Home / Fishes / Gobies and sleepers / Empire gudgeon
No federal permit to keepEmpire gudgeon
Hypseleotris compressa
Fishes › Gobies and sleepers (Gobiiformes) › Eleotridae (Sleeper gobies and gudgeons)
Hypseleotris compressa, the empire gudgeon, is a species of Gobiiform fish in the family Eleotridae endemic to Australia and south-central New Guinea.
Intro from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Care at a glance
Species-specific aquarium care
- Tank: At least 24 in long and 12 in front to back for one adult (adults commonly reach about 2.0 in / 5 cm; the largest recorded was 4.7 in).
- Water: Freshwater.
- Temperature: 50–86°F (range recorded for this species).
- Layout: Lives on or near the bottom: floor space and hiding places matter more than height.
- Diet: Eats a varied diet: mix quality prepared foods with frozen and live foods. FishBase classes it as a omnivore.
Calculated from this species' own FishBase record: tank size from its typical adult length and swimming zone, water values from its recorded ranges. The group guide below fills in general care.
Care guide
Species care notes
- Tank: a base of at least 31 × 12 in (roughly 19 US gallons); space needed is rated “modest tank”.
- Water: a fairly wide range, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, 68–95 °F, pH 5–9.1, 2–25 dGH.
- Behaviour: in a pair; not a community fish.
- Difficulty: Easy (Seriously Fish rating).
Short excerpts from the species profile:
- Setup: “Provide plenty of hiding places and cover, the idea being to create broken lines of sight to allow weaker individuals to escape continual attention from dominant fish.”
- Diet: “Feeds chiefly on a range of small invertebrates, crustaceans and similar in nature.”
- Breeding: “Rarely achieved in aquaria and this is undoubtedly attributable to its complex amphidromous breeding strategy.”
From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167
Sleeper gobies and gudgeons
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: The sourced freshwater gudgeons inhabit lowland streams, ponds and rivers, with peacock gudgeons associated with rainforest waters and southern purple-spotted gudgeons with slow, weedy habitats. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Housing & setup
- For Tateurndina ocellicauda, provide at least a 45 x 30 cm base; the cited 45 x 30 x 30 cm aquarium accommodates a couple of adult pairs.
- For Mogurnda adspersa, use the larger cited 120 x 30 x 30 cm aquarium; do not apply the peacock gudgeon dimensions to other sleepers.
- Provide dense plants, wood and hiding places; dark substrate and floating cover particularly suit peacock gudgeons.
- Filter for clean water while avoiding strong current in these two species' displays.
- Fit a tight lid without gaps: both sourced species jump.
- For M. adspersa, supply flat spawning surfaces and separate brood-rearing space; the male guards eggs and adults can eat fry.
Diet
- Small live or frozen bloodworms for peacock gudgeons.
- Daphnia and brine shrimp, sized to the fish.
- Suitable dried aquarium foods supplemented with live or frozen foods; M. adspersa accepts a broad range.
Social life
- Peacock gudgeons suit compatible pairs or small groups; M. adspersa is territorial and can swallow small tankmates, although small groups are possible in sufficiently spacious housing.
Health watch
- Ammonia toxicity from immature or poorly maintained filtration.
- Freshwater white spot disease, a general aquarium-fish risk.
- Nutritional deficiencies from an unsuitable or monotonous ration.
Understanding the animal
In the wild
In the wild
From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Good care copies these conditions.1
| Where it lives | Lives in freshwater, in rivers and streams. Stays near the bottom. Adults inhabit lower reaches of rivers (also found further upstream) in flowing or still water. |
| Water it lives in | Freshwater, 50–86 °F (10–30 °C). |
| Climate | Tropical climate. |
| Behavior to plan for | Breeding: nesters, paternal parental care. |
What this means for care
- Keep water within its wild range, 50–86 °F.
- Parents guard eggs or young, so expect territorial behavior when breeding.
Native climate (measured)
Native climate (measured)
| Warm-season highs | about 87°F (up to 95°F in the hottest sampled areas) |
| Cool-season lows | about 51°F (down to 41°F in the coldest sampled areas) |
| Average temperature | 61–81°F across sampled records |
| Relative humidity | 68–74% on average (driest month about 66%) |
| Rainfall | about 1247 mm a year |
Measured at 221 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.
From the sources
From the sources
Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.
| Overview | Hypseleotris compressa, the empire gudgeon, is a species of Gobiiform fish in the family Eleotridae endemic to Australia and south-central New Guinea. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Where it lives | Home ranges Population dynamics Growth parameters Max. ages / sizes Length-weight rel. Length-frequencies Mass conversion Recruitment Abundance Life cycle Reproduction Maturity Maturity/Gills rel. — FishBase |
| Behavior | The fish is omnivorous, primarily taking small crustaceans and insects but will also consume algae and aquatic plants. Spawning usually occurs in fresh water during warm weather; the breeding season generally spans from spring to autumn. After spawning with the male, the female fish lays rows of about 3,000 adhesive-coated eggs, each of which are about.32 mm long. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Reproduction | The male sets up a territory on the bottom and entices the female to deposit up to 3,000 eggs on rocks, logs or plants. Male guards the nest throughout the incubation period of 10-14 hours (, 101194 ). — FishBase |
| Appearance and size | H. compressa has an elongated body which can be up to 12 cm long. The males are larger than the females. The fish does not have a lateral line, but does have ctenoid scales. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Biology | Adults inhabit lower reaches of rivers (also found further upstream) in flowing or still water among aquatic vegetation or branches of submerged trees. Juveniles often occur in swiftly flowing water or brackish estuaries. Tolerant of salinity levels equal to sea water, temperatures up to 35°C and pH 5.0-9.1. — FishBase |
| History and naming | Gerard Krefft described the empire gudgeon in 1864 as Eleotris compressus, having been discovered by one James F. Wilcox. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
Data and studies
The numbers
The numbers
Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.
Adult length
Common length to maximum recorded length. Measured as standard length (snout to the base of the tail, not counting the tail fin). Fish in home aquariums often stay smaller than wild records.
Water temperature
Range the species tolerates in nature; aim for the middle.
pH
Water hardness
Minimum tank footprint
Seriously Fish recommends a tank base of at least 31 × 12 in (about 19 US gallons).
Sources for this sheet
- FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.), version 24.07 Peer-reviewed researchThe global scientific database on fishes, maintained by a consortium of research institutions; every value is referenced.
- Seriously Fish species profiles Experienced keeper or breederLong-running aquarium reference written and peer-checked by experienced fishkeepers and ichthyologists; each profile covers habitat, tank size, water, diet, behaviour and breeding.
- Seriously Fish: Tateurndina ocellicauda Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Seriously Fish: Mogurnda adspersa Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Disorders and Diseases of Fish Zoo, university or veterinaryAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.
