Hawkfish
Attractive and relatively small, Hawkfish make excellent additions to fish only or FOWLR aquariums. With extreme caution taken, they could be kept in reef aquariums, but because of their propensity to eat small ornamental shrimps and other mobile invertebrates (usually leaving sessile invertebrates alone) they are not considered reef safe. Lacking a swim bladder, Hawkfish can often be found resting in crevices of rocks or among the branches of corals or gorgonians. Hawkfish are easy to care for and not picky at all about water quality. A varied diet, including spirulina and small meaty foods like Mysis is recommended.
| Common name | Image | Taxonomy | Reef safe | Care Level | Description | Max size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arc eye hawkfish | Paracirrhites arcatus | Caution; will eat shrimp | Easy | Brown to yellow body with reddish dorsal fin, distinctive white caudal fin, and small semicircular marking behind eye. | 700120000000000000020 cm (7.9 in) | |
| Blood red hawkfish | Cirrhitichthys fasciatus | Caution; will eat shrimp | Easy | 700112700000000000012.7 cm (5.0 in) | ||
| Coral hawkfish | Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus | Caution; may eat small shrimp | Easy | 70008500000000000008.5 cm (3.3 in) | ||
| Falco's hawkfish | Cirrhitichthys falco | Caution; may eat small shrimp | Easy | 70007000000000000007 cm (2.8 in) | ||
| Flame hawkfish | Neocirrhitus armatus | Caution; may eat small shrimp | Easy | Striking red body with black on fin tips and yellow lips. | 70009000000000000009 cm (3.5 in) | |
| Freckled hawkfish | Paracirrhites forsteri | Caution; will eat shrimp | Easy | 700122500000000000022.5 cm (8.9 in) | ||
| Golden hawkfish | Paracirrhites xanthus | Caution; will eat shrimp | Easy | 700112000000000000012 cm (4.7 in) | ||
| Longnose hawkfish | Oxycirrhites typus | Caution; may eat small shrimp | Easy | White with red lattice-like markings resembling a grid. Nose is elongated and tissue between the spines of the dorsal fin is missing. | 700113000000000000013 cm (5.1 in) | |
| Lyretail hawkfish | Cirrhitichthys polyactis | Caution; may eat small shrimp | Easy | 700114000000000000014 cm (5.5 in) | ||
| Redspotted hawkfish | Amblycirrhitus pinos | Caution; may eat small shrimp | Easy | 70009500000000000009.5 cm (3.7 in) | ||
| Spotted hawkfish | Cirrhitichthys aprinus | Caution; may eat small shrimp | Easy | Bright red with distinctive diamond shaped markings down back, becoming darker towards the topside of body. | 700112500000000000012.5 cm (4.9 in) | |
| Whitespot hawkfish | Paracirrhites hemistictus | Caution; will eat shrimp | Easy | 700129000000000000029 cm (11.4 in) | ||
| Yellow hawkfish | Cirrhitichthys aureus | Caution; may eat small shrimp | Easy | 70007000000000000007 cm (2.8 in) |
Read more about this topic: List Of Marine Aquarium Fish Species