flame hawkfish

[im_a_clownfish]

Hi All,

I am thinking about getting a (small at this point) flame hawkfish for my tank but have heard they can eat small fish and shrimp.

My question is - how small? I have some medium sized cleaner shrimp in the tank, a sand sifting goby, and a clown goby (about an inch or so long).

The other tank mates (in my 65g) would be a yellow tang, clownfish, clown goby, six line wrasse, orchid dottyback, and sunrise dottyback.

I also hear they may eat mantish shrimp which is great, because I have one in my tank


I love my cleaner shrimp and don't want the hawkfish to kill it, but think the flame hawfish would be a neat addition to my tank. Anyone had any luck/bad luck keeping the flame hawk with cleaner shrimp or gobies?

Thanks so much!

[Reefneck]

They also will eat Feather Dusters. Your Cleaner would definately be in danger as would the clown goby especially. Don't even take a chance when you know what might happen.

[im_a_clownfish]

Hmm...my reasoning was that since they (hawk and cleaner) are both small now, and they will both get big together, they will be ok? Guess not? And you really think hed go after the clown goby? The clown goby is 1/3 his size, but I thought hed only go for really tiny fish...?


Anyone had any luck with a hawk in these circumstances?

[Reefneck]

A lot of people grow up with little brothers.....Still don't like them.

You can't change what nature has instilled in them. If you don't mind risking your fish and inverts then go for it. Nobody is going to tell you that nothing will happen. I offer logic of what is most likely. You can choose to ignore me if you wish, It's your money. I just hate to see animals killed when it was avoidable.

[im_a_clownfish]

Agreed.....I hate to see my little guys die, and unfortunately that is what is going on right now because of a stupid mantis shrimp i have. I bought the hawkfish (still in quarantine tank) because i heard they will kill mantis....then i found out they also like cleaners lol

How would a smaller bicolor blenny be in the same aquarium with the hawkfish? I may start another non-invert tank up and put him in there.
The interesting thing was that the hawkfish was in a tank with blood shrimp at the fish store and they were all fine (but then again the blood shrimp are bigger than cleaners...)

[leveldrummer]

hawkfish are named that because they are predators like hawks, and any smaller animal is a mouse to them, your trying to get a baby hawk and a small mouse together in a cage in the hopes that they will be best friends, what are the chances??

[Fishfirst]

A friend of mine had a hawk and a cleaner together for a year or so... one morning the cleaner was gone and the hawk was fat.