Court jester goby (Koumansetta rainfordi)

[Rcook9]

I have a very peaceful tank and would love to have one of these fish. I've read that they can be difficult fish to keep in a tank. Any thoughts?
45 gallon oceanic tech tank
10 gallon sump
2 oscellarus clowns
1 royal gramma
1 high fin red stripe goby
1 candy cane pistol shrimp
1 skunk cleaner shrimp
Tank has been established 4 months.

 

[bat21]

I really like your aquascape. I tried a court jester but couldn't get him eating in quarantine. I got a captive bred one that was supposed to eat prepared foods but he never did. After a week I put some sand with a little cyano in the QT hoping he would start sifting, which he did, a little, but not enough and he died a few days later. I guess if I did it over I would've put sand in the QT to begin with so he could sift on his own time.

 

[Rcook9]

I really like your aquascape. I tried a court jester but couldn't get him eating in quarantine. I got a captive bred one that was supposed to eat prepared foods but he never did. After a week I put some sand with a little cyano in the QT hoping he would start sifting, which he did, a little, but not enough and he died a few days later. I guess if I did it over I would've put sand in the QT to begin with so he could sift on his own time.

Thanks! Yeah that's what I am worried about.

 

[Myles]

I've had two at different times and they both did ok: 3-4 years if I remember correctly. If you can find a lfs with a bunch of them choose the one that's sifting the sand the most frequently ie the best eater. Then ask to see them eat to see if they're taking prepared foods.
My only concern is your tank is on the young side so you may need to age the sandbed a little. Mine were partial to spaghetti worms living in the sand.
Myles

 

[vhuang168]

Here's mine. 6 months in an IM Nuvo 16.

Sifts sand n promptly drops them over any corals I happen to have on the sand bed or low on rocks.

Tries to eat prepared and does sometimes catch whatever the 2 clowns n the Helfrichi don't get.

 

[Rcook9]

Here's mine. 6 months in an IM Nuvo 16.

Sifts sand n promptly drops them over any corals I happen to have on the sand bed or low on rocks.

Tries to eat prepared and does sometimes catch whatever the 2 clowns n the Helfrichi don't get.

Awesome looking fish. Did you have any issues with him eating when you first put him in?

 

[vhuang168]

He hid a lot but it helped that there were only 2 clowns that didn't bother him at all. Came out on the 3rd day and started pulling on hair algae and sifting sand. Didn't try to eat frozen till 3 months ago.

If there are other fish that might bother him, might be tough.

 

[MondoBongo]

as long as you've got a good amount of sand for him to sift, and no competition for food, with a little bit of algae for him to eat, he should be just fine.

mine has started taking prepared foods, but this took a considerable amount of time (more than a year), and he only really started accepting the prepared food because i was inundating the tank with it for my Orange Spotted Filefish.

so i would highly suggest planning on them finding their own food, then anything else would be a bonus.

as for QT. i placed mine in to my grow out system directly, because i knew there would be enough good there to support him.

he's gotten quite large. great fish.

 

[Rcook9]

I think I'm going to order one here in the next week. I don't have any aggressive fish at all I would say my skunk cleaner is the most aggressive because he wants to clean every fish. There is also no competition for food either I believe besides an emerald crab.