Aaarrrggg
New member
Kululu the Blue Spotted Jawfish has settled in nicely and continues to be the star of the show.
I've heard him jump once more, but after last time we added foam covers (made from filter foam) so there's been no more "overflow adventures." (Canopy off in this picture... definitely NEVER try a jawfish in an open top tank!)
He didn't end up staying very long in my "jawfish condo," opting instead to make his own 2 burrows on the right side of the tank. There's the spacious "manor house" and more modest "vacation home"...which he visits occasionally to keep up on maintenance.
For a while the manor house would keep collapsing, at which point he'd switch to the holiday home and look at me as if to say...
I'd dutifully demolish the manor and try a different arrangement. He'd then move back in and make adjustments to my design. It's rather weird collaborating on a project with a fish, but through trial and error I think we've finally developed something we're both happy with.
The trick in the end was sinking a large-ish piece of LR rubble under the sand to act as a foundation for his front wall. Before this, I'd just been piling the rubble up on top of the sand; but of course as soon as he starting moving the sand around the rubble would shift and front wall would collapse. I think my other mistake was adding that fresh bag of sand just before his arrival. Now the sandbed has aged it doesn't blow around as much, so he's not constantly fighting to keep it out of his burrow (and piling it up in ugly sand dunes outside!)
It's been fascinating to watch his home improvements. He definitely likes having at least 2 entrances, (preferably more!) which is surprising because most man-made "jawfish condos" only have one. The manors configuration shifts around, but it usually has 3 or 4 doors which he enjoys popping in and out of like a gopher.
The other odd thing about him is he never sleeps! If anything he becomes more active when the moonlights come on, practicing diving in and out of the various burrows and performing maintenance on the vacation home. In the last month I've noticed a marked improvement with his skittishness. He seems to have developed an understanding for how the glass works and isn't so easily freaked out by lights being turned on and off nearby. He's also spending a lot more of the daytime swimming in the water column, begging to be fed.
I've heard him jump once more, but after last time we added foam covers (made from filter foam) so there's been no more "overflow adventures." (Canopy off in this picture... definitely NEVER try a jawfish in an open top tank!)
He didn't end up staying very long in my "jawfish condo," opting instead to make his own 2 burrows on the right side of the tank. There's the spacious "manor house" and more modest "vacation home"...which he visits occasionally to keep up on maintenance.
For a while the manor house would keep collapsing, at which point he'd switch to the holiday home and look at me as if to say...
I'd dutifully demolish the manor and try a different arrangement. He'd then move back in and make adjustments to my design. It's rather weird collaborating on a project with a fish, but through trial and error I think we've finally developed something we're both happy with.
The trick in the end was sinking a large-ish piece of LR rubble under the sand to act as a foundation for his front wall. Before this, I'd just been piling the rubble up on top of the sand; but of course as soon as he starting moving the sand around the rubble would shift and front wall would collapse. I think my other mistake was adding that fresh bag of sand just before his arrival. Now the sandbed has aged it doesn't blow around as much, so he's not constantly fighting to keep it out of his burrow (and piling it up in ugly sand dunes outside!)
It's been fascinating to watch his home improvements. He definitely likes having at least 2 entrances, (preferably more!) which is surprising because most man-made "jawfish condos" only have one. The manors configuration shifts around, but it usually has 3 or 4 doors which he enjoys popping in and out of like a gopher.
The other odd thing about him is he never sleeps! If anything he becomes more active when the moonlights come on, practicing diving in and out of the various burrows and performing maintenance on the vacation home. In the last month I've noticed a marked improvement with his skittishness. He seems to have developed an understanding for how the glass works and isn't so easily freaked out by lights being turned on and off nearby. He's also spending a lot more of the daytime swimming in the water column, begging to be fed.
