Rainford's, Hector's in a BB tank?

[dixiedog]

Anyone have either?

 

[Bezz]

I have both in my 70 bb tank for close to a year now. Other than the rainford chasing the Hector around once in a while, they both doing great, with huge bulging stomachs like they're going to explode soon.

 

[dixiedog]

Thanks Bezz!

Another question: How much algae growth do you have, or are they getting fat on food you give them?? 'Cause I have pretty much no algae at all.

 

[Bezz]

I don't have any green algae in tank, just bits and pieces of brown filament algae scattered around the back wall. I guess the algae are brown because of the low nutrients in the water, something I've been maintaining obsessively.

From what I observe, both rainford and hector feed primarily on the brown filament algea on the back wall and overflow area. They'll swim around the back wall the whole day grazing on algae.

Hope this helps.

 

[wonderz]

Hey Bezz, does your tank have lots of pods? I heard these gobies actually eats the pods that lives around the algae instead of just eating the algae themselves.

 

[Bezz]

hi wonderz, that's what I heard too and was quite worried when I got them as I can't find any pods in my tank. For the first few months, I even thought about buying live pods to supplement their diet. But then I noticed their stomachs were much fatter than when I first got them. So I guess they're getting enough food.

On whether they feed on pods or algae, I don't really know, but when observing them, I always see them tearing at the algae. sometimes, they'll even have long strands of algae sticking out of their mouths. I've never seen them eat any of the fish food I throw in tank for the other fishes.

hope this helps

 

[wonderz]

^ Thanks for the reply. Good to know that you were able to keep them without supplementing pods.

 

[dixiedog]

Update: I added a Hector's a month ago. Happy to report he's doing fine so far, subsisting on my sparse algae, which consists in large part of that brown stuff Bezz mentioned. He is not fat, but not scrawny either.

It is definitely the algae he is consuming, not pods. If you watch him closely, you can see a sideways, ripping motion as he dislodges the algae. He eats very little frozen food, although I observed him take some reef caviar and cyclops while in QT.

Maybe I should pick up a Rainford's next!