Jawfish Fun/Challenge

[alton]

I have tried keeping Bluespot Jawfish before with no avail. I bought individuals, a pair which the male lasted the longest at two or three months. The female built the houses and she looked the best but perished first? Finally gave up until one day I purchased a Pearly Jawfish from Reefs2U and placed him a 10 gallon where he was happy go lucky. Since then I have moved him into a 29 where you have seen him/her several times in different post here on MAAST. I am one of those who never gives up so I figured once again if I can keep a PJ alive why not BSJF? I never thought I was going to turn my 300 into a jawfish tank but I have with the help of several of our local fish stores. BSJF #4 was my first to add to the 300, she has built most if not all of the homes you see in the pictures. Sometimes she stays with the three other BSJF, sometimes with the two PJ’s, and now has built another new home in the middle of the tank to stay away from all the rest. At one time I had five BSJF but one would fight some of the others so I gave him to my nephew. The first three stay close together in the same area. If they fight I have not seen it. The two PJ’s stay on the opposite side of the tank by themselves unless BSJF #4 joins them. I am not sure if BSJF #4 is a female I am just guessing because of what my first female did, and you can say she does all the work in the tank building homes or she is never happy with just one? I have never seen any of them flash, nor am I in a hurry to have any two pair up, I am just happy watching them every day and the fact I have been able to keep them alive is amazing. For substrate I use a combination of LR rubble, fine sand, Carib-Sea Special Grade Reef Sand, and a mixture that I got from AD that has crushed shells and small rubble made for jawfish. In the areas where the BSJF houses the substrate is 4+” and the PJ’s are 3+”. All my live rock sits on the aquarium glass with the substrate filled in around it to keep the rocks from crushing down when the jawfish dig.The first picture is BSJF #4BSJF 4 7-19-10.jpgBSJF 1 7-19-10.jpgBSJF 2 7-19-10.jpgBSJF 3 7-19-10.jpgPJS 300 7-19-10.jpg

[Europhyllia]

Very cool! I'd love to see more of them. Do you have a video camera?
You're scaring me a little. I hope the Yellowheads are easier to keep than the BSJF!

[ACE]

Those are really neat fish to watch. That 300 is awesome because no matter where you look the jawfish are poking their heads up checking me out. Looks really nice Alton, that hard work is paying off!