Rainford's Goby

 Quick Care Facts

• Care Level: Moderate   • Temperament: Peaceful   • Maximum Size: 3"
• Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons   • Water Conditions: 74-80° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025
• Diet: Omnivore   • Origin: Western Pacific
• Family: Gobiidae   • Species: Gobies   • Aquarium Type: Reef Compatible

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Rainford's Goby, sometimes referred to as the Court Jester Goby, is native to the Western Pacific reefs and packs a lot of color in a small package; Rainford's Goby is extremely popular for "nano" aquariums due to its vivid coloration as well as its very small size and environmental impact. This species tends to stay near the bottom of the aquarium constantly sifting around for copepods and nibbling on filamentous algae.

Rainford's Goby is a beautiful species with a greenish-tan base color that shifts to a greenish-yellow around the head; it has several solid white spots on each side at the base of its dorsal fin in addition to multiple, bright orange horizontal lines running from its face, across its eyes, all the way to its caudal fin; it also has a black ocellus spot on the rear section of its dorsal fin and a less noticeable one on the top base of the caudal fin. Rainford's Goby is quite popular in the hobby and can be found through local and online vendors alike.

Rainford's Goby should be housed in an aquarium of at least 20 gallons and be provided with a fine sand substrate and plenty of live rock for grazing and hiding; the species spends a lot of time sifting around on the bottom and among the rocks in search of food. Rainford's Gobies have a very small impact upon their environment which is helpful in regards to the biological load of the system and provides additional tolerance for other fish or coral species to be added to a reef aquarium. They are a very peaceful species and should be kept with peaceful tank mates of a similar size as they can be picked on by larger, slightly more aggressive fish.

Rainford's Goby is an omnivore and in addition to eating filamentous algae, it can be found sifting around in the sand for copepods and other planktonic snacks within their natural environment. A supply of live copepods would be ideal in the aquarium, but other meaty foods such as live, frozen, freeze-dried, and vitamin enriched brine shrimp, and finely chopped mysis shrimp; Spirulina-based omnivore pellets and flake foods should also be used. This species likes to graze and should be fed 2 to 3 times per day.