owenz Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Figured I'd post some new pics of the Blue Spot Jawfish who has resided in my 24 gallon Aquapod for the last two weeks. I ordered this BSJ from a seller named eagleeyejoe on Ebay for $74.99 plus $25 shipping. Showed up looking as big and healthy as any BSJ I've seen. This is my second attempt to house a BSJ in my 24G, and my third jawfish overall. The last BSJ entered the tank healthy, but eventually succombed to a wasting desease that I believe was brought on by stress and excess heat (the Long Beach Acquarium keeps their BSJ display tank between 72 and 76F). Before putting this tank together, I resolved to correct the heat problem. It now maxes out at 76F. But I am going to install a chiller before the summer and see if I can't keep it closer to 73F. The heat problem addressed, I moved onto the second issue: stress. Jawfish are very nervous fish and I think BSJ's are especially prone. The last BSJ simply could not find a place to dig a good tunnel. He ended up living amidst the live rock, which works in the short term, but is no substitute to a tunnel in the open sand with a 360-degree view. To resolve this problem, I re-arranged the live rock to create more open sand, added some sand to create depth, and finally added an artificial, 1-inch pvc pipe "tunnel" for him to call home. I placed a couple of 45-degree elbows in the pipe so it first goes straight down, then angles backwards for a considerable distance. He's got a lot of room in there. I surrounded the tube with rocks and shells and figured I could rely on the BSJ to arrange the decorations for a "natural" appearance. I put the BSJ in two weeks ago and he immediately hid in the rocks, ignoring the man-made tunnel. He also started exhibiting the same signs of stress as the last BSJ - hovering high in the water column and bumping his head on the lid of the tank, and showing abrasions on his sides from the rockwork. Just as I was starting to get nervous after about four days, I spotted him eyeing the tunnel. After a few false starts, he darted in...and he has not left since. It's been about 10 days. The BSJ has already learned to take mysis directly from the turkey baster, which I hold in front of him and let him swim up to. He is slowly getting more confident and hovering farther from the hole. He mostly plays nice with his only tank mate, a chalk bass. I plan on adding at least one cleaner shrimp (haha, I will feed the BSJ a big meal before putting the shrimp in) and perhaps one more fish. At any rate, the experiment is going great so far. The BSJ is more "settled in" than even my first jaw, which I kept for well over year before killing in a moving accident. As long as I can address the heat issue with a chiller before summer hits, I'm confident I can keep him happy and alive. The downside is that he is an absolute pig with the mysis, which means more water changes than ever. If and when I get a better camera than my stupid phone, I will post some more pics. Link to comment
Nick's Reef Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 These guys and Yasha Hashe gobies are my favorite! Link to comment
Tony Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 I love those guys. I would like to have one in my new 55 but I hear that they are jumpers and my tank is going to be rimless. Link to comment
owenz Posted February 21, 2008 Author Share Posted February 21, 2008 I love those guys. I would like to have one in my new 55 but I hear that they are jumpers and my tank is going to be rimless. Total jumpers. Even when you think they are totally settled into a hole, they have a tendency to explore the tank with lights off. I used to find my old jaw in the back section of my aquapod all the time, until I finally sealed it off. And he was otherwise a perfectly happy fish. Link to comment
basser1 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Glad to see you got another BSJF owenz. He looks like he has really settled in nicely! My BSJF, I named him "Polky", is doing great in my 29 gallon Biocube. I think the success or failure to keep these guys, is to make sure the one you are getting has not been collected by using chemicals. My LFS has 3 in stock and he says his supplier uses natural methods to collect their fish. BTW, great price on yours, I paid double for mine. Link to comment
oh my fraggin gosh! Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 That's a great idea for the PVC Pipe dug into your front part of the sand... I would love to do something similar to that for my BSJF. How deep is your actual sea bed? I think I'll be stacking some of my LS in a corner of my front tank around some PVC pipe, hopefully he will find it. My BSJF is currently amongst the LR in the back of the rock wall, I can see him through the crevice, doesn't seem to show the same smyptoms as yours regarding the stress, but I will definietly work on the tunnel to maybe get him in there as well. Do let me know if you have any tips to flushing him out if you used one. =) Cheers Link to comment
basser1 Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 That's a great idea for the PVC Pipe dug into your front part of the sand... I would love to do something similar to that for my BSJF. How deep is your actual sea bed? I think I'll be stacking some of my LS in a corner of my front tank around some PVC pipe, hopefully he will find it. My BSJF is currently amongst the LR in the back of the rock wall, I can see him through the crevice, doesn't seem to show the same smyptoms as yours regarding the stress, but I will definietly work on the tunnel to maybe get him in there as well. Do let me know if you have any tips to flushing him out if you used one. =) Cheers I buried the pvc under my sand bed before I put my BSJF in the tank. After I acclimated him, I took the bag he was in down to the pvc and gently tapped the sides of the bag, and he went right in and has been there ever since. My sand bed is about 2 1/2" deep. Here is a pic of Polky in his man-made burrow. It looks like he's waving Hi at me. Link to comment
oh my fraggin gosh! Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 I buried the pvc under my sand bed before I put my BSJF in the tank. After I acclimated him, I took the bag he was in down to the pvc and gently tapped the sides of the bag, and he went right in and has been there ever since. My sand bed is about 2 1/2" deep. Here is a pic of Polky in his man-made burrow. It looks like he's waving Hi at me. That's a really nice shot, and idea. It's too bad he's already in there as gettting him out there would be tough now. I'm going to go to petland today and get some hamster tubes because the thought of the pvc pipe being secluded under the sandbed may storek up some nitrates, so I figured those hamster tubes have tiny holes in them may give more of a natural feel. How high is your PVC pipe going up vertically? I'm thinking 3 inches would suffice? That's what I'll be aiming for. I really hope he notices the tunnel or I'll just have to flushing him in there possibly, but maybe that would stress him out? Thanks for the pics btw Link to comment
KEdwards Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Good for you! They are very special fish. Keep us posted. I bet you could make a well ventilated tunnel out of stiff windowscreen....one that wont rust of course. Link to comment
basser1 Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 I really don't think you'll have any issues using the pvc. I've had mine now for over 2 months and no nitrate problems at all. I have the pvc going down at a slight angle. As a matter of fact, I can see him in the pvc tube while looking down at the tank. Link to comment
oh my fraggin gosh! Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Do these jaw's actually reverse into their whole or can they actuall make U turns in a tight squeeze like that? I ended up getting 1 inch diameter PVC pipes. I have it in the sand now, with a lot of rubble scattered around it. The pipe runs for about 6-7 inches total when stretched out straight. Is this enough? I could also add 2-3 more inches if I wanted to. The verticle part of the PVC pipe is only about 2 inches, but the horizontal part is about 4 inches. I can imagine he'll be uncomfortable in there if he sticks his head out lol, shift his body into an L shape for endless hours of the day. My sand bed isn't that deep, but I sure could add more if I really wanted to. I just bought more rubble so if I need to, I can just dump it in there... it was dry rubble for FW tanks, and I rinsed it good with RO/DI Any tips as to how to get him to come out of the rock work? I see him poke his head out from tiem to time, but just hides when I come to look. Just now I was sitting by my desk, and I see him lean over to look at me lol I love the little guy. Great personality. So shoudl I go ahead and flush him out of the rock with a turkey baster or something? Link to comment
basser1 Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Actually, they are quite adept at swimming in reverse and making tight U-turns! It sounds like you're doing alright with the pvc set-up. I would just leave him be for now and see if he "discovers" his new digs on his own. The extra rubble is a good idea. I'd put it around the opening and see if this entices him to it. As far as trying to get him out of the rock work, maybe try using the turkey baster to squirt some food to get him to eat it. Good Luck! Keep us posted! Link to comment
oh my fraggin gosh! Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Well I just fed the tank mysis. He did come out of the crevice, and was able to eat 4 mysis shrimps. It was very cute how his eyes became all droopy and cartoony so envious that the clown was eating He's still in that crevice though and won't come out to his new tunnel! I really hope he finds it. The lights just went off, what kind of behavior do people expect on lights out? My first night with him, I may have found him sleeping (looking like a zombie). If i shine some light in the crevice correctly, I can see him doing this. I thought they swam out in the open during night time. Only time will tell... second day with me was good, I got him to eat. I have trouble with a baster directing the food to him, any tips? Link to comment
basser1 Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Make sure you turn off the pumps while feeding, this way you can be more direct with the baster. At night, mine stays right in his hole. As far as I know he doesn't move from it. You got him to eat and that's a good sign! Just give him more time to get comfy! Link to comment
oh my fraggin gosh! Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Frustration rises lol.... He is still hanging out in the back. Showed some sense of coming out, at several points, he would even extend half of his body out in the open! but no go.... I am thinking of adding more sand. I have about 1 1/2 inches running mainly, but I did pile up a good 3 inches around the PVC pipe... Should I just add more live sand? Would that even cause another cycle? On another note, i have a wheelire goby in there, and a false perc. Maybe he's scared of the false perc. Link to comment
owenz Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share Posted March 2, 2008 It took mine some time to discover the PVC pipe. I wouldn't disturb him or try to force him into the hole...he should find it eventually. Once mine found it, he never left. It's been about a month and he's doing great. As for feeding, they are very intelligent fish once they get used to the turkey baster. Mine comes up and takes the mysis directly from the baster. In fact, I don't "shoot" the mysis at him. I apply just enough pressure to have the mysis poking out of the end of the baster...and BSJ swims up and takes them out. When feeding the tank, I focus almost exclusively on feeding the jaw...and because he is messy, plenty of shrimp fly into the water column for everyone else. Mine eats about 2/3 of a cube of frozen mysis per day all by himself. He eats at least 10 mysis, probably more. So we're talking about a pretty high bioload for a single fish. It's just part of the deal. My sand bed is quite deep...5-6". But I don't think that much is necessary with the pipe in place. The pipe goes straight down about 2.5", then diverts back at 45-degrees for 1-2", then another 45" so that it parallel with the bottom of the tank. It exends all the into the rear rock work. The jaw actually dug it out so that it connects to the area he dug out beneath the rocks. But he rarely ventures into the rock work. Link to comment
owenz Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share Posted March 2, 2008 I need to borrow basser1's camera. Here's a couple of shots of mine feeding and a wide shot. Link to comment
basser1 Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Great pics owenz! I agree with the turkey baster method of feeding. My blue spot eats the same way. I have a neon green fungia next to the Blue spots burrow, and when I feed the fungia, Polky will swim over to it and steal some of the shrimp from it! Link to comment
owenz Posted March 15, 2008 Author Share Posted March 15, 2008 Got a new camera! Which means...picture time!!! Two more... Link to comment
cbort Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 very cool lookin fish! very colorful! Link to comment
Dragonette Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 aww he is so cute I love the pics of him just with the top of his head sticking out. he looks like a prairie dog or something. Beautiful! Jess Link to comment
usssturgeon187 Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Very nice fish ! How big do they get ? Link to comment
basser1 Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 owenz.... great pics of your blue spot! That one shot looks like his belly is full and "eatin' good in the neighborhood"! Link to comment
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