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Paul Burton
02-07-04, 10:44
Family: Cirrhitidae

Common Name: Scarlet Hawk Fish

Latin Name: Neocirrhitus Armatus

Other Common
Members: Oxycirrhites Typus, P. Arcatus

Habitat: In the wild these fish are found on reefs, lagoons and rocky areas. Often found perching in amongst coral branches. Hawk Fish are found throughout the Indo-Pacific.

Breeding: Hawk fish are said to live in harems where the largest fish is the dominant male. The male will defend a territory which relates to the number of females in the group. Courtship and spawning take place at night. There are no reports of these fish spawning in captivity.

Feeding: These fish are predatory. They prefer meaty foods and will accept a wide range of frozen foods. They are partial to shrimp and small fish and can fit surprisingly large prey items into their relatively small mouths, so keeping these fish with decorative shrimp is not recommended although many people report that they do not have these problems with them.

Captive Care:
Moderate
Needs at least a 30 gallon tank
Grows to 4”
Predatory, carnivore, easy to feed
Introduce to a reef system with caution!

Behaviour: One of the most entertaining fish to watch due to its perching behaviour and pivoting eyes. These fish are very active and spend their days swimming around the aquarium with frequent stops on anything they can sit on for a while. Due to the fact these fish have no swim bladder, these stops are a necessity.

http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/hawkFAQ-UR1.jpg

http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/hawkFAQ-UR2.jpg

Thanks to Lisa Page for her superb pics!

Lets see your pics and comments!

fishbert
11-12-04, 00:13
ive kept this fish for a while now, since i got him hes taken out 3 shrimpd half his size.

amazing fish to watch but be carefull when adding smaller livestock

finntyla
09-04-05, 22:57
I have kept 2 over the last 10 years and they are one of the most entertaining fish to have.

They were kept in a fish only and a reef set up with no problems toward any coral/fish or invert,but the shrimp were over three years old and huge!

IME the only downside is they tend to be jumpers,unfortunately i lost both this way and now tend to err on the side of caution as id hate to lose another this way.

Fantastic fish though.

Recommended........ with a bit of thought on how to keep it in!