Two Tropical Marine Aquarium Hawks

Hawkfish Make Interesting Tropical Saltwater Aquarium Fish

Jun 21, 2008

Hawkfishes are known for their gregarious natures, striking good looks and infamous aggression toward small crustaceans and even some fishes. Here are two of the best.

In many ways, hawkfishes make ideal aquarium specimens. They are often hardy, brightly colored and remain fairly small. The beginning marine aquarist can have success with them, and the experienced aquarist may well find them an excellent addition to an Indo-Pacific gorgonian or coral head biotope tank. The one thing you must watch out for with hawkfishes, however, is their penchant for aggressive predation, when it comes to ornamental shrimp and small fishes.

Nonetheless, these are endearing fishes from the Family Cirrhitidae. There are about 12 described genera, and most that are seen in the aquarium trade are from the Indo-Pacific where they generally inhabit shallow reefs.

The two hawkfish described here should be seriously considered by any aquarist who is intriqued by these unusual fishes. If provided with the right habitat and husbandry, either of these hawkfishes can become a well-mannered and welcome addition to your aquarium.

The falco hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys falco) is undoubtedly the “go to” species of hawkfish for the beginning marine aquarist. Sometimes called the dwarf hawkfish, this fish rarely reaches three inches in length and is the least aggressive of the hawkfishes commonly offered in the trade. In the wild, this species inhabits shallow coastal reefs to deeper outer reef flats throughout the Indo-Pacific from the Maldives to Samoa, north to the Ryukyu Islands, and south to the southern Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia.

While generally a charming, personable fish, the aquarist should be wary of keeping any hawkfish in an aquarium with smaller peaceful fishes like flasher wrasses, dartfishes, small gobies, and small anthias. While the falco hawkfish is often considered reef compatible, it will eat small ornamental shrimp, crabs and other crustaceans. Keep it singly in a tank of at least 24 gallons, and feed it a diet of meaty marine flesh including raw crustacean flesh, frozen mysis shrimp and other prepared frozen foods formulated for carnivores.

The longnose hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus) is one of the most popular hawkfishes in the marine aquarium trade, and it is the best choice of a hawkfish for the reef aquarium in many aquarists’ opinions. This fish can be found from the Red Sea to South Africa and across the Pacific to Hawaii, the Gulf of California, and the Galapagos Islands. It prefers outer reefs with strong currents and is frequently found living amongst large gorgonians.

This longnose hawkfish will grow to a little over five inches and is not overly aggressive, although it is certainly not beyond eating small ornamental shrimp and even small fishes. It should be kept in an aquarium of at least 30 gallons. It is possible to keep the longnose hawkfish in a male-female pair, provided that both fish are added simultaneously. Males and females can be distinguished by size and, in some cases, color. This species of hawkfish is often the target of bullying by other hawkfish species. Like the falco hawkfish, plan to offer the longnose hawkfish a diet of meaty marine flesh including raw crustacean flesh, frozen mysis shrimp and other prepared frozen foods formulated for carnivores.

The copyright of the article Two Tropical Marine Aquarium Hawks in Saltwater Fish is owned by Ret Talbot. Permission to republish Two Tropical Marine Aquarium Hawks in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.