Dusky Jawfish (Opistognathus whitehursti)

Description

One Dusky Jawfish, hand-collected and quarantined right here in Key West. Photographed under blue spectrum reef lighting, this fish is shown doing exactly what jawfish do best — peering out of a burrow it excavated itself, mottled brown-and-cream head framed by the rock, ready to bolt tail-first at the first sign of trouble.

About the Dusky Jawfish (Opistognathus whitehursti)

The Dusky Jawfish is a small, endlessly entertaining Florida Keys and Caribbean native. It spends its life engineering and defending a vertical burrow, carrying mouthfuls of sand and shell rubble to reinforce the rim, then hovering just above the entrance to pick plankton from the water column. Males are mouthbrooders, incubating the egg mass in their jaws. Unlike the more delicate Pearly Jawfish, the Dusky is hardy, adaptable, and quick to settle in. Locally collected stock is already acclimated to our water and eating prepared foods before it ships.

Care Guide

An easy, characterful fish for a peaceful tank — give it the right substrate and it will reward you with constant activity.

• Lighting: Not light-dependent; any standard reef lighting is fine.
• Flow: Low to moderate over the sandbed so the burrow stays intact.
• Placement: Needs a deep sandbed of at least 3 inches with mixed rubble, shell, and small rock so it can build and shore up a burrow.
• Feeding/Nutrients: Carnivore — mysis, brine, finely chopped seafood, and quality pellets. Feed 2-3 times daily; it takes food from the water column near its burrow.
• Aggression/Reef Safe: 100% reef safe and peaceful toward tankmates, though territorial with other jawfish. Not a threat to corals or inverts.
• Water Parameters: Stable reef parameters required — Temp 76-78°F, pH 8.1-8.4, Salinity 1.024-1.026.
• Important: Jawfish are accomplished jumpers. A covered tank or mesh lid is not optional.

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Quarantine, and why it matters more than anything else here

Every fish should go through quarantine before it enters your display. A bare tank, a sponge filter, a heater, some PVC for cover, and four weeks of observation prevents the single most expensive mistake in the hobby — introducing ich or velvet into an established reef, where treating it means removing every fish anyway.

Acclimation on arrival

Float the sealed bag for 15 minutes to equalize temperature, then drip acclimate for 30 to 45 minutes. Keep the whole job under an hour: once the bag is open, the ammonia in the shipping water gets more toxic. Dim the lights or leave them off for the first day. Never add shipping water to your system. Net the fish across rather than pouring, and expect it to hide for the first 24 to 48 hours — a new fish that goes straight into the open is the exception, not the sign of a good one.

First feeding

Do not be alarmed if it refuses food for the first day or two. Offer a small amount of a high-quality frozen food in the evening when the tank is quiet. Most fish that are going to eat will start within 48 hours. A fish still refusing food after four or five days needs attention, not more food.

Compatibility

Add the least aggressive fish first and the most aggressive last, and rearrange rockwork when introducing a fish into an established territory — it resets the existing residents enough to give the newcomer a chance. Watch the first 48 hours closely for chasing that does not settle down.