ARCkeeper
Active Member
I have a 125 gallon tank I started up as a mixed reef about ten months ago. I love jawfish and decided to try a new (for me) species, the Caribbean moustache jawfish (Opistognathus lonchurus). My plan had always been to have two, maybe three. I was able to snag one off Diver's Den last November for the first fish in the new tank, then the supply dried up. The one I was able to get settled in nicely and in late spring went through what I am reasonably sure was an egg laying cycle. I've been working with the staff at my LFS, Aquatics Unlimited, to get another.
Two weeks ago they were finally able to get me one (Thanks for all your hard work Adam and Amanda!) through Dynasty Marine. My first impression was "It's a giant!" It's about 30% bigger than my original fish and heavy bodied with a noticeably larger head in proportion to the body. Most noticeable is the dorsal fin. Its height is about 1 1/2 times the body depth compared to about 3/4 the body depth for my original fish. I have seen some descriptions mention sexual dimorphism, particularly that the sailfin is a male trait.
I am reasonably sure I have a male and female of a fish that, while not rare, is pretty uncommon in the pet trade. Now I need to decide whether to continue with my original plan to add the fish to my display tank, or try to set them up as a pair in their own tank with the intent to breed them. I find the thought of the challenge both alluring and intimidating.
I have been a zookeeper for almost 34 years, and have been working as an aquarist for the last 5. For those of you who think it's their dream job. be careful what you wish for. Don't get me wrong - I love what I do, and I can't imagine doing anything else - it's just that burn-out is an ever looming threat. I take care of aquariums 40 hours a week, then go home to take care of my own tanks and I'm not even getting paid for it. It's a very precarious balancing act maintaining my enthusiasm.
I wanted multiple jawfish in order to enjoy the interaction between them. Now the animal professional in me sees an opportunity to reproduce a really cool fish that may not have been bred in captivity before. Then I think of another tank to take care of, and probably another to rear the fry in, plus phyto and rotifer cultures, and in the end, one pair isn't a genetically viable population. Is there anyone to take the next step and pair up captive breds with wild caught mates? Would this be the last straw that pushes me out of the hobby, or the accomplishment that reminds me why I do this in the first place? That I'm having trouble deciding is, to me, big red flag that I don't have it in me to tackle breeding, but I also know that every time I look at the male in the display tank with an egg mass in his mouth, I'll bleed a little inside. My wife is out of town taking care of her mom; she knows about the new jawfish, but I haven't mentioned that they could be a pair. I know her advice will be "Don't make this another job!". I have a long history of going just that one step too far.
The male has settled into quarantine nicely. He's eating like a pig and is even comfortable enough to suck the food right out of the feeding syringe. I have at least another few weeks to make up my mind.
Two weeks ago they were finally able to get me one (Thanks for all your hard work Adam and Amanda!) through Dynasty Marine. My first impression was "It's a giant!" It's about 30% bigger than my original fish and heavy bodied with a noticeably larger head in proportion to the body. Most noticeable is the dorsal fin. Its height is about 1 1/2 times the body depth compared to about 3/4 the body depth for my original fish. I have seen some descriptions mention sexual dimorphism, particularly that the sailfin is a male trait.
I am reasonably sure I have a male and female of a fish that, while not rare, is pretty uncommon in the pet trade. Now I need to decide whether to continue with my original plan to add the fish to my display tank, or try to set them up as a pair in their own tank with the intent to breed them. I find the thought of the challenge both alluring and intimidating.
I have been a zookeeper for almost 34 years, and have been working as an aquarist for the last 5. For those of you who think it's their dream job. be careful what you wish for. Don't get me wrong - I love what I do, and I can't imagine doing anything else - it's just that burn-out is an ever looming threat. I take care of aquariums 40 hours a week, then go home to take care of my own tanks and I'm not even getting paid for it. It's a very precarious balancing act maintaining my enthusiasm.
I wanted multiple jawfish in order to enjoy the interaction between them. Now the animal professional in me sees an opportunity to reproduce a really cool fish that may not have been bred in captivity before. Then I think of another tank to take care of, and probably another to rear the fry in, plus phyto and rotifer cultures, and in the end, one pair isn't a genetically viable population. Is there anyone to take the next step and pair up captive breds with wild caught mates? Would this be the last straw that pushes me out of the hobby, or the accomplishment that reminds me why I do this in the first place? That I'm having trouble deciding is, to me, big red flag that I don't have it in me to tackle breeding, but I also know that every time I look at the male in the display tank with an egg mass in his mouth, I'll bleed a little inside. My wife is out of town taking care of her mom; she knows about the new jawfish, but I haven't mentioned that they could be a pair. I know her advice will be "Don't make this another job!". I have a long history of going just that one step too far.
The male has settled into quarantine nicely. He's eating like a pig and is even comfortable enough to suck the food right out of the feeding syringe. I have at least another few weeks to make up my mind.
