Pearly Jawfish

Care at a glance

Overview

A peaceful, engaging burrow-dweller that spends its life around a single tunnel and is safe with corals and inverts, so it is fully reef safe. It only bothers the reef by occasionally spitting sand onto nearby corals as it maintains its burrow. It is shy and does best with calm tankmates that will not outcompete it for food or intimidate it. Several can be kept together in a large tank with enough sand-bed footprint and spacing, so it behaves as a colonial, social species rather than a strict loner.

In the wild

Pearly jawfish live over open sand and rubble flats near reefs, where each fish digs and defends a vertical burrow lined with pebbles, shell, and coral rubble. They hover just above the burrow mouth to snatch drifting plankton and dive in tail-first at any threat. In captivity they need a deep sand bed of at least 10 to 15 cm mixed with rubble and small rock rubble so they can construct and reinforce a stable tunnel. A tight lid is essential because they jump, especially in the first weeks.

Good to know

Opistognathus aurifrons is a mouthbrooder: the male incubates the egg mass in his mouth until the larvae hatch, periodically rolling and aerating them. Its oversized jaws are used for excavating and moving substrate to build the burrow rather than for aggression. A pale pearly-blue body with a soft yellow head gives it its common names.

Did you know

The male broods the eggs in his mouth, going without eating while he tumbles the clutch to keep it oxygenated until the young hatch.

Related species

• 

  Gold-Specs Jawfish

  Opistognathus randalli

  3.9 in (10 cm)30 gal (115 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)
• Blue-Spotted Jawfish

  Opistognathus rosenblatti

  3.9 in (10 cm)30 gal (115 L)70–77°F (21–25°C)

• 

  Twinspot Goby

  Signigobius biocellatus

  3.9 in (10 cm)30 gal (115 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Pinkbar Goby

  Amblyeleotris aurora

  4.3 in (11 cm)30 gal (115 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Disco Blenny

  Meiacanthus smithi

  3.1 in (8 cm)26 gal (100 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Red Sea Mimic Blenny

  Ecsenius gravieri

  3.1 in (8 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)