Cultivating Filamentous Algae

[msscha]

A few days ago, I purchased a Rainfordii Goby. It had been living at the LFS at least a month, in a tank with little to no algae in it. While searching for more info, a few folks with experience state that this fish survives best if filamentous algae (green hair algae) is present. While there's a bit of cyano I'm still battling and some cheato in the corner (the goby has dug himself a pit underneath it; I assume it's home, though he spends most of the day out and about), I don't have other green algae present. So, how does one introduce a bit of filamentous algae without destroying the balance in the rest of the tank? Is there a food substitute I could use? The Rainfordii goby is listed as an omnivore and the LFS recommended feeding the same stuff I'm already using (Frozen Marine Fusion [tiny bit, twice every day, M-F) with freeze-dried cyclop-eeze and some flake food added once or twice a week). The other inhabitants are an ocellaris and a peppermint shrimp. FTS from today if that helps, too.

 

[msscha]

Ignore this! Should've posted in disease/pest management. duh.

[RESONANCE]

Hi Msscha,

 

I have a rainford's goby I bought nearly a year ago roaming my 40B right now. Rainford's gobies eat filament algae and are also 'sandsifters/ filterfeeders' where they gulp a small amount of sand and feed on the microscopic stuff in between the grain. I didn't have much if any filament algae at all yet, it's nearly twice as big as when I bought it. So as long as your sand is 'live' it should be ok if you only keep 1.

[msscha]

Hi Msscha,

 

I have a rainford's goby I bought nearly a year ago roaming my 40B right now. Rainford's gobies eat filament algae and are also 'sandsifters/ filterfeeders' where they gulp a small amount of sand and feed on the microscopic stuff in between the grain. I didn't have much if any filament algae at all yet, it's nearly twice as big as when I bought it. So as long as your sand is 'live' it should be ok if you only keep 1.

Thanks, Resonance! This is pretty much what I've been reading across the net -- I think mine was already older when I got it (it's at least 2" long), and it seems very happy to spend it's time sifting sand and picking at the rocks. The article above, as well as something I read by Ron Shimek, mentioned that this goby doesn't really eat the algae much -- gut contents show around 10% algae even when it looks like they've been munching on it. Instead, they are going for the stuff in the algae, the "EAM" -- epilithic algae matrix. Kind of cool!