Jawfish are very adorable!

[Europhyllia]

I am so looking forward to my big tank with the jawfish cove.
I already ordered my new pristine dry rock and told DH to expect a big tub with rocks curing in the laundry room...

Anyway there's quite a few interesting things to know about jawfish!
For example blue spots are more aggressive towards each other and a male/female pair is recommended (tough to come by). In the wild they have their burrows at least 3 feet apart.
But yellowhead jawfish are much more chilled out and sociable. They tend to keep their burrows closer together and in a big tank like mine I could (should be able to) keep a small group of 3 or 4!

Here's some awesome jawfish cuteness for y'all to watch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ6T22OlD1U

[StevenSeas]

hmmm looks like a mess of numbers and symbols to me jk ;)

[Europhyllia]

yes they can be kind of cryptic! ;)

[Mr Cob]

Awesomely cute! THX for the short entertainment. Great info too. I learned something...thx. Off to hit "new post" again. lol

[edshas2]

if i ever get a bigger tank getting a few of those for sure. Very entertaining.

[alton]

This is a great website for BSJF
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/bluespot-club/
and one for all jawfish
http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewforum.php?f=184

[Europhyllia]

Thanks Alton. MOFIB is a great site. I'll have to go look.
The best info I found so far was from a book on ornamental marinefish breeding I have (Wittenrich).

[kkiel02]

I wish the Blue spots would be less aggressive they look amazing. What about watchmen gobies can wou keep them in groups? You have me wanting 3-5 little sandsifters...

[Europhyllia]

not sifters -burrowers! lol
sifters are bad for your microfauna. burrowers are cute though.

ace would probably know about the habits of watchman gobies!

[kkiel02]

So jawfish dont sift? I thought they did. I learned something new today also... I just wish the yellow heads werent so white. Afraid they will blend in with my sand...

[Europhyllia]

So jawfish dont sift? I thought they did. I learned something new today also... I just wish the yellow heads werent so white. Afraid they will blend in with my sand...
I was thinking the same thing: wish their tails were more blue. Some are kinda blueish...
Jawfish take rubble into their mouth to build stuff. Once they are happy with their burrow(s) they should pretty much stick with it/them.
They like to eat stuff that swims by. :)
I think you can keep blue spots together as long as you get a pair

One of our sponsors can get the blue spots very inexpensively (usually around $130 a fish!). You could get a small group of blue spots and rehome the ones that don't fit with your pair.
I also found one online retailer that would pair them up for you and then send you a matched pair but expect to pay around $270 for a pair of blue spots...

[Europhyllia]

I like this page on Jawfish. I think it's very thorough:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-03/hcs3/index.php

[BSJF]

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/bluespot-club/16244-bluespot-club.html

The Bluespot Club - Over 4700 posts in this single thread about Bluespots - 67,000 views! Lots of info, friends, etc.

[Europhyllia]

Argh Lorraine stop it! You are always getting me into trouble!
Those Blue Spotteds are very photogenic, aren't they...
$270 for a confirmed pair - yikes.

[BSJF]

They are addictive. I sure miss my male. He flashed his breeding colors all the time, day after day. month after month! It was amazing to watch.

That is a great price. I would make sure they have had them for at least 30 days before you buy.

This is the one breeding experience I had with my pair. This pic was just before the transfer of the eggs.
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z113/bluespotjawfish/P1110708-BJ_Misses_Breeding-1.jpg

Video of the breeding behavior
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z113/bluespotjawfish/th_P1110703-Misses_in_BJ_Den_1.jpg (http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z113/bluespotjawfish/?action=view&current=P1110703-Misses_in_BJ_Den_1.flv)

The handsome boy!
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z113/bluespotjawfish/bluespots/P1090120-BJFlash-1.jpg

This is a slideshow of my pair BJ and The Misses (mostly my male, but some of the shots have the female in them too)
http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z113/bluespotjawfish/bluespots/th_P1090107.jpg (http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z113/bluespotjawfish/bluespots/?action=view&current=ae569fe2.pbw)

[Europhyllia]

you are truly evil. That video is so neat. I had no idea the breeding colors were this amazing!

[Hamp]

I love mine. He totally re-scaped my whole tank, but did a good jo[/IMG]
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o18/hampy_photos/_DSC0180.jpg
[IMG]

[Europhyllia]

well let's see:
for sale after the new tank is here:
used 125g tank and stand: $150
100 pounds of Fiji Premium Liverock -with macroalgae (unless the urchin eats it all first)!: $75
800gph overflow box: $25
various frags including primo Yellow Deepwater Japanese Zoas, Blue Ridge Coral, Whammin Watermelon Zoas, White Ghost Zoas: $20 +

I guess a pair of blue spots it will be... the yellowhead groupings are really cute though too!

[BSJF]

Hamp, cool pic!

Karin, that sure looks like $$ for a bluespot pair to me :)! Just another word of caution before you purchase them though, based on my experiences and those of others that I have observed, you will probably have better success if you let the tank mature at least 6 months before adding them, even if you are just transferring the setup from your old tank.

[Europhyllia]

Good point! I've never thought of maturing in terms of fish but makes sense. I'll wait.
Just means I'll have to hurry up with the transfer now. lol

[Europhyllia]

Kind of interesting though since most of the more reliable sources say that the Jawfish should be the first to be added to an aquarium if possible - but don't mention the 6 months thing.
Since they don't depend on copepods, etc. did you find out what exactly the maturing is for?

[Hamp]

They are real delicate and smart, so I would recommend getting your tank set up just they way it is going to be for a while, and stable...then add them. They dont like it when you put your hands in the tank, or mess with them too much. At first anyway. They can get real sick from stress, and you want to try and find out about the collection methods if you can. Once the settle in, they are awesome though. My favorite fish.

[Europhyllia]

Well Thanks Lorraine and Hamp. Based on the comments of Jawfish having to be first fish in the tank I would have gotten them as soon as possible before anybody else could stake out territories in the new tank.
I am glad I found out in time to know to give everything time to settle before adding them. :)

[BSJF]

Karin, I have never had problems adding them later than other fish. If keeping other bottom dwellers, I'd probably add the BSJF first, and if you are getting a pair I probably wouldn't add other bottom dwellers. They are actually a very hardy fish, once they are acclimated (the first few months).

[Europhyllia]

They will be my designated bottom dwellers! :)
The mandarins are sort of all over dwellers but nothing like jawfish of course. I can't think of a fish that would feel bothered by a mandarin...

They will complete my stocking list of this:
* pair of ocellaris clowns
* pair of mandarin dragonets
* group of bartlett's anthias
* group of PJ Cardinals
* midas blenny (that thinks he's part of the group of bartlett's anthias)
* blue gold blenny
* clams, barnacles, oyster and cocoworms
* shrimp
* corals and gorgonians

It's a very low key/low stress tank.

I've been briefly tempted by tangs but I will just start over with new rock and forgo the tang

[Hamp]

My mandarin and jawfish get along famously. Pretty cool. Everything else in the tank the jawfish stakes off his territory, but my male green mandarin hangs right next to him with no problems.

[alton]

One thing I saw this weekend which surprised me was at Aquatek they had a PJ in an open tank with no cover? I always thought knowing that Blue Spots jump, that Pearly Jaws did too, maybe not?

[Europhyllia]

I would assume the same. It's probably one of those things...
my jawfish never jumped -until it did
my angelfish never bothered a corals -until it did
my eel never bothered the littler fish -until it ate one
:p

[txmaverickmh]

BSJFs are definitely my absolute favorite fish of all time, but I have gone through 3 heartbreaks with those guys, and I cant do it anymore. I made a cover for my tank out of window screen border and mesh, but he still got through, then would get stuck opening his gills, too much heartbreak! But, if you have a top or a tall tank, they are the most amazing creatures, most personality of any fish by far!

Michael

[hobogato]

took these pics the other day for you karin - pardon the quality, my phone doesnt the quality of pics that rob's does :)

the two that are always together
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/environmental%20systems/IMAGE_014.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/environmental%20systems/IMAGE_011.jpg

the occasional loner
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/environmental%20systems/IMAGE_006.jpg

[Europhyllia]

Oh these are very nice as well! Are they really that pretty blue? I imagined them to be sort of white?

[hobogato]

the pair is in the end of the tank with a 20K light, so the blue really reflects off of the white. however, they do keep a blue tint, especially on their tail and fins even in the 10K light at the other end.

[alton]

I just noticed at least one of your PJ's has 3 lines on the side of it's face? Mine does not, do all of yours have this?
Also Karin I just added a Blue Spot to my 300 and placed him on the right side where I have an awesome shell/sand area with a start of a tunnel and instead he moved all the way to the other side under a bunch of tonga branch? I guess jawfish are like women you can never make them happy? "Just Joking".

[hobogato]

alton, had to wait until i got here to work to reply so i could check to be sure. yes, all three have the same striping on the side of their heads.