Yellow Head Jawfish

[saltwater]

I would really like a yellow head jaw fish for my future reef tank. The problem is that they like deep sands. Is it absolutely neccessary to have 5 plus inches of sand or can you get away with 2 inches provided you have some rubble and shells lying around?

 

[Aquascaper]

If you want the fish to act naturally and be able to create it's burrow then yes, it is necessary. If you want to stress the fish and not have it settle in the tank then no.

It is symbolic of the Jawfish that they make burrows to live in, if you cannot cater for their needs then it is not a good addition to your tank. If you want a fish that's similar looking but doen't need a deep substrate then the Yellow Watchman Goby is quite a good match.

If you do decide to get a Jawfish then a 5" deep substrate of varying grain sizes along with rubble pieces is recommended to aid their burrow construction.

 

[saltwater]

awww, too bad I really liked those little guys
Do all jaw head species require 5 plus inches of sand?

 

[steelhealr]

Jawfish need burrows the length of their bodies to not feel stressed out and for hiding. You don't want marine ich in your tank nor a dead fish that could predispose to cyano or hair algae. SH

 

[RoyalGrammaPrincessHannah]

A deep sand bed is a good thing though. If you get a sand sifting star {as long as the tanks big enough of course] they will keep it nice and oxygenated too so it will be good for filteration.

 

[saltwater]

Too bad, looks like no jawfish for me

 

[Aquascaper]

At 5" depth of substrate you are in the territory of a DSB (Deep Sand Bed), these need to be fully understood as to what they do, how they work and the potential probelms before one is setup in a display tank IMO.