Feeding Yellow-Headed Jawfish

just give him time and feed the tank as normal. My jawfish never leaves his burrow... When he eats he darts out like lightening to grab some flake food that drifts by. If i try to target feed him he just gets scared of the pipette or baster and retreats deeper into the burrow. I have better luck getting him to eat if i just feed the tank as normal and turn the flow down on my powerheads so food doesnt blow by his burrow to quickly.

 

Good idea That Guy...I didn't think to turn down the powerhead. My biggest worry is that he just WON'T eat (I lost a Yellow Clown Goby this way- the only fish I've lost since starting this hobby about 4 months ago...knock on wood).

 

When I first added my pair a few months ago, one ate pretty much right away but the other didn't acclimate right away and took what seemed almost 2 weeks to eventually turn around.

Again make sure there is nothing in the tank bullying the fish (you may not even see it) - I had a bicolor blenny attacking one I had a few years ago and it prevented it from digging a burrow. once I removed the blenny, the jaw calmed down and began building a few hours later.

Good luck and just keep an eye on it - I have a feeling it will eventually come around if everything in the tank is OK

 

Getting your jawfish to eat before the competition can be difficult, you may need to distract the livestock with food in a different area and then shoot brine shrimp in his burrow or at least just outside of it. You might also want to try and enrich the foods with an additive. Garlic is very potent in scent, it attracts fish. They the love it. It also boosts their immune system as an added bonus. My jawfish smells the garlic as soon as I add it to the water and starts poking his head out.

 

Jaw Fish usually are more timid when eating then other fish, especially if you have agreesive eaters like clowns. To get him food You can use a small turkey baster with food dilluted with the tank water. put some of your water in a cup then drop in the food, I usually have success with brine shrimp, then suck the water and food into the baster, then slowly get the baster NEAR (not in) his den and gently squeeze the baster to push out the food. This way he wont have to venture far to eat. keep it up till he gets more comfy, he may just be depressed to. Most fish eat better when there food is dilluted instead of frozen clumps, never seen a jaw fish in the gulf of mexico eat a clump of shrimp from antarctica.