Hector’s Goby – Complete Care Guide

The Hector’s Goby (Koumansetta hectori) is a beautiful nano fish with yellow horizontal stripes running the length of its body. It is a very docile fish that can be an excellent addition to a nano reef tank. It will spend most of its day in and out of rockwork or sifting through sand looking for copepods and flatworms to eat. The Hector’s Goby occasionally graze small bits of hair algae that grow on live rock. This article will dive into the complete care requirements of Hector’s Goby.

Aquarium Requirements

Hector’s Gobies are one of the few fish I recommend for something as small as a 10-gallon aquarium. This is one of the best nano reef tank fish to keep. It will do best in an established aquarium, full of copepods and small invertebrates that it can graze on. You might also see this fish sift through sand looking for food, so it is recommended to provide finer sand so it can successfully sift.

Hector’s Gobies will benefit from having plenty of live rock, with varying-sized caves and nooks that it can explore. It will spend most of its time browsing the rockwork for food. Additionally, small invertebrates will likely be more successful in populating the aquarium when more rock is in the fish tank because they will have more hiding places.

Like most gobies, I recommend a well-fitted lid on the aquarium due to the risk of them jumping out. Hector’s Gobies are no exception to the rule. They can get startled and may dart up and out of the water.

Are Hector’s Gobies Reef Safe?

Yes, Hector’s Gobies are reef-safe. They should not bother any of your coral or invertebrates. You may see them picking at coral but they are likely picking off pests from the coral.

Water Parameters

Hector’s Gobies have similar water parameter requirements in relation to most other saltwater fish. Their preferred temperature ranges are from 72 – 78°F (22.2 – 25.6°C) but, I usually suggest keeping their temperature between 76° and 78°F. The dKH in the aquarium should range between 8 and 12. The pH level should float around 8.1 and 8.4. Lastly, Hector’s Goby will do well with salinity levels between 1.020 and 1.024 sg. If you’re keeping a reef tank, you’re likely to keep your salinity on the higher end of that range.

Food & Diet

The struggle that may arise with keeping a Hector’s Goby comes into play during feeding. You may have one that is a little stubborn and won’t readily accept prepared food. This is why an established aquarium with a variety of algae and microinvertebrates is important for this fish. They’ll have something to eat while you attempt to figure out how to get it on prepared foods. If you have a Hector’s Goby that won’t accept any food, consider feeding live baby brine shrimp to at least provide some food source. Otherwise, try dipping your food in garlic or Kent’s Garlic Xtreme. It’s a highly potent attractant that encourages finicky fish to eat.

Being omnivorous, this species of fish will enjoy a wide range of foods. I recommend feeding your Hector’s Goby Mysis Shrimp, Brine Shrimp, and pellet food. Mysis Shrimp and Brine Shrimp will provide much of the needed proteins for your fish, and the pellet food should help cover more of the herbaceous side of its diet. If you have Tangs, Foxfaces, or Rabbitfish and feed them algae sheets, it’s likely your Hector’s Goby will also try and eat that.

Tank Mates

You’ll want to keep your Hector’s Goby with other small, nonaggressive fish. They should also do well with large peaceful fish as well. In an appropriately sized aquarium, they will do great with fish such as Anthias, Basslets, Blennies, Clownfish, Chromis, Cardinalfish, Dwarf Angels, Foxfaces, Tangs, and many other fish. However, I would normally keep them with aggressive and predatory fish. They probably won’t do well with Eels, Groupers, Triggerfish, and other large/mean fish.

Breeding

Unfortunately, I found no information on successes in breeding Hector’s Gobies. Please let me know if you have any information and are willing to share!

Final Notes

Hector’s Gobies are great fish for small established saltwater fish tanks. Their peaceful demeanor makes them a fantastic addition. They have amazing personalities, and watching them scan through live rock and sand looking for food is exciting. If you’re looking for a goby that does not fully stay in the sand, consider getting a Hector’s Goby. If you’re looking for other goby options check out the continuously growing list of Gobies available.