BiomesInaBox

Category: Jawfish

  • Pearly Jawfish – Complete Care Guide

    Pearly Jawfish – Complete Care Guide

    Pearly Jawfish Facts

    The Pearly Jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons), sometimes called the Yellowhead Jawfish, is a gorgeous fish kept in the fishkeeping hobby. This fish has a white/blue body and a yellow head. These colors are not commonly seen on fish. It is a burrowing species of fish that can be very timid, especially when first introduced. However, they are very peaceful fish and spend most of their time in and around their burrow.

    Opistognathus aurifrons grow to be about 4 inches when they are fully grown. Although they do not require an incredibly large fish tank, they still require a deep substrate which we will cover later. The Pearly Jawfish is reef safe, but may “spit” sandy substrate onto coral that are around its burrow. This article will go further into detail and also discuss Pearly Jawfish care, aquarium requirements, diets and more. If you’re curious about jawfish, check out the Blue Spot Jawfish Care Guide as well!

    Aquarium Requirements

    If you are looking to keep a single Pearly Jawfish, it does best in aquariums that are 30 gallons or larger. Be mindful because there may be aggression between Jawfish and gobies for real estate in your fish tank. Yellowhead Jawfish also do best with sand beds that are at least 4 inches deep but more is always better! CaribSea Fiji Pink Sand is a great Pearly Jawfish substrate. I would also recommend providing rock rubble around the fish tank because I have seen Pearly Jawfish use small pieces of rock to help stabilize their burrow.

    To my knowledge, all Jawfish are known to be excellent jumpers. A tight-fitting lid is incredibly important if you are trying to prevent your fish from jumping to its demise.

    Food and Diet

    Pearly Jawfish are primarily carnivorous animals. Regardless, I have seen them happily eat pellet food as well. It is good to provide an assortment of food for your Jawfish. I would feed mine Mysis Shrimp, Brine Shrimp, Krill, and New Life Spectrum Marine Formula. When I first introduced a Pearly Jawfish into my aquarium, I would use a long turkey baster, like this one, to feed it. I sucked up the food into the syringe and tried to get as close to its burrow. I would then release the food. I did this because at first my Jawfish was incredibly skittish and would disappear into its burrow during feeding time.

    Tank Mates

    I would recommend keeping your Pearly Jawfish in a fairly peaceful aquarium. It does great with fish such as Clownfish, Tangs, Dwarf Angelfish, Chromis, Firefish, Hawkfish, and many other community fish. There may be some territorial disputes with gobies, but in a large enough aquarium each should find their spot. I would avoid keeping your Jawfish with larger fish like Lionfish, Pufferfish, Groupers, and other fish that may consider a Pearly Jawfish food.

    In a large enough aquarium, you may be able to keep multiple Pearly Jawfish together. I would personally start considering keeping multiple in 75 gallon aquariums. Be sure you provide deep sand beds for your Jawfish.

    Pearly Jawfish and Pistol Shrimp

    Unfortunately, the two fish will not share a hole. The good news is, that they should be able to co-exist in a fish tank. Check out Watchman Gobies if you are looking for a fish that is compatible with a Pistol Shrimp.

    Breeding

    It is possible to successfully breed Pearly Jawfish. You can’t tell the difference between males and females of this species by appearance. If breeding is successful, males will hold the eggs in their mouths. I have not ever attempted to breed this fish species, but I can imagine it being incredibly difficult to separate the eggs from its parents. If you have had any luck, let me know!

    Final Notes

    Pearly Jawfish are beautiful saltwater fish with very interesting personalities. If you have the proper setup, I would highly recommend giving them a try! They’re very fun to observe, especially around feeding time when they dart out of their burrow to grab some food.

  • Blue Spot Jawfish – Complete Care Guide

    Blue Spot Jawfish – Complete Care Guide

    Blue Spot Jawfish Information

    The Blue Spot Jawfish is an incredibly gorgeous fish with a yellow/orange/black body with vibrant blue spots seen throughout. This amazing fish spends most of its time digging burrows and perfecting its home. Growing to be about 3.5 inches in lengh, the Blue Spot Jawfish requires a deep sand bed to keep it comfortable. Also, having a lot of sifting space will help keep this fish satisfied. It can be aggressive towards other jawfish but it normally does not bother other inhabitants in the aquarium. It is a little tougher to keep because it known to jump out of the aquarium and making sure it is being fed isn’t always easy. Many fish keepers are weary about keeping this fish because of the difficulty in keeping it alive.

    Aquarium Requirements

    The Blue Spot Jawfish doesn’t fare well in anything smaller than a 30 gallon fish tank because of its length when fully grown. It will require a deep sand bed of at least 3 inches but more is preferred. A tightly sealed lid is a must because this species of fish will jump out of your aquarium. The water parameter requirements for the Blue Spot Jawfish are similar to many other marine fish:

    • Water Temperature 72 – 78 degrees Fahrenheit
    • pH 8.0 – 8.4
    • KH 8 – 12
    • Salinity 1.020 and 1.025 sg.

    These water parameters will help keep your fish happy and healthy. The most important thing with water parameters is stability. Swinging water parameters can be detrimental to a fish.

    Food & Diet

    The Blue Spot Jawfish is a carnivorous fish and its diet should reflect that. Blue Spot Jawfish eat mysis shrimp, brine shrimp and pellet food. We encourage to feed the fish multiple times a day. Blue Spot Jawfish will also sift through sand and consume copeopods that are within the sand.

    Image by Rhododendrites on wikiMedia

    After introducing a jawfish into the aquarium, I normally siphon food into a coral feeder. Then, place the feeder close to the Blue Spot’s burrow and release food. This guarantees a successful feeding and makes sure the Blue Spot Jawfish is not getting outcompeted for food. After doing this for a week or so and seeing the jawfish successfully eat, I normally stop feeding it with a coral feeder and let it collect food on its own. I normally use mysis shrimp and/or pellet food when feeding.

    Tank Mates

    The Blue Spot Jawfish is a pretty stand up citizen in the aquarium. This fish is completely reef safe and it will also not normally bother other fish in the aquarium and will do great with fish such as:

    • Clownfish
    • Dottybacks
    • Dwarf Angelfish
    • Wrasses
    • Anthias

    But it fares well with many other fish. The problems arise when more jawfish or gobies are introduced into the aquarium. This species of jawfish does not like having other jawfish or gobies in its domain. In incredibly large fish tanks they should be able to figure out territories. Regardless, keeping two or more jawfish or a jawfish with a goby is not recommended. The only exception is a mated pair of Blue Spots.

    Breeding

    Keeping this fish happy and alive is challenging but breeding is even more challenging. There isn’t much information floating around about how to breed this fish but the most challenging part is definitely finding a mated pair.

    Final Notes

    Although this fish is probably one of the most beautiful ones on the market, the challenge of keeping it alive sometimes outweighs the desire of keeping it in the home aquarium. Take all the pre-cautions before adding this fish into the aquarium. The color patterns and personality are phenomenal and it’s an excellent addition to any saltwater fish tank.

    Featured image by Rhododendrites on wikiMedia