What do you know about Hector's Goby?

[bues0022]

What do you know about the Hector's Goby? Maybe more specifically - diet and breeding? I've got a hector's goby in my 30 cube, and while I've never seen it eat any food I've put in the tank (frozen, cyclopeeze, baby brine shrimp), it's fat and happy. The various reports online state that it'll sift the sand, nip at hair algae, but typically they seem to be regarded as accepting prepared food easily. Mine hardly ever sifts sand, definitely nips at hair algae all day, but isn't making a dent in it (I've got a lot at the moment). Do they eat pods too? I'm wondering how my fish is getting so fat when I'm not even completely sure what it's eating. It's actually proper fat - if it were a clownfish I'd say it's pregnant.

This leads me to my other questing: pairing/breeding habits. Is it possible that this is a fish that may develop eggs and lay (obviously unfertilized) even without having a male around? This could explain the large belly? If I were to try to pair up my fish, have you ever attempted this goby before, or know anything about how to determine male vs. female?

Thanks for your insights!
Ryan

[Lowefx]

What do you know about the Hector's Goby? Maybe more specifically - diet and breeding? I've got a hector's goby in my 30 cube, and while I've never seen it eat any food I've put in the tank (frozen, cyclopeeze, baby brine shrimp), it's fat and happy. The various reports online state that it'll sift the sand, nip at hair algae, but typically they seem to be regarded as accepting prepared food easily. Mine hardly ever sifts sand, definitely nips at hair algae all day, but isn't making a dent in it (I've got a lot at the moment). Do they eat pods too? I'm wondering how my fish is getting so fat when I'm not even completely sure what it's eating. It's actually proper fat - if it were a clownfish I'd say it's pregnant.

 

This leads me to my other questing: pairing/breeding habits. Is it possible that this is a fish that may develop eggs and lay (obviously unfertilized) even without having a male around? This could explain the large belly? If I were to try to pair up my fish, have you ever attempted this goby before, or know anything about how to determine male vs. female?

 

Thanks for your insights!

Ryan

I did use to have one when I started the hobby almost 10 years ago. They are very cool fish to watch and have personality. At the time, my tank had a lot of hair algae, and that is all it ate. He would always go to town on it. I think I had it for 1.5 years until I broke down that system. I havent seen them for sale in a while, but I did see recently again. Good luck.

 

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[treesprite]

I used to have one, but I also had another type of goby that wasn't compatible, so it killed the Hectors.

 

They eat tiny critters that live in the algae, not so much focus on the algae itself (beyond what can't be helped when picking out the critters). We can't see a lot of the creatures that live in tanks, but the fish can see them and get fat on them.