Yellow head jaw fish trouble.

ALang · #1 08-27-2010, 04:45 PM

I have had many encounters with these beautiful fish. I read somewhere about this tip, which I have used with great success. But the slurpie top sounds even better!
Build a little rubble-pile around the back of your rock-work, be sure that it has a variety of sizes of rocks, empty shells, and a few flat pieces laying flat on top of the sand, which the fish may use for the "roof" of the cave. Then I use a large mouthed bottle with the bottom cut off (Mott's Clamato Juice), and I shove it around said rubble-pile. (Of course you will have to re-scape your decor later to accommodate the new set-up).
Then I use a tube of clear up-lift pipe to fit around the mouth of the bottle. After acclimating the fish, gently pour it down the tube (that way, other fish will not bother it on its decent, causing it to jump out of the tank). You may have to be ready to keep pouring sw down the tube to help get the fish into the bottle. Leave it alone for a few days. It will build its cave in peace. Be sure to feed it in the meantime. Mine took to mysis right away.
Jawfish is great to watch, as it will pull a piece of shell over the top of its cave to "seal" the entrance when it wants to be left alone, or for a nap, after feeding time.
I usually do my re-scaping them, so as not to spook it. Do place a few large rocks around its new cave to further help it to feel secure. It will usually build a few more caves on its own later on as it feels more confident. HTH.

noirsphynx · #2 08-27-2010, 05:54 PM

Good idea with the slurpee cup lid! You could also try a jawfish house. This is what I want to build.

lionfaceman · #3 08-27-2010, 06:14 PM

I love this site. Thx everyone for your input. What kind of silicone did you use. And a slurpee lid hey that's a good idea concerns of sharp edges though

gobytron · #4 08-27-2010, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noirsphynx

Good idea with the slurpee cup lid! You could also try a jawfish house. This is what I want to build.

just make sure to read that thread all the way through..post 180 has some contradictory comments that I found very interesting when I initially read that thread some time ago and also why I recommend trying a natural setup before anything else.

I think the slurpee cup lid could offer the best of both worlds, other than i would be concerned about the sharp edge of the plastic...I know I have cut my finger straw fishing before...lol

Probably easy to just silicone the substrate right over the edges though.

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/inde...=172053&st=160

Myka · #5 08-27-2010, 08:05 PM

When I have made the Slurpee lid houses I have used enough silicone that the edge is covered. I have also simply "buttered" the lid with silicone and rolled it in dry aragonite sand. I always use aquarium silicone. You can find large plastic barnacles in LFSs sometimes too which fit over the hole for a nice natural-ish look, and are usually cheap. If you use a barnacle, glue it on first and then glue the sand and rubble on around it.

I have taken a jigsaw to these barnacles making a bunch of Jawfish "doors":

gobytron · #6 08-27-2010, 08:49 PM

exerpt from post 180 in the aforemetioned thread...

I also noticed that in the first video clip with the Jawfish living in the barnacle covered PVC condo that the fish was moving very gingerly when trying to grab at passing food. To me it looked as if the jawfish could easily receive a cut to it’s body trying to enter that barnacle at the normal lightning speed they usually maneuver in and out of their natural constructed homes. That jawfish seemed very uneasy and on one attempt completely missed the barnacle entrance to his man-made PVC home. Viewing this made me feel sorry for the poor jawfish.

just some extra food for thought about this.