My First BSJ and he is hiding in cave

gotcha · 10-01-2008, 01:39 PM

I need a few ideas and brainstormers.

I have a RSM and have about 40 lbs of live rock where I have built a cave in the center with the entry on the bottom, etc. I wanted a super natural reef type look and environment.

I introduced my new BSJ yesterday and he darted right into the cave. This morning I looked into the opening and on the left side I could see all the substrate in a pile and knew he found a nice safe home and can see him through some of the rockwork looking all happy, etc.

My first question is will he try to make a new burrow out in the open or is this sadly just an ideal environment for him/her.

My second question is if he stays there how in the world am I going to feed him thoroughly. I did try and use a turkey baster and push a little thawed food into the cave and he did dart in and out a few times (lol) but I am concerned if I have to do this daily I may get a huge bioload of food debris all over the cave area which I can not clean. I do have snails and scarlet hermits yet I do not think they will be able to keep the area clean enough and I want to stay away from getting amonia issues xD.

Any ideas from the well experienced BSJ people here would be greatly appreciated

lcstorc · 10-01-2008, 01:41 PM

Just give him some time. These fish can be raher skittish particular in the beginning. Once they become comfortable they usually like to be out in the open so they can see what is going on around them. Be sure your top is entirely covered and wait a week or so.

gotcha · 10-01-2008, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lcstorc

Just give him some time. These fish can be raher skittish particular in the beginning. Once they become comfortable they usually like to be out in the open so they can see what is going on around them. Be sure your top is entirely covered and wait a week or so.

Ahhh, ok and thank you.

The RSM has a complete top so I am set there unless he tries to get into the small back filter areas which I am hoping does not happen since those areas are all jammed up with hoses for my chiller and all.

Thanks for the reply I was going to get nervous if he/she decided to make the cave his main spot :smck:

reefer4200 · 10-01-2008, 02:18 PM

I have the same problem with the new "golden tile goby" i just put in...i saw him the first day and havent seen him since. Been a couple days now, just nervouse he isnt eating. Guess time will tell as i know they are infamous for hiding for a while until they are comfortable. So best of luck the both of us!

gotcha · 10-01-2008, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reefer4200

I have the same problem with the new "golden tile goby" i just put in...i saw him the first day and havent seen him since. Been a couple days now, just nervouse he isnt eating. Guess time will tell as i know they are infamous for hiding for a while until they are comfortable. So best of luck the both of us!

Well haha I know where mine is. He made a huge mound at the inside left area of cave and I can see him through the cracks in the rocks. I can blow food particles into the cave and he did dart back and forth for some yet I do not want to keep doing that and have a big bioload issue since I can not see how much he is eating and have absolutely no way to clean the substrate or stir it up in that area. *** Maybe I should not blow any food in there to force him to look for a better place to stay (WHAT DOES EVERYONE THINK ABOUT THAT STRATEGY????).

I hope he/she does not depress me by deciding a cave is A+ to the open areas of the RSM which I added extra substrate to just for this beautiful fish.

I will keep my fingers crossed and GL on your goby finding his way out of your rockwork.

Thanks again all for the replies.

reefer4200 · 10-01-2008, 02:50 PM

yeah i have had the experience of fish hiding for weeks when first added and then one day they were out and about doing their thing, so i hope this is what happens for us. BSJ are known to hide more so than not, so that is expected for you. He should come out soon tho i hope....

bluespotjawfish · 10-01-2008, 07:51 PM

I wouldn't spot feed into the area. I would feed him, but make him come out for it. My Bluespots chose the spots where they get food. They abandoned the places where food was difficult to get.

Good luck.

gotcha · 10-01-2008, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluespotjawfish

I wouldn't spot feed into the area. I would feed him, but make him come out for it. My Bluespots chose the spots where they get food. They abandoned the places where food was difficult to get.

Good luck.

Tonight he poped his head and body out a small hole on the other side of the rock formation on the other side of the cave where he made his residence. I spot fed him there while he watched the percs above (he was not even afraid of the baster and actually tried to poke at the end of it haha. I am not going to feed him unless he comes out like tonight. I would rather see a burrow on the outside of the rock formation then on the inside yet:

what a beautiful fish this is. Amazing to watch xD.

Thanks all for your help.

I do not plan to put any more food inside the cave structure it is way to big in there. He/she will just have to come out and if not I figure hunger will eventually bring him/her into the open HOPEFULLY.

Basser1 · 10-02-2008, 06:57 PM

Gotcha..... Congrats on the new bluespot jawfish! Word of warning though, they can be addictive! I noticed you have a RSM, I have a 29 gallon Biocube. It also has the rear chambers. One night I heard a lot of splashing and sloshing noises coming from the tank. I got a flashlight and started looking around, it occured to me Digger wasn't in the tank. So I searched for him and found him in the middle chamber! I also have a protein skimmer that takes up about all of the space in there! How he managed to get there? Who knows! I went to Lowes' and picked up some plastic gutter guard and cut it to fit the back openings, no more jumping! Just a suggestion to save you some grief later on!

gotcha · 10-02-2008, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Basser1

Gotcha..... Congrats on the new bluespot jawfish! Word of warning though, they can be addictive! I noticed you have a RSM, I have a 29 gallon Biocube. It also has the rear chambers. One night I heard a lot of splashing and sloshing noises coming from the tank. I got a flashlight and started looking around, it occured to me Digger wasn't in the tank. So I searched for him and found him in the middle chamber! I also have a protein skimmer that takes up about all of the space in there! How he managed to get there? Who knows! I went to Lowes' and picked up some plastic gutter guard and cut it to fit the back openings, no more jumping! Just a suggestion to save you some grief later on!

I have already started thinking about that since my tank is in my bedroom last night and (his second night) I heard him splashing and jumping at the moonlights lol. After about 4 or 5 times I turned them off for fear he may find the small back area and just set the timer for the normal lights. This morning after all that I noticed he made some extensive burrows for both a spot under the front live rock mass to look out and also the back wall behind the rockwork which I do have a space along the bottom. I am amazed he has made like 3 burrows for different areas to get out of the cave "woot" and also has a spot on top of the cave about 1/2 way up the rock where he loves to also go to stick his head out and get fed. He is eating well after the first day and I am feeding him twice a day. I still would like him to just use one burrow yet I find this amazing that he has made the interior of the cave his landscape to make multiple ways out with his burrows. Is this normal for them to use more then one burrow and go back and forth constantly in a protected environment like the inside of a cave?

The BSJF is just amazing to watch. He is always trying to sum up his environment and stares at my 2 black percs (the only other fish in the tank currently) like he is trying to figure out a way to capture them (LOL).

I also had a scare last night when he came down from one jump and landed in my anemone which is getting pretty big on the left side of my live rock mountain and bounce out of the anemone and laid on the surface of the rock for quite a long time before moving back into the cave. I kept saying to myself "Geez I hope he did not get stung or stung to bad" xD. yet he slowly made his way back into his new found cave after about 15 minutes.

I am heading toward my third night with him and will keep the Moonlights on for a while to see if he has settled down or is still looking for an escape route out of the RSM. This weekend it is off to Lowes or Builders Square to figure out a way to block off the small area in the back like your tank has.

Basser1 · 10-03-2008, 06:53 PM

BTW, post a pic in The Bluspot Club thread so you Lorraine can add you as an "Official Member" of the club!!

gotcha · 10-05-2008, 02:12 PM

I will work on getting a good shot in the next week or so that is not just a headshot. He has made the cave his home with 4 - 5 burrows and he sticks his head out all over the place in the live rock. You never know where he will be haha. He is eating well also. Everything so far is looking real good. I have still not yet went back to the moon lights at night. I may hold off for a month or so and play it by ear.

10-01-2008, 01:39 PM	#1 (permalink)
gotcha Tunicate Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 20 View Gallery Karma Komment	My First BSJ and he is hiding in cave I need a few ideas and brainstormers. I have a RSM and have about 40 lbs of live rock where I have built a cave in the center with the entry on the bottom, etc. I wanted a super natural reef type look and environment. I introduced my new BSJ yesterday and he darted right into the cave. This morning I looked into the opening and on the left side I could see all the substrate in a pile and knew he found a nice safe home and can see him through some of the rockwork looking all happy, etc. My first question is will he try to make a new burrow out in the open or is this sadly just an ideal environment for him/her. My second question is if he stays there how in the world am I going to feed him thoroughly. I did try and use a turkey baster and push a little thawed food into the cave and he did dart in and out a few times (lol) but I am concerned if I have to do this daily I may get a huge bioload of food debris all over the cave area which I can not clean. I do have snails and scarlet hermits yet I do not think they will be able to keep the area clean enough and I want to stay away from getting amonia issues xD. Any ideas from the well experienced BSJ people here would be greatly appreciated

10-01-2008, 01:41 PM	#2 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 26,433 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: My First BSJ and he is hiding in cave Just give him some time. These fish can be raher skittish particular in the beginning. Once they become comfortable they usually like to be out in the open so they can see what is going on around them. Be sure your top is entirely covered and wait a week or so. __________________ Peace LYNN Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Lynn's frag tank experiment A reef tank is like a race car. The faster you go the harder you crash.

10-01-2008, 02:18 PM	#4 (permalink)
reefer4200 Elegance coral Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: BG, IL Posts: 1,000 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: My First BSJ and he is hiding in cave I have the same problem with the new "golden tile goby" i just put in...i saw him the first day and havent seen him since. Been a couple days now, just nervouse he isnt eating. Guess time will tell as i know they are infamous for hiding for a while until they are comfortable. So best of luck the both of us!

10-01-2008, 02:50 PM	#6 (permalink)
reefer4200 Elegance coral Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: BG, IL Posts: 1,000 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: My First BSJ and he is hiding in cave yeah i have had the experience of fish hiding for weeks when first added and then one day they were out and about doing their thing, so i hope this is what happens for us. BSJ are known to hide more so than not, so that is expected for you. He should come out soon tho i hope....

10-01-2008, 07:51 PM	#7 (permalink)
bluespotjawfish Tridacna maxima Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 4,942 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: My First BSJ and he is hiding in cave I wouldn't spot feed into the area. I would feed him, but make him come out for it. My Bluespots chose the spots where they get food. They abandoned the places where food was difficult to get. Good luck. __________________ Lorraine To BB and all Bluespots - Journey of the 2nd Year ...The 2nd Year - Photoshow Check out Mr. BJ and friends... Mr. BJ's Aquarium - PhotoShow Please Donate to the American Cancer Society: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/lorrainerichards

10-02-2008, 06:57 PM	#9 (permalink)
Basser1 Pistol Shrimp Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 258 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: My First BSJ and he is hiding in cave Gotcha..... Congrats on the new bluespot jawfish! Word of warning though, they can be addictive! I noticed you have a RSM, I have a 29 gallon Biocube. It also has the rear chambers. One night I heard a lot of splashing and sloshing noises coming from the tank. I got a flashlight and started looking around, it occured to me Digger wasn't in the tank. So I searched for him and found him in the middle chamber! I also have a protein skimmer that takes up about all of the space in there! How he managed to get there? Who knows! I went to Lowes' and picked up some plastic gutter guard and cut it to fit the back openings, no more jumping! Just a suggestion to save you some grief later on!

10-03-2008, 06:53 PM	#11 (permalink)
Basser1 Pistol Shrimp Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 258 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: My First BSJ and he is hiding in cave BTW, post a pic in The Bluspot Club thread so you Lorraine can add you as an "Official Member" of the club!!

10-05-2008, 02:12 PM	#12 (permalink)
gotcha Tunicate Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 20 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: My First BSJ and he is hiding in cave I will work on getting a good shot in the next week or so that is not just a headshot. He has made the cave his home with 4 - 5 burrows and he sticks his head out all over the place in the live rock. You never know where he will be haha. He is eating well also. Everything so far is looking real good. I have still not yet went back to the moon lights at night. I may hold off for a month or so and play it by ear.

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