Blue-spotted jawfish – Opistognathus rosenblatti
Species name: Opistognathus rosenblatti
Common names: Blue-spotted jawfish, Blue Dot Jawfish
Family: Opistognathidae (Jawfishes)
Order: Perciformes (perch-likes)
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 4 in.
Minimum tank size: 30 gallons
Hardiness: Medium
Aggressiveness: Peaceful. Keep with docile tankmates. Is aggressive towards others of their own species and possibly with small ornamental shrimp. Only one specimen, or a mated pair, should be kept per tank.
Reef Compatibility: Excellent
Distribution: Eastern Central Pacific: Gulf of California.
Diet: Carnivore. Feeds on benthic and planktonic invertebrates in the wild. Should be fed a variety of meaty frozen foods, Brine Shrimp, prepared pellets, crustacean flesh, krill, raw table shrimp, squid, clam, mussel and mysid shrimp. It is also a good idea to occasionally supplement with some type of herbivore diet. A well fed Blue-spotted Jawfish will have a noticeably plump, even bloated looking, belly after a good feeding.
Additional information:
In the wild, the Blue-spotted jawfish or Blue Dot Jawfish live in the Eastern Central Pacific where it spend its live at depth of about 40 feet. This burrowing species is a favorite among aquarists but unfortunately quite expensive and not as frequently available as many other jawfish. For those reasons, many aquarist will go with a yellow headed jawfish instead because it have the same amount of personality, cost mush less but unfortunately not as nice in color.
Its head and body are orange with irregular-shaped metallic blue spots. The long dorsal fin is yellow and the body is covered with large metallic blue spots. The males become bright white in the front half of their bodies during spawning and courtship.
As said above, it is a burrowing species. It like to dig tunnels in which he live and do not usually venture far from the bottom. It will only venture out far enough to grab food and then dart back into it’s hole. It covers its burrow entrance at dusk and rebuilds the opening each morning.
When introduced to a new aquarium, it tend to hide until it get used to its surroundings. It usually hide for a few days.
The ideal aquarium will have a temperature of 72 to 78ºF with a specific gravity of 1.020 to 1.025 and a pH between 8.1 and 8.4. A deep sandbed is important. At least 3 inches of thick sandbed, mixed with pieces of shell and rubble should be provided to allow the Blue-spotted jawfish to make its burrow.
It is known to be a jumper, so it is best kept in an aquarium with a tight-fitting lid to prevent escape. Turn off the lights gradually can help to prevent jumping. Also less likely to jump after it has constructed its burrow.
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Article written by www.aquariumslife.com
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