Algae problems? Get a Court Jester (Rainfordi) Goby

So mine came in this morning from liveaquaria. I've been wanting one for a while, and when I got the email notice I ordered. I've had some pretty crappy algae issues in my tank - cyno and green hair as well as in three hours after scraping, I get the "dusting" on the glass.

Cue the Jester. He came in a little on the thin side. Emaciated is probably a better word to use. Once he was acclimated, he was out mowing the lawn. He single handily devoured ALL the red cyno on the sand. Hair algae? Gone. After 12 hours in the tank, he's got a belly full of algae!

He wouldn't touch live brine shrimp, no matter the size. (The bicolor on the other hand, ate so much he couldn't fit into his bolt hole in the live rock!)

So if you've got a small reef tank check these guys out. Mine was swimming out in the tank from the get go, munching algae all the time.

 

Thanks for the info, its always useful. I can’t help but ask, did you address the cause of the algae ? Removing nuisance algae is to treat the symptom and not the cause – I am glad this worked for you, but if you have excess nutrients in your tank you are heading for further woes in my opinion.

Hair Algae factors to consider, lighting, nitrates and phosphates. And Cyano again lighting, phosphates and also DOC’s [dissolved organic compounds].

 

Yeah Crimson, I do have tons of organics in the tank. I think my problem started in three spots - macro algae when I cycled, over feeding, and waiting to long to get a clean up crew. Had I put in the CuC sooner, there wouldn't be as much "junk" in the water (and would have helped with over feeding) and they would have gotten a jump on the algae. I've started using a product called MicroBacter 7, which helps to remove those organics+phosphates (even tho phos and nitrate have always tested low) plus some other stuff. It works by producing beneficial bacteria that use the nutrients before it can go to the algae. Supposed to take two weeks so it will be awhile before any result is noticed.

I've also gone to feeding every other day.

Cheers

 

Funny, Rainford gobies are always "thought" to eat algae as they tend to pick on filamentious algae but in all reality they are picking out the bethnic inverts that live in and on the algae... You must have lucked out!!

 

I was about to post the exact same thing Joe.

You lucked out, but I would not expect similar results from another fish, for anyone wanting to try a rainfordi to rid them of algae issues.

 

Just reading some of the books I got over the weekend - seems that Rainfordi will starve if they can't get the algae (J. Sprung). I now need to cultivate more slime for him to eat. My tank is entirely cleared of it.

 

red slime isn't algae, it's a blue green bacteria

 

That and books about SW are only good for pictures pretty much any more.
The info in SW books has been superseded by information on the internet, as more enthusiasts have been able to chime in with their personal experience, versus only one guys take on it.

 

Well, I'm glad that is working for you. Also, your change in feeding and the CUC I'm sure will keep on top of things. Happy reefing!

 

Sorry to dig up this old topic, but I'm alittle mesmerized by this fish at the moment.

My wife just lost one after two weeks. It was our favorite fish overall in her bc29. I can't help but think it starved seeing as it came in slightly emaciated and never accepted food. My prior researching of the fish led me to believe our crop of green hair algae would sustain it (along with the expectation of it accepting mysis and brine etc).

Upon further reading its very evident that there are different schools of thought as to what the fish's food source is and I just wanted to get my observations out there for consideration. We never saw it go into the hair algae (perhaps because it's all in the high flow path of the sump return into the tank). It did appear to be combing the area for pods, picking at rocks basically. A closer look revealed that it was actually picking rock off, grinding it down in it's mouth and expelling powder sand from it's gills. I've read about larger reef fish that consume algae this way, which is somewhat imbedded in the porous face of the rock. I believe the Rainfordi goby does indeed consume algae but is specialized in stripping it from the rock, which may appear to some to be simple pod hunting. I'm surprised I have not read of anyone witnessing sand expelled from the fish's gills as we observed.