Life span of the Blue Spotted Jawfish

[code4]

Just wanting to know how long have you had your jawfish. I prefer fish with longer life spans.

Thanks for your time.

Shelley

 

[VanDalsenReef]

Being a small species. Probably 5 to 10 maybe 15. They also like cooler temperatures. 74 to 76

 

[VanDalsenReef]

Just wanting to know how long have you had your jawfish. I prefer fish with longer life spans.

Thanks for your time.

Shelley

Online it says 3-5 years. Might get more if you keep the temp closer to 74

 

[code4]

I keep it at 70. I saw the online answer. And I was hoping that people have kept them longer. I really hate to get attached to only have them a few short years.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Just wanting to know how long have you had your jawfish. I prefer fish with longer life spans.

Thanks for your time.

Shelley

Not sure how anyone can provide a number as lifespan is often dependant on:
Age of tank
health of the fish
diet
water quality
These fish like to jump- keep a cover

 

[code4]

@vetteguy53081 I understand that the lifespan is dependent on lots of factors. I keep my tanks a bit cooler. And have a glass cover. Tanks are all over 5 years. I am just hoping that there are folks out there that have had success in keeping them for many years. Clowns are 11 years old, Regal angel pair have been with me for over 3 years now. Mandarins have been with me for over 7 years. Thanks for your thoughts and concerns.

So anyone kept a Blue Spotted Jawfish for more than 3 years?

 

[Tamberav]

Probably long lived if kept cooler... slower metabolism. My Catalina gobies must be several years old now and show no slow down but they are kept cool. They are tiny gobies so you would think they would have a shorter life span but doesn't seem so.

Maybe a public aquarium has experience with them?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I maintain 78 degree average, and have blue streak cleaner wrasse (often short lived ) for 8 year, yellow tangs hitting 5 years, my engineer goby approaching 5 years, and banghai cardinal just hit 5 years.
My Vlamingi tang was 8.5 years.

 

[code4]

@Tamberav So happy for your little goby. What temperature do you keep them at? And I live in Wyoming, no public aquarium here.

 

[code4]

@vetteguy53081 I love when they live so long. I often wonder who will care for them when I am gone. I do keep one of my tanks at about 76. It has corals in it. I like options. But I do keep all my tanks covered. Even the quarantine one.

Shelley

 

[Tamberav]

@Tamberav So happy for your little goby. What temperature do you keep them at? And I live in Wyoming, no public aquarium here.

56 degrees for those guys. I would think maybe 68-70 for a blue spot?

They like a lot of sand bed too not like tons of rock... and deep. Maybe at least 24x24 inches? I always wanted one but don't have the right set up. Just to mimic a natural habitat.

 

[Tamberav]

here is one from the Monterey bay aquarium. Looks to have a lot of sand and some rubble.



Here is @ThRoewer video of his spawning ones. I think they may be in a bigger tank now? I think he keeps his warmer side in summer and cooler in winter?

Again... sand and rubble..





I would def have one if I had the time to dedicate a 'sand' biotope to one!

 

[calvertc425]

i had one for 4 or 5 years until he jumped best fish ive ever had

 

[ThRoewer]

They are pretty hardy fish and not really demanding. All they need is a deep sand-rubble layer with a number of buried rocks to give their burrows stability. The rubble layer needs to be at least as deep as the fish are long, ideally twice that, with still enough (at least a foot) water column above.
The water temperature should be seasonal, cooler - down to 18°C (they can handle 16°C but I wouldn't go lower) in the winter and warmer in the summer - they handle temperatures up to 30°C short term.

 

[code4]

@ThRoewer Thanks so much. I purchased one at our Petco last week. In a fully cycled hospital tank. Added a bag of sand and rubble. Small PVC pipes. It is using the pipe and stacking rubble in the entrance. Eating well. Will start adding sand to a more permanent tank for it. They are great

 

[Robert Ranciato]

Just wanting to know how long have you had your jawfish. I prefer fish with longer life spans.

Thanks for your time.

Shelley

I just lost my BSJ it took days for him to die it was really hard to watch. I purchased one without doing any research I really can't stress enough that the best place for a BSJ in in the ocean they are not good reef tank fish. They require cooler water and a substrate that is not only very deep but consistent of many different size of materials that is hard to copy in a home tank. They will also kill a lot of coral due to getting sand everywhere. The person who said they live 5 to 10 years in the comment doesn't know what they are talking about. They are a newer discovered species and we still have a lot to learn about them , but life span is apprx 2 to 3 years With optimal conditions

 

[Robert Ranciato]

Being a small species. Probably 5 to 10 maybe 15. They also like cooler temperatures. 74 to 76

Please don't just throw out guess to question that may make a person go out and buy a fish. Especially one as hard to keep as a BSJ. They don't live anywhere near 10 years . They are a newer discovered species. Scientists are still learning about them including life spans.

 

[VanDalsenReef]

I just lost my BSJ it took days for him to die it was really hard to watch. I purchased one without doing any research I really can't stress enough that the best place for a BSJ in in the ocean they are not good reef tank fish. They require cooler water and a substrate that is not only very deep but consistent of many different size of materials that is hard to copy in a home tank. They will also kill a lot of coral due to getting sand everywhere. The person who said they live 5 to 10 years in the comment doesn't know what they are talking about. They are a newer discovered species and we still have a lot to learn about them , but life span is apprx 2 to 3 years With optimal conditions

It's not hard adding different types of substrate. I did to my own system for a more natural approach. They kill coral that's on or near the sand so just don't put coral there. You can't say 2 to 3 years but then tell others what they think the lifespan is when we don't know enough anyway about them. They were described in 1991 and seen much before that. So saying they're a new species is not correct.

 

[VanDalsenReef]

I just lost my BSJ it took days for him to die it was really hard to watch. I purchased one without doing any research I really can't stress enough that the best place for a BSJ in in the ocean they are not good reef tank fish. They require cooler water and a substrate that is not only very deep but consistent of many different size of materials that is hard to copy in a home tank. They will also kill a lot of coral due to getting sand everywhere. The person who said they live 5 to 10 years in the comment doesn't know what they are talking about. They are a newer discovered species and we still have a lot to learn about them , but life span is apprx 2 to 3 years With optimal conditions

Does the person who said they had one 4 or 5 also giving out false information?

 

[VanDalsenReef]

Should always do your own homework on top of asking questions before purchasing any animal because it looks cool or an impulse buy.