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kellerexpress 
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 Topic: DIY Jawfish Condo
Posted: November 27 2009 at 4:15am |
I recently picked up a blue spotted jawfish and made him a condo, thought I would share. I got this idea from another website, and a friend and I(npatching here on the board) decided to give it a try. The main reason for making this was that I didnt think my sand bed was deep enough. We made it out of 3/4" pvc, used some rock rubble to disquise the entrance and make it look natural, and buried it in the sand. The entrance is right in front and great for viewing the little guy, and the back door is around the back of the tank, hidded, and acts as an escape hatch if needed. Now for a few pics. So far the fish seems to really dig his new condo.
Edited by kellerexpress - November 28 2009 at 3:56pm
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IM 30L
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jwoo
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Posted: November 27 2009 at 8:54am |
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OK that is awesome! Man I wish I had done something like that before my jawfish tore my tank apart for two weeks!
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None at the moment
Soon: 72 Gallon Bowfront
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bfessler
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Posted: November 27 2009 at 9:47am |
Nice Diggs. You saved your blue spot a lot of work. 
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Burt
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tileman
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Posted: November 27 2009 at 11:34am |
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Very nice idea. Let us know if he stays in his new condo.
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335G Reef
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http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2015/2/aquarium
ReefKeepers TOTM Feb. 2012
http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index....k-of-the-month
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Posted: November 27 2009 at 12:05pm |
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nice jawfish and home! Where did you get such a nice looking Blue Jawfish?
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kellerexpress
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Posted: November 27 2009 at 5:20pm |
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thanks for the compliments, so far he seems to really like his home. He uses both doors but hangs out in the front 75% of the time, probably because thats where I feed him. He does like to go out the back door and dig around a little, but it works out great because its in the back where no one can see, so he can mess it up back there without trashing my display. Ill keep you all posted.
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IM 30L
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TriggerHappy
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Posted: November 27 2009 at 5:25pm |
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What a great idea! Great looking home and fish!
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210 gallon Mixed Reef
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skimace7
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Posted: November 27 2009 at 9:42pm |
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Love it !! I think I will do that for mine... he is making a mess
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Connie
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Posted: November 28 2009 at 8:01am |
I swore off ever buying another blue spot. I just cant seem to keep them alive. After your post Tresa and I both picked up a blue spot yesterday @ Mountain Shadow ( thanks Randy :) ). We made ours a condo as well. Mine seems happy as can be...
Thanks for sharing.....What a great idea.
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I have flying monkeys and I'm not afraid to use them.
180 gallon money pit that I love.....
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Nick801
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Posted: November 28 2009 at 9:07am |
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How did you get the bend in the pvc? I figure toss it in the oven for a bit? but how long etc?
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kody72
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Posted: November 28 2009 at 11:20am |
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bbauman
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Posted: November 28 2009 at 11:33am |
I like this - very cool idea! 
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bfessler
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Posted: November 28 2009 at 11:38am |
Hi kellerexpress.
How would you like to do a Write Up on exactly how you made this project and post it in the DIY section. I'd like to add it to the Quick Reference thread. Look at the Quick Reference thread in the General Posts Section for info on doing the write up.
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Burt
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chk4tix
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Posted: November 28 2009 at 12:47pm |
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Very nice. When I am able to finally get me a new tank, I will incorporate a few of these into my other plans.
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Original Crappy Reef Club Member #2
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Connie
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Posted: November 28 2009 at 2:24pm |
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Im not sure If I can say but Randy will give you a better deal than anyone else in town...
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I have flying monkeys and I'm not afraid to use them.
180 gallon money pit that I love.....
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kellerexpress
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Posted: November 28 2009 at 3:45pm |
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Thanks for the compliments guys. I really cant take the credit for this design, my friend (npatching) played a big part and found me the long curved piece at a plumbing store in Orem. This was an easy project, only 3 pieces of PVC needed: a 90 deg bend,a 45 deg bend, and that curved piece. The curved piece came like that, I did not have to bend It myself or anything like that. But you could make the tunnel any shape you wanted to fit in your tank and rock scape. Finally, you have to find a way to cover the entrance to make it look natural. I used rock rubble, others have used a shell or barnacle to cover it up, it's really up to you.
Edited by kellerexpress - November 28 2009 at 5:30pm
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IM 30L
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Mike Savage
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Posted: November 28 2009 at 3:47pm |
I'd be interested to know if he stays in it long term.
Mike
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kellerexpress
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Posted: November 28 2009 at 4:01pm |
here is a link to the website that gave us the idea. http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=172053
Our design looks different, we liked the idea of have a back door, thought the fish would feel more secure with somewhere to flee if he felt threatened. My jawfish really seems to like have a back entrance, and uses it all the time. I really liked the look of the barnacle too, but could not find one anywhere so I settled for rock rubble. Either design will work, Ill keep you all posted as to whether he stays in the condo long term.
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IM 30L
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kay181
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Posted: November 28 2009 at 5:25pm |
thats a great easy diy project love it
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day light scares me im going back under
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npatching
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Posted: December 02 2009 at 4:32pm |
Here is my take on this project. Below you can see "Pokey" the Jawfish in his new condo.
Lessons Learned #1 although this DIY is not really necessary for the survival of your new Jawfish, it made for a very fun project.
#2 If you find yourself wandering through plumbing supply stores looking for potential Jawfish furnishings then there's a good chance that you are obsessed with reefing. The curved piece of pvc seen in kellerexpress's post is a "P trap." After going to Home Depot, Lowes, Sprinkler World, and some othe plumbing supply place, I finally found the elusive P Trap at "Parley's Hardware" located at 260 S 1200 W, Orem, UT 84058. they have quite an impressive assortment of PVC pipe fittings and a good 79 cent fountain drink station to boot.
#3"The best-laid plans of mice and men go oft astray." What good is this piece of plumbing if the Jawfish doesn't take to it? Hence, the method of introducing your fish to this abode can be tricky. The tupperware method (where you cut a hole in the lid of a tupperware bowl, place fish in bowl close lid, place lid over PVC pipe entrance) did not work for me. Instead, I placed my Jawfish in a large zip-lock bag, cut one of the corners off, placed open corner inside entrance to Jawfish condo, and slipped the fish into his new home. This method worked!
#4 If you have an open top, do not believe for a second that this fish is not capable of jumping out of the smallest of cracks in your mesh cover. I went to Home Depot, bought some bird netting (stops birds from eating your garden), and bought supplies to make a screen frame for the top of my tank (jbj 24g nano). The frame came out great. It covered the top of the tank, except for a small 1/4 inch section in the back. Pokey found the 1/4 inch section and jumped out.
#5 You never want to wake up from a nap to sounds of "oh my gosh, he's on the carpet, get down here quick." I'm not sure how long he was out of the water. I was asleep. My wife and kids had gone to the store. When my wife got back she found him on the floor. He Lives! Amazingly enough Pokey is alive and well.
#6 If evicted he will find his way back. Pokey was reintroduced to the tank (after his carpet surfing adventure) rather quickly. He found a new home amongst the rocks for about three days. He finally reappeared in his little condo and has not left since some times he does leave (in search of a better food spot?) but always returns to the condo.
Edited by npatching - December 08 2009 at 12:09am
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