blue dot jawfish not building hole

[pewpewlazerbeam]

He has only been in the tank for 5 days. And seems very happy he is responsive to my movement and eats mysis shrimp from the turkey baster. I'm just a little confused because he hasn't built a hole. Rather he carved out a steep slope under my rocks and just pokes his head out of the cave. Its pretty big tho I'm hoping he feels secure. Any thoughts?

 

[leebca]

The fish is comfortable where it is. At this point in time, the fish is probably wondering why you're only feeding it mysis.

 

[pewpewlazerbeam]

should I be feeding him something different?

 

[Inconservatory]

A varied diet is the key to success!

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27014

Thanks, LEE, this helped a lot!

 

[leebca]

I hope you like to read. Get it all -- very detailed -- from here: Fish Health Through Proper Nutrition.

Like Inconservatory wrote, variation. Vary the kinds of seafoods this fish should eat, supplement with vitamins and fats. Avoid the foods listed in the above linked post.

 

[pewpewlazerbeam]

Jawfish are carnivores from everything i have read.

So, what, other than mysis ( or mysid according to the article) should i be feeding this little guy. I have plenty of copeopods.

 

[Inconservatory]

Many aquarists prefer to make their own mixes of shellfish, krill, and squid. You can get some of the ingredients from a reputable grocery store, but it's important to know your source. You could always go to your local fish store and pick up a variety of meaty foods, then feed that on a rotating cycle. Keep away from freshwater foods like bloodworms, as marine fish do not gain the nutritional value from those as their freshwater counterparts.

Brine shrimp are also a food which tends to be low in nutritional value, unless they are freshly hatched or otherwise enriched. They still make a nice treat, however.

You may also want to take a look at this link if you plan on keeping any more carnivorous fish: Thiaminase

I never really made the link to proper health of my fishes to a proper diet before reading Lee's posts. His stickies are a great resource.

 

[leebca]

One of the more-or-less recent finds in the market are ocean plankton. Just need to get the right size or do some sifting and be sure it is from the ocean. This in of itself should be a mix of whole ocean lifeforms and maybe worthy of about 40% of the feeds.