Pearly Jawfish

13thmonkey

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i just got a pearly jawfish three days ago. he took a couple of laps around my 55, got nipped by my neon dotty back and then laid down in the corner. he has moved very little since he got to that spot. he eats very very little and his breathing seems normal. he has made half hearted attempts to burrow. the pet store said this could be normal. does anyone have any knowledge of jaw fish that might be able to tell me if this is normal?
 
The Yellowhead Jawfish, also known as the Yellow Head Jawfish or Yellow-headed Pearly Jawfish, has a yellow head and a light blue-green body. It inhabits the sandy, rubble-strewn areas on the reefs of the tropical Western Atlantic, and is found in close proximity to its burrow or cave. The Yellowhead Jawfish can attain a length of 5 inches in the wild, and up to 4 inches in an aquarium.

The Yellowhead Jawfish is a cute fish with a great personality. They are playful and like to people watch.

The Yellowhead Jawfish is moderately hardy. It tends to be shy and is best kept with other docile fish. It will not bother other tank inhabitants, but other burrowing fish may bully it. It needs to be kept on 5-7 inches of fine soft substrate such as sand of various particle sizes (not fine). Known for being a jumper when startled or frightened, the tank should have a tight-fitting lid. This fish will spend much of its time in its burrow and when it does venture out, if it is startled, it will bolt back into its burrow tail first with lightning speed. As long as the tank is large enough, several can be kept in the same tank. Multiple specimens provide very interesting behavior as they "dance" up and down in the burrow. Supply various size rocks among the soft substrate to help reinforce the burrows against them; rockpiles are ideal.

Although other jawfish may exhibit color variations during breeding, the Yellowhead Jawfish does not. One differentiating characteristic is that since it is a mouth breeder, the male will hold the eggs in his mouth.

The Yellowhead Jawfish is typically a shy feeder, eating very small live foods that wander near its burrow in the wild. In the tank, it can be enticed with small pieces of mussel, daphnia, brine shrimp, bloodworms, or other meaty foods. Eventually, prepared foods can be offered. Feeding must be done near the burrow.

Comical, entertaining, and peaceful, Jawfish make a great addition to any saltwater community or reef aquarium. They will construct a burrow in aquarium substrate. Jawfish prefer to keep an eye on everything going on and will often build the burrow in the center of the aquarium. They will typically spit gravel at any fish that comes too near to the burrow (and even at the hobbyist who tries to get a closer look).
,,, thats from this website

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=1637

this seems normal for that fish
 
there could be something wrong,
as generally jawfish make their borrows right away,
usually the first night they are introduced to the tank,
frequently moving around, making several burroughs within a week.

if all your water parameters are good,
there's a good chance he was already sick before you got him.
 
o sry i misunderstood i thought it was in a burrow, i didnt c it was just
sitting


EDIT: o it could also b how you acclimated it, if you did it wrong that could also explain it, it could be in shock from it and it could very well die if you acclimated him too fast, what method did you use, drip? or did you just float him then dump him in there? or did you add soem water then dump half out add a little more then dump half out?
 
o sry i misunderstood i thought it was in a burrow, i didnt c it was just
sitting


EDIT: o it could also b how you acclimated it, if you did it wrong that could also explain it, it could be in shock from it and it could very well die if you acclimated him too fast, what method did you use, drip? or did you just float him then dump him in there? or did you add soem water then dump half out add a little more then dump half out?


i did a 20 min. temp float followed by every five min. 2 oz of aquarium water for 20 min. he is still alive for a total of 12 days now, still lazy though. every one seems to recomend varied substrate,which i have. i have from sand to crushed argonite. he trys to burrow only in the corners, but what happens is the sand colapses back in his area. i have also rread that more often than not they will burrow towards the center of the aquarium. im still baffled
 
what are the other fish in the tank?

also, I would recommend using only the drip method for acclimation.
2 oz. of aquarium water every five minutes is still too fast.
 
well jawfish has been in for about a month. he finally found a suitable place to burrow after three tries. he looks healthy, but i almost have to target feed him to keep him eating. dottyback still harbors resentment towards him, but they have come to a understanding. thanx all for all the help.
 
Just out of interest, how deep is the substrate? Most places I read say a bare minimum is 3" with 6" being the preferred amount. Without that the fish will not be able to recreate its natural behaviour.
 

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