jawfish MIA

[jwtrojan44]

Thanks David. You know, I had considered this as a possibility. I forgot to mention that I had a third jawfish who was in the same burrow until about three days ago, when it would be out on the other side of the tank all by it slef, as though it had been ex-communicated or something. One morning, it looked all beat up; nipped fins, red abrasion on it's head, lying on the sand away from the burrow. I put in my Q tank to let it recover but it died. Now I'm wondering it it wasn't just being chased away from the burrow due to the other two spawning? At any rate. If they are in fact spawning, what are the parenting rituals of these fish? Do the fry stand a chance of survival? Should I play midwife and intervene, or just let nature take it's course? Thanks again. JWT

 

[Anonymous]

Well that was a big omission but let's continue with the question on actually raising the fry if that is the case.
My memory is a little rusty on these but from what I remember heavy losses are common because of bacterial infections.
First foods/first week are normally enriched live rotifers, second week enriched live baby brineshrimp and/or live copepods. Fry can be raised but unfortunately heavy losses during the first 4 weeks are common.
I'll see if I can dig up more info.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[jwtrojan44]

I just went to check on the tank and great news; both jawfish are out and resting on the sand. the small one is at the front of the tank, and the larger of the two is towards the rear. they look fine; that is normal respirations, looking around, etc. I used a flashlight as the tanklights have been out for close to two hours now. Is there specific spawning behavior I should watch for in the event they are? I really think the third one was just chased off by the others and picked on when he tried to enter the burrow, although he had been part of the group since they were all introduced. Scott Michael's book said they sometimes did better in colonies so that's why I introduced three of them. Thanks, David, and I'd still like to hear more if you can come across it. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of life you see in your tank after the lights have been out for awhile! JWT

 

[jethro]

I just re-arranged the rockwork in my tank to keep my Cinimon Clown from constantly trying to fill in my jawfish's home with rocks.

 

[jwtrojan44]

I've had two yellow-headed jawfish for the past six weeks, both doing great. I always see them at feeding times, or in the morning when the lights first come on, one or both of them will be lounging on the sand. I fed the tank a short time ago, and noticed that the main entrance to their burrow had filled in with sand. There are two other holes under their "home base" rock, but no sign of them. I did a perimeter check of the tank and they did not jump out, but I'm wondering if I should be worried, or if these guys sometimes disappear for awhile. I would have to move a LOT (naturally) of rock to look into their burrow. I figure on waiting until morning to see if they show, otherwise I'm not sure if I should go looking, or give it a couple days. Any advice/insight would be welcome. I really love these guys and hope they are just messing with my head. Thanks. JWT

 

[Anonymous]

A couple of things come to mind with O aurifrons.
Is this an open top tank ? They are prone to jump but since you've had them for 6 weeks I would say this is unlikely.
The other is that they have spawned or are spawning ( in this case you'll be a lucky ) the male incubates the eggs in his mouth and will not eat, so not to worry.
I'd keep an eye out for them, at the present time ( I know they're not my fish ) I wouldn't worry.

Regards,
David Mohr