What do court jester gobys eat

reefbeard

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Hi I was wondering if anyone could tell me a few things court jester gobys eat
Mine eats Hikari Mysis and Brine shrimp. He spends most of the day grazing algae and sifting through the sand bed which keeps him pretty fat. Captive-bred seems to be the best way to go with these guys.
 

jd371

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Mine spends most of the day sifting the sand or grazing on algae. Come feeding time he loves to go for the live black worms and the homemade mixture I make to feed my fish which is mostly chopped clams.

Nice and plump belly.
Q5Cciefl.jpg
 
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Wow, get a fish you have zero knowledge on. That’s gonna work out well...

it’s always best to research a fish before obtaining it.

Bed side manners, bed side.....

OP - not sure if you know this or not but is it captive raised or bred (BIOTA for example) or wild. There is a difference as noted above. BIOTA captive bred eat pellets so won't have an issue for the most part. If it is wild caught then it is a bit more of a challenge.

1. You will need to be ready to try a verity of prepared foods. Get a few different pellets and flake to try.
2. Frozen - also try a few different packs of brine, mysis, and LRS reef frenzy
3. Pick up some Selcon - you can put a few drops on the second test
4. Turn off flow with the exception of 1 power head to float the food but not woosh it away - we need hang time

So wild caught - be prepared to try a variety. Not one and be done, you need to try several until you find one it likes. Calmer tank is helpful during this process. It will nibble off sand, hair algae, but more or less they are an omnivore.

They are a pretty fish. Active swimmers. Great for small tanks. Awesome for larger tanks in groups. Most will recommend BIOTA bred for easier feeding. Doesn't mean you can't get the wild caught but just be aware that you, we, the hobbyist, need to go the extra effort to find a food they will eat.
 

vetteguy53081

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Frozen bloodworms
Spirulina brine shrimp
Live brine shrimp
Mysis shrimp
Mysis pellets
Some algae

they are picky eaters at first so food must be very small.
 
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UkiahTheTurtle

UkiahTheTurtle

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Frozen bloodworms
Spirulina brine shrimp
Live brine shrimp
Mysis shrimp
Mysis pellets
Some algae

they are picky eaters at first so food must be very small.
Also He is only A inch long I did try feeding him frozen baby brine shrimp but he was un interested
 

vetteguy53081

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Also He is only A inch long I did try feeding him frozen baby brine shrimp but he was un interested
If that small, try fish eggs or rotifiers
Available in frozen cubes
 
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Also He is only A inch long I did try feeding him frozen baby brine shrimp but he was un interested

Please see the above posts.

It is not about what "you, the hobbyist" think he / she should eat but rather "you, the hobbyist" provide a big enough sample until he / she finds something that they would rather eat.

The onus is on the hobbyist to provide a wide enough sample of food for it to try. Ideally, over time, something will catch his / her interest to sample. Once it finds something you will know. The bad news is that A, it is going to cost you a bit of money and B, it may refuse everything and slowly starve to death if your tank isn't mature enough to sustain it.

Which leads back to a comment above about researching a fish before you buy it. The fish may only cost 30 bucks but to properly acclimate it it very well could run you a couple hundred by the time you are done with the various foods to try.

You can also try live worms, black or white - they are different types of worms, and also LRS reef frenzy. An excellent food but make sure it is properly taken care of by your LFS.
 
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May be ordering 2 or 3 of these tonight myself. Going for biota captive bred, but cool to see others with them! Good luck! LIke most said try a variety. Fish will be stubborn.

BIOTA is a good source. They are eating pellets and list out what types.
 

southerntnreefer

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BIOTA is a good source. They are eating pellets and list out what types.
Sure do! My 72 is ready for the next batch of fish. Its between 2 or 3 court jesters and a coral beauty all Biota or a Bi Color blenny and maybe a few chromis and or anthias. we will see what tonight brings and whats available online. I have pellets on hand just in case, but mostly feed frozen, Ive got marine quisine, Emerald Enrtree and LRS Reef Frenzy on hand at most times. ive also been known to mix in fresh shrimp or something from time to time. The tanks love me.
 

shoelaceike

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Mine eats Hikari Mysis and Brine shrimp. He spends most of the day grazing algae and sifting through the sand bed which keeps him pretty fat. Captive-bred seems to be the best way to go with these guys.
Do they make sand storms?
 

LacViet

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Mine is grazing algae and sifting through the sand bed. Occasionally I saw they eat copepods/ newly hatched brine shrimp that I put in the tank. Mine does eat chopped (about 1/4in-1/2in) blackworms.
 

LacViet

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just feed the fish with some blackworms so I took a bit of video on the goby eating

 

reefbeard

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Do they make sand storms?
Mine does create a mess dropping mouthfuls of sand all over corals currently placed on the sand bed. I grab the turkey baster once or twice a day and clean off everything. He does a great job controlling the algae and the sand has never looked whiter, so it's a bit of a trade off.
 

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