The Bluespot Club

[Craig Manoukian]

Pics to chronical? (Congrats!)

[bluespotjawfish]

That's something else I am doing different. No pics! Too stressful!

Here are some more details...

It's cuter than a bug's ear! Eats like a pig.

[Craig Manoukian]

Originally Posted by bluespotjawfish

That's something else I am doing different. No pics! Too stressful.

Fair enough.

Originally Posted by bluespotjawfish

Eats like a pig.

Best news yet, eh?

[bluespotjawfish]

Fed at the lfs. Will wait a day before feeding here.

[soulbabel]

This morning I noticed both jawfish were alot more active in their containers when the lights went on, which I think is a good thing, because they were kind of lethargic when they first entered the quarantine tank. I'm going to start letting them out of their containers to swim about, although one at a time. I'll probably let them swim for about an hour a day, and then gradually increase the length.

As for an ammonia spike, the ammonia levels have been low (almost 0). I do water changes at least every two days. Also, because they are in containers, the uneaten food and waste don't get blown everywhere from the powerhead. I am easily able to siphon out the uneaten food after meal time, as well as fish poop as soon as I see it.

To cover my tank, I bought those plastic canvases used for needlework. They were easy to trim, so there is practically no gaps, even around the hang on filter. I used some spare PVC pipe to weigh down the covering.

This quarantine tank is in my bedroom, so I pay attention to them pretty often, and I will be adjusting my method as I make more observations. I'll post anything significant on this thread.

[bluespotjawfish]

More activity is very normal and a good sign. Just make sure they aren't breathing rapidly which would mean that they are active because of stress. It doesn't sound like that is the case though.

You are just full of new ideas - go needlepoint!

Can you explain more what you mean by letting them out one at a time...I'm confused...do you have a lid on the jars? If not, I'd think they could let themselves out anytime they wanted and I wouldn't bother them. In my own experiences, I think I have messed with mine too much. They are very entertaining and when they go someplace where they can't be seen it is very tempting encourage them to move. I think the less you impose on their territory the better, especially since there are two of them. Have they made a burrow in the jars yet?

[Craig Manoukian]

Nice work soulbabel.

A divider would eliminate any stress there would be from herding them into thier containers. Stress seems to be a very big factor with these fish.

[soulbabel]

They haven't made a complete burrow yet, only a depression. However, the depressions are starting to get deeper and their breathing seems to be pretty calm.

Since the fish haven't actually made their way out of the jars, I can tip the jar a bit til they swim out. This way they can get some exercise swimming around the quarantine tank. Most likely they won't be able to find their way back into their jars, but I've been able to use a small plastic cup with my hand cupping the bottom to guide them back into their containers.

I had purchased egg crate, but its so hard and heavy. I was worried if they jumped straight at it, they might get hurt. Also the holes are a bit big.

The plastic needlework canvases are very light and flimsy, but appear strong enough to keep this fish in should they try to jump out. Also, the holes are pretty small. I would only use these on my quarantine tank, though. I will use the pond netting on my main tank, because the plastic canvas would cause too much light to be reflected away from the tank.

[Dentoid]

From my experience, they do get used to hands being in the tank. Dotty will take food from my hand and come very close when I'm spot feeding some corals. Occasionally I will turn the plastic pipette on her and give her a mysis or two. She gulps at the end of the pipette like a baby to a bottle.

How do they interact or have you had them swimming around together?

You are right about the egg crate. My BS jumped through the egg crate and onto the floor. Luckily, I was there to get her back into the tank. The needle point fabric is a great idea!

[soulbabel]

I saw them fight once on the first day when I had no jars, but since then they've both been separated. In the picture I posted that shows both of them in their containers, the one on the right usually just stares at the other one. I think the other one on the left is too high to see the other.

Later down the quarantine cycle, I think I will let both swim around together and watch how they interact. Perhaps if they see each other long enough without being able to fight, they will get them used to each other. There should be plenty of room for them in my 90 gallon though, the rock structures are pretty open, and there is alot of open sand for them to claim their own territory.

The needlepoint canvas is working well. However I'm trying to figure out the best way to mount the pond netting over my display tank. Perhaps hooks glued around the top to hold it in place, or maybe clips of some sort. I still have some time to experiment with that.

[bluespotjawfish]

I personally would leave them alone in the jars. They feel secure in there and that is why they are still in them. If they didn't like staying in them, they would find their own way out (afterall, they do jump). Within the week they will be all over the tank and having these jars should be their security blanket instead of a stressful situation. Once they decide to venture out, each will be able to run back to their own little jar and feel right at home without the worrying that something will come by and make them leave.

BTW, when you introduce them to the display, take the jars with them in them and place each one in their own part of the tank.

Can you work with the pond net in a screen frame on the display? I have those setup on both my display and now my 50, they are easy to remove, stay clean and sturdy, look invisible... To avoid a million turns, I keep it simple (no more than 6 corners) and let the netting overhang in areas that it isn't real secure that way (like around my overflow).

[bluespotjawfish]

She gulps at the end of the pipette like a baby to a bottle.

I can see Dotty doing this ~ she is spoiled after all. I agree over time they do get used to hands in the tank, and look forward to it! However, when they are being introduced and settling in I now think this should be minimized. Eventhough they may not appear stressed by the situation, it does stress them. Remember Scott, you are the one who has to keep reminding me that it is all about reducing stress. This is one way to do that.

[Dentoid]

:d

[saltwaterfish]

so what is the running record for length of time so far for a BSJF? I had these in a 120 for about 1.5 years till there lives were cut short by my best friends psycotic wife bleaching my tank. 4" sand bed 2-3 lb of rubble a week habit for that length of time. feeding mysis shrimp, ground krill and fresh crushed garlic daily. lived in burrows 5 inches apart from each other.

[Frankie]

Originally Posted by mps9506

What?! You don't have a fish scale????


j/k

That's a good question, we actually had to weigh fish that died in the QT process before treating them. Small fish were put in a beaker of water and we measured the volume of the fish by how much water they displaced. Usually before the necropsy to determine what they needed to be treated with (ie. we would collect a small school of fish from the same area and they would all go through QT at the same time in the same tank if possible).

There are general formulas for estimating fish weight by length and girth, the formula differes depending on fish type/shape, and generally is based on pounds, but can be converted to grams for smallish fish. Unfortunately the room for error becomes large at the small size (the difference between a gram in a fish this small is bigger than in a 10 pound bass).

You could either net the fish and put him in a small beaker or graduated cylinder with SW and measure how much water it displaces (dunno what you have avaiable I don't have any graduated cylinders in my house )
The only equation I have for estimating a fish's weight by measurement is:
((Girth x Girth) x Length) / 800 = weight in pounds
then convert pound to grams via:
pounds x 453.59237= grams

HTH

I always use this. It took the lfs by surprise when i whipped it out and clipped the fish by the lip the first time but they got use to it.