Gold-specs jawfish

Care at a glance

Overview

Provide a 115 litre or larger tank with at least 8 cm of mixed sand and rubble and a secure lid, kept at 23 to 27 C and pH 8.1 to 8.4. It is reef safe and peaceful toward other species but territorial to its own kind, so keep one unless you have a pair and a large footprint. Feed small meaty foods such as mysis, enriched brine, and chopped seafood. Keep tiny ornamental shrimp out of reach of its mouth.

In the wild

The gold-specs jawfish builds a burrow in mixed sand and rubble and hovers above it, watching for food and threats. It is pale with a dark cap on the head and a gold ring around the eye. It carries mouthfuls of substrate to shore up the burrow walls. A deep bed of mixed grain sizes lets it dig and line its home.

Good to know

Opistognathus randalli is a western Pacific jawfish in the family Opistognathidae, named after the ichthyologist John Randall. It is a mouthbrooding fish, with the male incubating the eggs in his mouth. It uses shells and coral bits to reinforce the mouth of its burrow.

Common questions

Related species

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