Blue Spot Jawfish Information

The Blue Spot Jawfish is an incredibly gorgeous fish with a yellow/orange/black body with vibrant blue spots seen throughout. This amazing fish spends most of its time digging burrows and perfecting its home. Growing to be about 3.5 inches in lengh, the Blue Spot Jawfish requires a deep sand bed to keep it comfortable. Also, having a lot of sifting space will help keep this fish satisfied. It can be aggressive towards other jawfish but it normally does not bother other inhabitants in the aquarium. It is a little tougher to keep because it known to jump out of the aquarium and making sure it is being fed isn’t always easy. Many fish keepers are weary about keeping this fish because of the difficulty in keeping it alive.

Aquarium Requirements

The Blue Spot Jawfish doesn’t fare well in anything smaller than a 30 gallon fish tank because of its length when fully grown. It will require a deep sand bed of at least 3 inches but more is preferred. A tightly sealed lid is a must because this species of fish will jump out of your aquarium. The water parameter requirements for the Blue Spot Jawfish are similar to many other marine fish:

• Water Temperature 72 – 78 degrees Fahrenheit
• pH 8.0 – 8.4
• KH 8 – 12
• Salinity 1.020 and 1.025 sg.

These water parameters will help keep your fish happy and healthy. The most important thing with water parameters is stability. Swinging water parameters can be detrimental to a fish.

Food & Diet

The Blue Spot Jawfish is a carnivorous fish and its diet should reflect that. Blue Spot Jawfish eat mysis shrimp, brine shrimp and pellet food. We encourage to feed the fish multiple times a day. Blue Spot Jawfish will also sift through sand and consume copeopods that are within the sand.

After introducing a jawfish into the aquarium, I normally siphon food into a coral feeder. Then, place the feeder close to the Blue Spot’s burrow and release food. This guarantees a successful feeding and makes sure the Blue Spot Jawfish is not getting outcompeted for food. After doing this for a week or so and seeing the jawfish successfully eat, I normally stop feeding it with a coral feeder and let it collect food on its own. I normally use mysis shrimp and/or pellet food when feeding.

Tank Mates

The Blue Spot Jawfish is a pretty stand up citizen in the aquarium. This fish is completely reef safe and it will also not normally bother other fish in the aquarium and will do great with fish such as:

• Clownfish
• Dottybacks
• Dwarf Angelfish
• Wrasses
• Anthias

But it fares well with many other fish. The problems arise when more jawfish or gobies are introduced into the aquarium. This species of jawfish does not like having other jawfish or gobies in its domain. In incredibly large fish tanks they should be able to figure out territories. Regardless, keeping two or more jawfish or a jawfish with a goby is not recommended. The only exception is a mated pair of Blue Spots.

Breeding

Keeping this fish happy and alive is challenging but breeding is even more challenging. There isn’t much information floating around about how to breed this fish but the most challenging part is definitely finding a mated pair.

Final Notes

Although this fish is probably one of the most beautiful ones on the market, the challenge of keeping it alive sometimes outweighs the desire of keeping it in the home aquarium. Take all the pre-cautions before adding this fish into the aquarium. The color patterns and personality are phenomenal and it’s an excellent addition to any saltwater fish tank.

Featured image by Rhododendrites on wikiMedia