Sand or Crushed Coral for Jawfish?

[Pufferpunk]

I want a Dusky or bluespot jawfish in my 50g tank. The footprint is 18" x 25".

How many inches deeep does it need?

How many lbs would that come out to?

I have a 20lb bag of sand in there now & 2 5g buckets of CC in the basement. Can I use the CC or should I stay w/sand?

 

[BreadmanMike]

I'm pretty sure you want to stick with sand. They like it to be 5+".

 

[MoCha920]

it depends on what age is the jawfish? if the jawfish is 2-3" i would do 3-4" sand.

 

[jcar1]

Puffer, I am sure you already know this but cover every inch of your top. I spent $130 on a blue dot and had eggcrate over my tank, and I sewed on some screen that would be used for doors/windows. There was a little tiny gap where my skimmer outlet went into the tank and I thought, no big deal I will cover it tomorrow. I woke up the next day only to find him on the floor. If you saw the little gap, you wouldn't believe it. I couldn't have been more ****ed off.

 

[prugs]

The jaw fish needs building materials. The sand is OK, but you need to add small shells & such in front of it's burrow for building. I think it is called Florida crushed coral, can't remember. But it has lots of small shells.
The sand will keep collapsing & the little guy will have to work to hard to keep it's den intact. Then it will start digging in another place.
I had a tiger jaw fish for many years.

 

[Rod Buehler]

They will like lots of varying sizes of rubble to construct their home with. Some pieces as large as the fish itself. The crushed coral would be fine for the fish, but not fine for the tank. I would use 4+ inches of sand, and where I hope the jaw is going to male his home, I would toss in a few handfuls of CC and a few more handfuls of rubble that varies in size. Release the jaw into that area, and hope he likes it. If he moves, be prepared to add more CC and rubble to where the jaw moves to. If you provide them with the proper building materials, that will usually keep them from searching the next tidepool (read carpet) IME.

 

[Pufferpunk]

I had a Dusky before it ate 3 $30 fish & I gave it back. I think I'll stick with that species. I loved to watch him move huge boulders of rubble (named him "Barney"), into & around the outside of his den. Got a huge 25lb rock for the next one, w/a big cave at the bottom. Perfect I think! How many more lbs of sand will I need to get a 5" sandbed in that tank then? I've got 20lbs in there now, tank dimentions are in my 1st post.