The Bluespot Club

[bluespotjawfish]

Thanks Nervoustime!

[Craig Manoukian]

Originally Posted by bluespotjawfish

Aren't you proud of me?

Karma for that and Jaws2!

[michael_cb_125]

Hi everyone, I read thought the past few threads and I hope that everything goes smoothly for everyone from now on.
Ive been outta town allot lately, and havent had time to post. But Jose is doing fantastic. He really is the KING. No other fish can touch him. He even jumps my powder blue tang. He rarely even goes into his burrow anymore, except at night. When I come in the room he follows me around, if I am at one end of the tank he will swim right up to me. He is everyones favorite fish.



JoseX2




Joses sexy backside!!!


I love my pillow


Giant Pillow!!!


Ive never seen another fish with so much personality, He lounges on his mushroom pillow, and lies in his clam bed. He is so awesome.

[Dentoid]

Great shots! Any thoughts on why your BS has been successful?

[michael_cb_125]

In my opinion, the key to keeping any "animal" healthy and robust is getting a good one to start with. I have done alot of research on BSJF and I think that the main culprit to their demise is stress. I believe that many are captured via methods that are not acceptable. Then many are held in sub-par conditions, for who knows how long. It is like buying a show horse, if you buy a sickly badly structured horse to begin with, odds are it will never be a great animal. I have heard many debates over parasites being a big problem with BSJF. But these fish probably had these "bugs" in the wild, there was less stress, which equals a stronger immune system, therefore the parasites have a more difficult get a stronghold. I believe that if it is possible to find a BSJF that has very little stress put on it, I got one. From the time I acclimated mine to his new surroundings, all the way to now he has yet to show any signs of stress. I think that if you can have an area designated for a bluespot, and obtain one that is healthy to begin with, keeping these amazing fish can be quite simple.
My tank parameters are constant, and I feed on a regular basis. I jeep my tank at 80 degrees, and feed a wide variety of foods. I look at fish as people, if we eat the same thing day after day we would get sick of it, and may not want to eat it anymore. This may be silly, but its what I do.
I think that the bargin BSJF are the ones to look out for. They are a bargin for a reason. My philosophy is you get what you pay for. Id rather pay $150 for a less stressed fish than $60 for a stressed one. As I previously stated I think that stress is the main problem, I know that stress is always present, because the abscence of stress is death. But a less stressed BSJF is ideal.

[Dentoid]

Nicely put Michael! Now all we have to do is figure out how to get healthy specimens from the collectors. I'm sure that most of them don't care how collection practices affect this species as long as they can keep them alive long enough to get paid. It's probably best to purchase from a reputable company like Live Aquaria which stands behind their livestock. However, Woody got her BS from Live Aquaria with disasterous results and I obtained my from Jeff's Exotic Fish with successful results, to date. So how does one ensure that they are getting a healthy one?

I think with the combined experiences and pseudo-research of this thread we could just make a difference. If nothing else, perhaps this thread will catch the interest of someone who cares, in the field of collection or ichthyology.

[michael_cb_125]

I love these fish too much to say that one should just keep buying them until they get lucky and get a healthy one.

[Dentoid]

Here is a quote from "Basslets, Dottybacks & Hawkfish-Plus Seven More Aquarium Fish Families With Expert Captive Care Advice for the Marine Aquarist." by Scott W. Michael

At one time, this jawfish was affordable and not uncommon. But a strong market for this species in Japan drove the price up, and very few individuals entered the North American market for a period of years. Recently, this species has again become more available to U.S. aquarists. This is a magnificent aquarium fish that never fails to provoke wonder. Its husbandry is similar to that of other small members of the family, except it tends to be more aggressive toward members of its own kind...

Perhaps the US market was/were getting the bottom of the barrel on this species and is the reason for so many unhealthy specimens.

[bluespotjawfish]

I'm having some fun, I'm building a Photoshow. Guess who is going to be in it!

[Craig Manoukian]

Originally Posted by michael_cb_125

I love these fish too much to say that one should just keep buying them until they get lucky and get a healthy one.

The only draw back to this is that you may be rewarding a less than ethical collector or lfs. I like Scott's idea of finding the right collector/seller combinations and rewarding them by driving traffic to them. This will keep them in business and force the less reputable suppliers to change for the better or go out of business.

[bluespotjawfish]

We've been trying to keep track of where everyone has gotten theirs from, but so far, they seem to be scattered around.

Boy, I wonder who got my Diver's Den baby...he was a beauty...come on, someone fess up!

[bluespotjawfish]

Jaws 2 is checking in. His color looks a bit better, but he is still not eating. Need some advice.

Option 1a - Leave him alone, don't even try feeding for a few more days.
Option 1b - Leave him alone, but offer a different type of food each day.
Option 2a - Formalin 3 Dip.
Option 2b - Formalin 3 Bath.

There have been some changes in characteristics that I have noticed. For a while he was very skiddish and would hide anytime I walked by or looked in his tank. When fed he would aggressively remove any food that wandered into his space. A few weeks ago he started moving around the tank more, would check out all the pvc spots and stopped being skiddish, but was still a very stubborn eater would take food from me and then spit it across the tank, eventually he would sometimes swallow the food though. That was about the time I noticed the stringy stuff coming out of him. When I was treating him with the metronidazole, he did well the first two days, but when I added the second dose of the treatment he turned worse. That is when he looked totally dead. When he did move, sometimes he would rub his head against stuff. Now, he has better color but has gone a good week without food and is very weak. He still lays sideways when he is resting, but will swim around the tank a bit too, especially when I introduce food, (I think he is mad that it is contaminating his place). I did introduce some pvc yesterday, but he is not interested in it. He prefers to hang out against the edges of the tank right now.

Here are some pics to ponder. These shots were taken yesterday. I still haven't cleaned the outside of the glass so you'll just have to pretend it is clean ok.

[Craig Manoukian]

Wish I knew more about this species, so instead of advice I'll just have to wish you luck.

Hope J2 overcomes what ails him!

[bluespotjawfish]

Thanks Craig. I really can't tell if the problems I am seeing are a result of past issues or existing ones. If in the past, doing nothing will reduce the stress he is under and give him a chance to bounce back.

It was really sad for me to do the photoshow yesterday and see how great he looked when he arrived. I could kick myself for putting him in with another jawfish. That was just plain dumb! BTW, technical difficulties won't let me post the show yet, but I hope to work through those today.

[Dentoid]

Lorraine, I say option 1b. Unless you know what you are dealing with, the dips and baths may be a waste of time and causing more stress than is warranted. You did a 100% WC, cleaned everything and dipped him already. His osmoregulatory system has been taxed. Give him some time to bounce back. Keep trying to feed him and siphon out any uneaten food.

One thing that I think is essential for the health and well being of any fish, is a natural environment. They need this to feel comfortable and safe to allow for mental and physical healing. I'm not suggesting that you put him in your display, but I would suggest getting him a DSB and some LR as soon as you are through the treatment processes. They don't live just siting out on the sea floor, they know intuitively that staying out of their burrow means predation. And sitting out on a glass bottom could be stressing. If I were sick, I would stand a better chance of getting better if I were in my bed in comfortable surroundings rather than laying on a tile floor in unfamiliar surroundings.

I know you know this, but it warrants a reminder. You are doing everything humanly possible, we know that, but try thinking like the fish.