Need basic info on Blue Spotted Jawfish

[polarpooch]

Anyone have one? What's the minimum tank size? How big do they get? Can they live in pairs? Etc...
Is it the same thing as a pearly jawfish, only differently colored? Can they live with pearly jawfishes?
Saw one at my LFS, but no one had any good info on it. It's a charming little fish, and very pretty.
Any info anyone has would be appreciated.

 

[thomas712]

If I tagged him right here's what I found about him.
All cut and paste
The Opistognathus species grows up to 4 inches. The Jawfish, Blue Dot prefers a tank of at least 20 gallons with plenty of places to hide & swim. The Opistognathus species is a carnivore and likes to eat brine & mysid shrimp and other meaty treats (a few times/day). The Jawfish, Blue Dot is a medium maintenance fish and may act peacefully toward other fish. This is a hardy fish. Able to breed. Reef-safe. Gobies may sometimes attempt jump out. Needs places to burrow. Prefer presence of substrate. Keep water quality high (SG 1.020 - 1.025, pH 8.1 - 8.4, Temp. 72 - 78° F). The Jawfish, Blue Dot is commonly collected from Central America.
Generic Goby information:
Gobies are relatively small fish, usually reaching a size of only three inches in captivity. Gobies adjust well to aquarium life with a diet consisting of zooplankton, small crustaceans, and algae. It is important to note that a well-sealed lid is a requirement for keeping these fish, as they will jump out of an open aquarium with great ease. Plenty of rockwork and the proper substrate of coral sand should be provided to enable burrowing or sand sifting Gobies the proper environment.
HTH
Thomas

 

[ivanfj]

I think it is a very nice fish as well but the one at my LFS store costs about $150 cdn. How much is the one you saw??? I believe they need a very deep sandbed to play with since the one I saw at my LFS likes to put himself half way to the sand and then stick his head up. Very cute look IMO.

 

[alsie]

Information given to you is correct. I have one in my 54 gal corner unit. They are jumpers and if you have a open top I suggest you forget it. I lost my first one because it found a very small area to escape and naturally I found it in the morning. I love watching mine and I reccommend one. I got mine on line and wish I could tell you where. The price was terrific. If you want to e/mail me I will tell you. It's amazing how they burrow and kick the sand out. I have a sand base of a little over 4" and it loves to burrow under my live rock. Good Luck.

 

[polarpooch]

Thanks for the great info! I loved my pearly jawfish (it jumped out, too) and was wondering how the two compared.
The one at my LFS is $40.

 

[ophiura]

I have recently read a long thread (on another BB) about difficulty in keeping this species. If you are interested in it, you can email me at ophiuroid@att.net

 

[phoenixrising]

I had one and it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Sadly, it dug constantly threatening the stablilty of the live rock. Still enjoyed having it though until he finally jumped out of the tank one night for a bit of carpet surfing. I had him for about 6 months and although he was striking looking, I will not replace him due to the digging and leaping.
BTW...he resided in my 90 reef.

 

[aileena]

I have a yellow-head jawfish, but I have seen the blue spotted jawfish at the LFS. This is one of my favorite fish. They are so cool! The price of the blue spotted made my desicion about buying the yellow one. I feed mine brine and sometimes he eats flake. Mine is also kind of handicap because he never managed to dig himself a good hole. I have a 4 or 5 inch c.c. bed and he always digs in the front corners instead of under the huge pieces of LR. I think he is slow...but he is very happy on his side of the tank hidden in the LR. Maybe one day he will be smart enough to dig a good hole instead of one where everyone will see him in the front. I would definetly suggest one, but make sure you get a glass top for at least half of the tank and make sure he has a good place to hide until he decides to dig his hole.

 

[rook]

They are cute, but if you have a dsb, they are not recommended. They are somewhat detrimental to dsb's.
Also, I had two at different times in the last two years that jumped and became cat food. I even have eggcrate on the top to try and stop them.

 

[polarpooch]

Thanks for all the good info everyone. I'm still in the "thinking about it" stage. I'm worried, though, that they are such leapers. I'm thinking of him for a 29 gallon eclipse. The top is sealed, but there are holes in the back.