Blue Spotted Jawfish Update!

[Miketc17]

Got the call he came in yesterday. I picked him up last night while still in the original shipping bag. This fish is a complete spaz and scares me for being $120.

Got home, floated him, then drip acclimated him. I threw his DIY cave in the drip acclimation bucket. At the end of the drip acclimation, I go to try to nudge him into the pvc and he freaks out and launches out of the bucket onto the floor. No big deal, I scoop him up and get him into his pvc. I put him in the DT while he’s still in the pvc. Everything looks good. Lights were off and I watched him for 30 minutes. He looked like he was getting comfortable and he kept popping his head out of the pvc, which I think is a good sign. This was all last night.

I wake up this morning and go into the room where the tank is, before I even turn the corner, I hear all this crazy splashing and then the flopping noise fish make when they’re out of water and on the floor. I’m like holy crap, he somehow got out and I have an innovative marine screen lid with very small holes. I scooped him up, AGAIN and threw him back into the tank. I throw him in and before I get to even put the lid back on, he launches himself out AGAIN and this time lands in the rear chamber on top of the filter floss. Scoop him up again and throw him back in the DT.

Fun morning for me lol. It caused me to be late to work hahaha. I watched him for a few minutes and he’s just laying on top of the sand bed wedged up against rocks. So probably not good since I don’t think he’ll be able to find his cave again. So I guess we shall see how this plays out. It’s so unfortunate because they are literally my favorite fish and the fiancée absolutely loves them too.

Here’s a pic of him last night

 

[40g Nano]

Get or make a tighter lid

 

[Dolelo96]

Before I got my blue spot, I had one built specifically for my RSR 425xl..the Clearview Pisces. I picked him up in June and found him on my floor this morning. There is a space, the size of my pinky nail (I have small hands), between a corner of the feed door and the rim of the tank and that’s the only place he could have come through.

I should have put a tiny bit of floss in those spots, but I thought they were too small to worry about. What’s really sad is I had floss filling the 1/4 inch around my overflow, so it wouldn’t have been a big deal. It was a hard lesson. They are jumpers, especially when they’re stressed. Anytime I needed to take that lid off, I had my daughter watch him until I put the lid back on. You need a TIGHT fitting lid, preferably with a feed door.

Good luck.

 

[FlexingFishSticks]

I love blue spot jawfish!! So much personality. Unfortunately they are huge jumpers...they’ll find every little nook and cranny and escape. I’ve seen some threads on here that claim they jump when stressed and uncomfortable as a last resort and that they prefer colder water temps (68-72ish I think) warmer temps shorten their life span and they prefer to be vertical in their burrows with about a 3-4 inch sand bed and rubble to close their burrows up at night. Idk about how factual all of this is because like I said I just seen some threads that contained this information regarding the fishy! Good luck with him he’s a beautiful fish!

 

[Miketc17]

Before I got my blue spot, I had one built specifically for my RSR 425xl..the Clearview Pisces. I picked him up in June and found him on my floor this morning. There is a space, the size of my pinky nail (I have small hands), between a corner of the feed door and the rim of the tank and that’s the only place he could have come through.

I should have put a tiny bit of floss in those spots, but I thought they were too small to worry about. What’s really sad is I had floss filling the 1/4 inch around my overflow, so it wouldn’t have been a big deal. It was a hard lesson. They are jumpers, especially when they’re stressed. Anytime I needed to take that lid off, I had my daughter watch him until I put the lid back on. You need a TIGHT fitting lid, preferably with a feed door.

Good luck.

Aww I’m so sorry to hear that!! That’s awful. My lid is completely tight with zero gaps. I have no cords inside the DT. I read that innovative marine uses 3/8 netting and that I need to switch it out with 1/4. Do you know what size yours is?

 

[Miketc17]

I love blue spot jawfish!! So much personality. Unfortunately they are huge jumpers...they’ll find every little nook and cranny and escape. I’ve seen some threads on here that claim they jump when stressed and uncomfortable as a last resort and that they prefer colder water temps (68-72ish I think) warmer temps shorten their life span and they prefer to be vertical in their burrows with about a 3-4 inch sand bed and rubble to close their burrows up at night. Idk about how factual all of this is because like I said I just seen some threads that contained this information regarding the fishy! Good luck with him he’s a beautiful fish!

Yeah he’s definitely a pain, but I absolutely love him. He seems to have really bunkered in now and is already eating frozen mysis soaked with garlic and selcon. This is his new burrow

 

[FlexingFishSticks]

Yeah he’s definitely a pain, but I absolutely love him. He seems to have really bunkered in now and is already eating frozen mysis soaked with garlic and selcon. This is his new burrow

Looks good def a very entertaining fish !

 

[vetteguy53081]

Leaping lizards, mine never did that but future pilot you have
Apparently spooks easily. Stuff any openings with plastic fish bags

 

[Miketc17]

Leaping lizards, mine never did that but future pilot you have
Apparently spooks easily. Stuff any openings with plastic fish bags

Hahaha future pilot. That’s hilarious. Yeah he’s a wild one. Definitely will do!

 

[Dolelo96]

Aww I’m so sorry to hear that!! That’s awful. My lid is completely tight with zero gaps. I have no cords inside the DT. I read that innovative marine uses 3/8 netting and that I need to switch it out with 1/4. Do you know what size yours is?

1/4 mesh

 

[ThRoewer]

I love blue spot jawfish!! So much personality. Unfortunately they are huge jumpers...they’ll find every little nook and cranny and escape. I’ve seen some threads on here that claim they jump when stressed and uncomfortable as a last resort and that they prefer colder water temps (68-72ish I think) warmer temps shorten their life span and they prefer to be vertical in their burrows with about a 3-4 inch sand bed and rubble to close their burrows up at night. Idk about how factual all of this is because like I said I just seen some threads that contained this information regarding the fishy! Good luck with him he’s a beautiful fish!

Them requiring cooler water temperature is somewhat of a myth. They actually have a comparatively large temperature range that spans from 16°C to 32°C. Their feel-good range is from 18°C to 30°C. But they prefer a seasonal change.

The real issue is that they simply don't belong in a tropical reef tank. Where they do best is in a species or biotope tank. And you are correct on the sand bed - they need a very deep sand and gravel layer, at least as deep as the fish are long. One female of my trio went so far to build a mound that has almost half the height of the tank.

Their normal flight reflex is to dive into their burrow but if they are in unknown territory or unhappy with their accommodations it's up and jumping as far as they can.

 

[ThRoewer]

More info here:

Blue Spot Jawfish (Opistognathus rosenblatti)

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