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Marcellina

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Location
Merrick, NY
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I went to feed my tank about half an hour ago and couldnt account for my yellowhead jawfish. He usually peeks out of his home under a rock that he created and makes mad dashes at the food. I saw his little pebbles and shells on his side entrance still in place. He made a second entrance on the other side of the rock but a small piece of coral fell covering part of it. I moved it out of the way and still didnt come out.

Anyway long story short I moved the entire rock and found him on the sand on his side. He isnt dead but either on his side or upside down. Every once in a while he wiggles to straighten himself up. After discovering him I put him in a net and brought him to the surface to get air he kind of revived the tiniest of bits. He was fine before this not even a single chance that he was sick. I feel horrible bc I cant remember if I saw him out today bc I was out, I do remember my husband commenting that his little entrance was covered with the little pebbles and shells but I know he did that from time to time and then would remove them.

If he was stuck under the rock will he recover? What can I do if anything to help him? I am so distraught! He was the first fish I decided to get and I have him 4 months. This will be my first fish casualty I cant believe how upset this is making me.

All the other fish are doing fine.
 

premilove

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Location
NJ
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i really hope he gets better. i really don't know what you could do for him to get better, sorry.. if you have hermits, i would try to find a way so that the jawfish doesn't lay on the sandbed defenseless against them scavengers. good luck
 

Marcellina

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Location
Merrick, NY
Rating - 100%
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I put him in a breeder net and he is still laying on his side. His little gills are moving and his mouth just stays open. I added some garlic oil drops to the water and put some arctipods in the net to see if he would go after it and he doesnt seem interested.

The poor thing tries to wriggle every once in a while.

I turned the main light off now and just have white and blue led lights on. I dont know if that is going to make any difference but since he is at the top part of the tank now I thought it might be too much light for him since he is usually hiding under the sand.

I try to get him to move every now and then hoping that positive thinking will help him get better.

I wish I looked in on the tank sooner :(
 

Reef Reaper

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I feel for you!! I have nine jawfishes myself. I would add a small piece of pvc pipe and place the pipe near his original home. After you bury the pipe and surround the opening with shells and pebbles, place him near the opening. He will find his new home and just like him recover himself. If he didn't hurt his backbone, he will recover. These guys are very tough and will come back. PM with any other questions!!

Philip
 

ming

LE Coral Killer
Location
Flushing, NY
Rating - 100%
272   0   0
What I did was, after he choose a location in the tank to make a home, I broke his home and buried a large flat rock there, propped up with a tennis ball sized rock, then mostly buried it. He ended up coming back to that location after I was done and dug again, made a nice large hole under that flat rock and it never collapsed on him. I found that if they're unhappy with their hole, they will continue digging all over your tank, but if they made a nice stable large hole, they won't really dig once they're settled in. They may still go searching for larger pebbles to cover their entrance at night though.
 

Marcellina

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Location
Merrick, NY
Rating - 100%
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Thats a good suggestion Ming.

His home was stable and it is in the back left corner of the tank. It consists of one rock as a 'back wall' and a bigger rock with a nice hollowed out bottom resting on top of the first rock. I dont think it collapsed on him. I think he closed off one entrance with his little shells and pebbles and then a coral fell and blocked his second entrance. I think he just didnt have a way out.

I think I might just create a more stable home for him in the future if he makes it - and I hope and pray he does. I wont be able to look at my tank and enjoy it without him in it.
 

Marcellina

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Location
Merrick, NY
Rating - 100%
19   0   0
Hey Kat,

The jawfish is doing great! I really think its a miracle :) If you had seen him when I lifted the rock just laying on the sand not moving as sand fell on him you would have thought he was dead. He barely wiggled at all and the iridescent body was just a pale white. When I scooped him in the net I saw him have a tiny bit of wigglyness and it gave me the slightess hope.
His eyes didnt move and his mouth just stayed open and he lay on his side in the breeders net for over a day. He was in a 'C' shape and then once in awhile he would try swimming and it just was a little curved wiggle but I continued to tend to him and give him garlic drops and shade him from the light and feed him some mysis soaked in selcon. He didnt eat for couple of days and I really thought he wasnt going to make it.
When he did start to move more he was swimming in spirals, like a dog trying to catch his tail. I was sure he must have hurt his brain and something was off. But then slowly he returned to normal. I am so happy about that. He now made a different home for himself and he is acting like his paranoid little self peeking out of his hole and looking side to side protecting his new abode.
 

James

Zen-Reefer
Location
Bay Ridge, BK
Rating - 100%
112   0   0
Great news, they are my favorite fish. They remind me of grumpy old hermits (human not crabs). I'm happy yours made a full recovery.

James

Hey Kat,

The jawfish is doing great! I really think its a miracle :) If you had seen him when I lifted the rock just laying on the sand not moving as sand fell on him you would have thought he was dead. He barely wiggled at all and the iridescent body was just a pale white. When I scooped him in the net I saw him have a tiny bit of wigglyness and it gave me the slightess hope.
His eyes didnt move and his mouth just stayed open and he lay on his side in the breeders net for over a day. He was in a 'C' shape and then once in awhile he would try swimming and it just was a little curved wiggle but I continued to tend to him and give him garlic drops and shade him from the light and feed him some mysis soaked in selcon. He didnt eat for couple of days and I really thought he wasnt going to make it.
When he did start to move more he was swimming in spirals, like a dog trying to catch his tail. I was sure he must have hurt his brain and something was off. But then slowly he returned to normal. I am so happy about that. He now made a different home for himself and he is acting like his paranoid little self peeking out of his hole and looking side to side protecting his new abode.
 

jrobbins

Advanced Reefer
Location
New York
Rating - 100%
95   0   0
Anyway long story short I moved the entire rock and found him on the sand on his side. He isnt dead but either on his side or upside down. Every once in a while he wiggles to straighten himself up. After discovering him I put him in a net and brought him to the surface to get air he kind of revived the tiniest of bits..

????
 

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