Description
Yellowhead jawfish, Opistognathus aurifrons, are the Florida variety of this species, which is much prettier than the pearly head variety found in the rest of the Caribbean. Yellowhead Jawfish are easy to care for and will eat most prepared foods. If you’re hoping to get them to spawn, make sure that they are fed some sort of high quality conditioning food, and keep them on a long day (14hr) photoperiod. The adults may try to jump out of the tank on dark nights, so keep the tank covered at all times. They are ~2 inches.
Yellowhead Jawfish are seasonal for us. We start to see them in May through October. Every year’s availability will be different and we normally start out with smaller juveniles in the begging in the season. Pairs of Yellowhead Jawfish can be found through out the season.
Please Note: Any new fish purchased from us or from a local pet store should to be quarantined. All fish from anywhere in the wild can be possible carriers of bacteria and protozoa that can lead to an infection in your system, so we always recommend that you use some sort of quarantine system prior to adding them to your system. If you have a fish only system and can medicate the whole system, you may not need a separate quarantine tank. If you have a reef system that cannot be medicated, a good ultraviolet sterilization system should prevent any kind of disease outbreak. We medicate our system for bacterial infections and protozoans, but because we dont always hold our fish for long periods of time, there is no way to be sure all the protozoan cysts have been killed. A little bit of prevention will save you lots of trouble down the line.
mikerocks (verified owner) –
Love these guys! Got 4 of them about a year ago and all are doing great. They arrived well packed and perfectly healthy. I was a little nervous after the first week only one was out and about. But each week another one would come out and make his new home in the front of the tank. Finally after thinking I lost one of them, the 4th one finally popped his head out, now all of them are active and are always working on their burrows and stealing rubble and shells from each other. Always entertaining to watch.
ortizomi (verified owner) –
Went straight to making a home as soon as I placed in the tank super healthy guy can’t wait until he is used to the aquarium
sgrom42 –
Awesome fish from an awesome set of collectors. I ordered a mated pair, so my full review is there.
A few tips: 1) don’t panic if you never see them, especially in the first two months of having them, and/or if they are no other fish (people say they should be added first to a tank, if possible). They are skittish, but mine eventually came out and are very outgoing now 2) putting food into the water column with pumps on is a great way for them to eat 3) they need a good amount of substrate; I have them in about 3″ of Caribsea Seaflor and a “hill” burying some rock, which they live next to. 4) they love random shells and things like that to build their burrows out of; I used Carib Sea Aruba Shell along with the Seaflor.
Andy szekeres –
Awesome as the picture. Outstanding fish who is already making his penthouse. Could not be happier with this purchase.
michael mattox –
One of our favorite fish. Colorful, active, full of personality. Will not bother anything in your tank. make sure you have a mixed particle sand bed that is 5″ to 6″ deep for them to construct a home.
Sharyn Z Wertz –
VERY comical fish! I got a mated pair and they’ve already tunnelled halfway to China. Couldn’t figure out why they were in a small plastic bottle inside their bag. Found out when I emptied them into a tall half-gallon pitcher for acclimation…if I’d had more water in the jug they’d’ve been on the floor in a heartbeat! They’ve settled in well, though, and are busy rearranging my tank. I think they might be going for a trial separation though (or at least twin beds) as one has left the main burrow and started a second one on the opposite end of the tank. I suppose they could just want a vacation home… Aside from having the most personable expressions, they’re absolutely gorgeous fish and a joy to watch swimming around.
Charles Hough –
Recieved a pair of mated yellowheads today. These are 2 of the healthiest fish I have ever purchased from a online retailer!They have been in their new home for about 9 hours and are eating well and already very active getting their “home” fixed-up. I am extremely happy with the color and overall appearence of these fish. I have made several purchases from Sea Life in the past and they have never let me down. If your interested in Jawfish you won’t find a healthier, better looking fish anywhere else.
Joe Faszl –
Ordered 2 of these back in early July. They dug in right away and made themselves a home. They are quite funny to watch as they protect their dwelling. They are all bark and no bite though. Their color is fluorescent white/blue and they are doing great. Thanks Ken
Layton Gangestad –
If you have a sand substrait you NEED at least one of these cool little fish. Good luck not loving this guy, He’s busy he’s an archetect, a landscaper and a sentry and very comical.
Layton
Tonya Fisher –
I ordered my yellowheaded jawfish in October and couldn’t be happier! I LOVE this guy and he is, by far, my favorite in the tank. A TOTAL people watcher , construction worker, and snail spitter, his antics have the whole family laughing.
It did take him a bit to settle in (he spent near a wk in the back of my aquapod before I figured out how to get him out) but now he’s happy busy lil’ guy. Occasionally, he will “pout” and jump into the back chambers but after a day of sulking, he’ll jump back in. (Guess the chaeto’s always greener, right?)
HIGHLY recommened these fish!!
Angel Paul –
I ordered a pair of these and they are just great. They love to watch my family and found a home almost immediately. They look just like the picture given and have eaten everything I have fed my tank. My wrasse tried to intimidate but they just opened those wide jaws and it hasn’t happened since. The spitting of snails and hermits, when they get to close to the opening/exits, are just comical to see. They have used small shells, rocks and whatever they could to barricade those openings at night. These do love to people watch also. I highly recommend them.
Donna Race –
We received a Yellowhead Jawfish from Ken on Jan 9th. Since we don’t have a deep sand bed we were a little concerned. Before he (?) came, we prepared a sand box for him in the alcove area of our tank…he found it immediately and started burrowing! By the next morning, he had created another opening. Since then he has moved at least six times, but then returned to the original location where he has remained for about a week. Ken is right, do be careful as they are jumpers. I had to rescue him one morning from the back 3rd chamber of our BC29, it was this event that caused him to return to the original burrow. We spend hours watching his antics: building, rebuilding, and defending his burrow. Images of our “Charlie” can be seen here: http://www.pbase.com/donnar/fish
harvey johnson –
The color of this fish is just super. The action of finding a select spot to dig a make a home was no problem for this guy. The landscaping in the live sand was instant. I would tell you if you have a deep live sand bed with some real small rubble, it is a hoot to see how they move the substrate. Watch out, for they dont care if they cover up a Zoanthid that is in the path of the rock mover (jawfish),as he spits the sand out where it wants.
Diana Graves –
This fish in not only beautiful, but it has tons of personality. The colors looks just like the picture. My fish hovers above it’s burrow at feeding time, and will just about eat from my hand. It is very friendly, gets along with all my blennies and gobies. If a blue leg hermit falls in his hole, he picks it up in his mouth and brings it out and drops it away from his burrow. Very cool fish!