrows to rub off slime to stabilize the walls of their tunnel. This serves the purpose of firming up their tunnel, and helping them shed their slime coat for new slime production. Without being able to rub it off on their tunnel, the slime coat can build up, and start to rot, causing infections. Also, these guys, as previously stated, are stress factories. Without hiding places where they feel safe, they get sick.

So, when in QT, where usually you need no sand so treatment meds dont build up, and you can easily observe the sick animal, be sure to provide alternate methods. My way has been to add prefilter sponges. The holes in them are great for them to retreat to to hide, and the surfaces are rough enough for them to use to rub their bodies to aid in slime coat removal. The sponges can be removed and boiled after treating, then dried and stored for future use. I also add pieces of PVC, including elbows and tees, that they can hide in. Likewise, boil after use to sterilize. PVC alone, however, isn't rough enough IMO for them to rub on. That is why I like the prefilter sponges.

 

Finally, they are not at all aggressive (except when feeding...MINE! is their attitude), but they are VERY territorial. They will rarely leave their home base area, but if someone gets too close, beware. It doesn't take long, however for other tankmates to learn to keep their distance. I keep mine with a scissorstail dart and a black O.Clown. Everyone is quite happy, and he actually allows a pep. shrimp pair to come into his burrow and do merry maids style house cleaning.

 

That is all I can think of for now. I highly suggest them. They are AWESOME critters, the absolute best personalities. They will look right at you when you come to the tank. Mine will eat from my fingers. I love him.

 

Enjoy your boy.

 

Andrea

[sdunkin]

Thanks for the help MCD

 

I have yet to see the new fishy today, so I am just a little bit worried (I know that I shouldn't be, but I can't help it!). I did hear him try to jump last night when all of the lights were out (tank and surrounding areas), and got up to check on him but he seemed fine. I had to do some work to the tank today (FW dip zoas), so I am afraid that I am really stressing the JF out. But I may just be being a worry-wort.

[sdunkin]

I am getting a little nervous now because I still have yet to find any signs of the new fishy. I cannot find any signs of burrowing at all, nor can I see the fish. I am hoping that I am just worrying too much. Generally how long until they start to come out?