Blue Spot Jawfish (Opistognathus rosenblatti)
- Thread starter ThRoewer
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ThRoewer
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The one female who had damaged her mouth in the move died. No idea if it was related to the injury or caused by something else. The male is still doing his mating dance every day and is always in his black and white mating colors.
VMAX
New Member
Nice! I have 3 that I'm trying to breed too! When you first had your female pairs, did they "flare" at each other and maybe even fight (jaw lock)? Or did they get along peacefully?
Also curious what you've been feeding yours to condition them to breed?
Also curious what you've been feeding yours to condition them to breed?
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ThRoewer
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They got along fairly well. The only thing they did all the time was stealing each others burrows.
I just feed normal frozen food, flakes, pellets,... they are not picky.
What size tank do you have yours in?
VMAX
New Member
I keep them in a 36 Gal Bowfront; 5+ inch Carib Sea special grade sand bed mixed with slightly larger crushed coral pieces. Current water temperature during winter in MN: 72 degrees; which should simulate the spring/summer conditions of the Sea of Cortez.
Of the 3 that I have, the larger and older (3-4 years) of the 3 is always ticked off and will "jaw lock" with the other 2. Maybe this fish is beyond its breeding years and prefers to be alone? The other two (1.5-2 years old) get along and they stay within their own burrows (1.5-2 years old.) I will probably separate the larger/older specimen this weekend.
I haven't had any of mine show mating colors yet, so maybe its safe to assume they're all females? At this point, I really don't know!
Recently, I've been fattening them up by feeding them frozen foods (krill, squid, mysis) and live black worms. Mine do NOT eat any flake or pellets.
When yours were showing mating/breeding colors, what was your water temperature?
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ThRoewer
Valuable Member
The male is doing his dance now pretty much year round as long as the temperature is above 20°C. He is also constantly in mating colors.
You most likely have 3 females and they likely feel crowded.
My guys eat everything, frozen, flakes, pellets,...
VMAX
New Member
You're trying to breed them too? Good luck! I'm on the hunt for a male specimen.
VMAX
New Member
Very nice! I think you're the only person on the internet that has actually documented a male BSJ displaying its mating colors!
Back when I made the decision to breed these BSJ's, I thought they were like clownfish....keep a few together and eventually one will turn into a female, and the other would become male; sequential hermaphroditism. I guess I was wrong....lol.
Or maybe my two smaller ones are still too young and haven't quite reached sexual maturity? who knows...?
How old and what size are your BSJ's? Maybe I'm just over thinking stuff too much....but at the end of the day, my BSJ's are very happy.
Happy New Year!
What would you say is their ideal temp range for normal activity and spawning? I always wanted a species tank just for these guys so they could get a proper sand bed to rock/rubble ratio but need a chiller. Very hot summers sometimes.
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ThRoewer
Valuable Member
Jawfish are goniochore, they don't change sex.
Also, males are smaller and slimmer than females. I observed that with all the confirmed pairs I had. They also have more slender heads. Unfortunately, none of those features are standing out with individuals at stores, so I normally try to go by their genital papilla.
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ThRoewer
Valuable Member
They can handle temperatures between 16°C and 30°C (33°C for a few hours) but seem to prefer temperatures 22°C and 28°C. They actually have far less trouble with higher temperatures than my tropical reef fish.
VMAX
New Member
Do you happen to have pictures showing a male next to a female? So we can see the differences (slender head, smaller/slimmer, etc)? I've seen your videos, but its hard to tell.
I also didn't know BSJ's had a pronounced genital papilla? I don't see a difference in mine....maybe that's because they're all females....lol? If you can show me the difference, that'll be much appreciated.
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ThRoewer
Valuable Member
I don't have pictures of confirmed males and females.
Males have a thinner, pointy genital papillae. The ones of females are thicker and more blunt in their end. Females get a lot larger in body diameter and develop a belly. Males are slender and, at same length, smaller in body diameter. That is of course under the presumption that they are well fed and not starving.
VMAX
New Member
From looking at the pic, how do you tell/know? One of these days when I'll have to figure out aquarium photography and take pics of my BSJ for you to take a look at.This should be a female:
OP
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ThRoewer
Valuable Member
Genital papilla, it's too thick for a male
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