The Bluespot Club

[Dentoid]

Love the pairing! Here's to continued success! BTW, there is no such thing as BSJF disease, it's all anecdotal.

[michael_cb_125]

Actually, Scott there is a BLUE SPOT JAWFISH DISEASE.
Unfortunatley it is contracted from spending too much time on the BSJF Forum. The condition is further worsened by actually aquiring a BSJF specimen. From that point on one has fully contracted the disease......AND THERE IS NO CURE.~Michael

[Dentoid]

Then I have BSJF disease!

[h20crazy]

BSJF disease infected here. I think it is the only disease to cause a smile and make the owners of BSJF take a lot of pictures. By the way, wonderful pictures everyone. Love the pairing, keep your fingers crossed for breeding.


"BSJF Diseased" could be a new Sig icon for those that don't have a BSJF at this time.

[Basser1]

Originally Posted by Dentoid

Then I have BSJF disease!

Same here! I, and my family, have been infected with it! They're even bringing their friends over to see him. One even remarked how their face kind of looks like a frog!

[michael_cb_125]

I have it, my dad has it, and now Megan has it. Once it starts it rapidly spreads.

[Dentoid]

Originally Posted by h20crazy

"BSJF Diseased" could be a new Sig icon for those that don't have a BSJF at this time.

I likey!

I think it is a great idea to start changing the mindset of people about this species and about the made up term "blue spot jawfish disease" which doesn't exist. Let's make it postitive! Good idea h20crazy!

Michael, you are always starting the trends without even knowing it! I loce you!

[michael_cb_125]

I know I have to stop trying so hard.LOL

[ekovalsky]

Here is a pic of the new tank cover. It is 1/4" clear mesh secured continuously around the edges with industrial-strength indoor/outdoor velcro. It doesn't block the light and allows for easy tank access, corners or edges can be quickly freed and pulled out of the way, then resecured.

The openings are just under 1/4" square. It is easier to find 3/8" or 1/2" mesh (particularly in black) but I really think 1/4" is the way to go with jawfish unless they are very large. With the larger netting sizes, I would double if not triple up layers and this will reduce lighting.

I cut two small rounded flaps in the netting to accomodate the tank returns. There is no gap between the nettind and the locline from the chiller return, or the return tube of the Wavysea.

I decided not to use window screen frames and spline since I would need more than one piece to easily get into or out of the tank, and I would need a way to secure the pieces together and also weight down all the edges.

So far the velcro is holding up just fine. Obviously if it begins to deteriorate I will just replace with new. I got a box with 15' for about $25 at Home Depot.

[ekovalsky]

So if BSJF disease doesn't exist, what was causing the white patches all those fish developed and ultimately succumbed to ? Was it just stress or inadequate diet ? Or elevated nitrates, GFO dust, or some other irritant ?

Knowing that no one had success with antibiotic, antifungal, or antiparasitic meds in treatment tanks I never attempted to catch Jasper when he started developing them. His appetite has remained good and his coloration seems to be improving.

I had thought about treating his food with praziquantel or piperazine, incase the ailment was caused by some type of tubellarian flatworm. Probably low yield without other evidence of a worm pathogen and could potentially be harmful to feather dusters, coco worms, etc. So I never did.

[Dentoid]

Eric, BSJF disease is a term that was conjured up in these internet forums when hobbyists were losing these fish left and right. The reason, no one knows because there has not been any real scientific research done on this species. The notion that a single pathogen or condition is causing these spots is not scientifically proven. All kinds of theories have been bandied about: temperature, lighting, salinity, nutrition, parasites, etc. You name it, it has been theorized.

The fact of the matter is that when this species gets stressed a color change in the skin is a symptom regardless of the cause. The typcial presentation was that the fish would stop eating, get white spots then perish quickly, usually within a day or two of the hobbyist noticing that the fish was not eating. White spots with a good appetite, I found with my first BSJF, was not a problem. I have pictures of my BS with flushed spots and it never amounted to anything. It was a healthy specimen until it jumped out of a small opening in my anti-jump cover. In fact, before I made a cover similar to yours I had egg crate on my tank. My BS jumped through the egg crate, fell 5 feet to the cold slate floor and was out of the water for a minute or so before I noticed and scooped it up an threw it back in the tank. It went on to live another 4 months before it met its demise in the second jump that succeeded (which by the way was my fault I left the antijump cover ajar).

So in my opinion to use the term BSJF disease is just an easier way and more scientific way of saying, "My BS died and I don't know why.", when it has no bases in science whatsoever!

I would like to dispel the myth in this Club that there is such a thing as BSJF disease so that it doesn't deter, discourage or otherwise make people think that this species is not worthy of our attention. Instead, we should use this Club as a place to share our ideas and experiences with this species so that a better understanding can be reached. I don't think that any research scientist is going to take on this project without financial backing. Therefore, our collective experiences can serve as its own research until real scientific research can be obtained.

I am amazed at how many new members this Club has brought to this wonderful forum, we are out there. Who knows, perhaps someday a research scientist will come across this Club and offer to help us out!

[ekovalsky]

Thanks for all the info Dentoid. My experience parallels yours, my boy BSJF has had white spots for several weeks but has maintained his appetite. I've left him be and he seems fine and the spots are becoming less apparent with his new girlfriend in the tank!

I sadly have lost three BSJF from jumping. First one through a gap between eggcrate and my wavysea, second through eggcrate, third between panels of eggcrate after a previous jump seperated them enough for him to subsequently squeeze through. The last one I found still wet after being out of the water for an known amount of time, he did start breathing a few seconds after I put hiim back in but he rolled/fell to the substrate and wiggled under a rock, never to be seen again. Very sad.

Now that I sleep at night not worrying about them jumping, I am going to try and reduce their stressors. Their most hated fish is an orange spot rabbitfish who is getting big and has become a real pig. Now he is eating my zoanthids and I think I caught him trying to pick at the tentacles of an expensive Australian elegance coral. This weekend he will be trapped and traded into the LFS. With him out of the tank the BSJF will be happier for sure!

[Basser1]

Well, here is a couple of pics of my blue spot. Don't know how you all managed to get the great shots you have, these guys are fast as lightning!

ImageShack - Hosting :: hpim2330so7.jpg



ImageShack - Hosting :: hpim2323mt0.jpg

[Dentoid]

Great pictures Basser! These guys are so much fun to watch! Yours looks like it has made quite the abode!

[bluespotjawfish]

Basser, your pics make me miss my original Bluespot. He is really cute!

Eko, your top cover is great, I hope it holds up. I almost used velcro closures on mine, but went with the screen frame instead. Where did you get your mesh from? Link?

I agree that patches indicate stress, from whatever the source. Reducing stress is important.

I have a question for everyone who has/had these guys. Maybe I have asked before, but I forget. What salinity are you keeping them in? I have talked with a few suppliers and they seem to keep their salinity quite low (like 1.015-1.020). Just curious more than anything. When I have kept these guys successfully in the past (pre 2007), my tank was 1.021. This past year, I have kept it at 1.024-1.025.