Uncommon/Rare Hawkfish Online

[sirbooks]

I'm looking to buy a hard-to-find hawk species, and there's no chance of getting one at a local store. I do need something on the small side, five inches and under would be preferable. So far I've seen Cirrhitichthys aureus at thatpetplace.com, and liveaquaria.com has Amblycirrhitus bimacula listed. I sent them a note asking about availability, they should reply soon. The other species which would be nice include Paracirrhites nisus and P. xanthus, both of which I know I have almost no shot at. Does anyone know of any sites which sell any of these species? I would especially like a place that has A. bimacula for sure. Thanks for any help.

 

[sirbooks]

Eh, they just sent back a form letter. The only substantial thing it told me was that their holding area gets fish in daily. In other words, I have no way of knowing if I'll get the fish.

I'm surprised that we don't have more serious hawkfish people here. Can anybody at least recommend me a vendor that sells a variety of rare fish, or dealers that are out-of-the way I might not have checked?

 

[technoshaman]

Have you checked www.themarinecenter.com ? They get some fairly interesting stuff.

 

[sirbooks]

Yeah, the best they have to offer is Cirrhitops fasciatus. Neat fish, but I'd prefer something else. Thanks though.

 

[zemuron114]

im not to sure on how many hawk fish are really "rare" are you looking for color or just rarity?

 

[sirbooks]

Mainly rarity. I'm a hawk nut and I'd like something that few other people have, both for bragging rights and for a chance to learn about an animal that there isn't as much existing info on. Scott Michael claims in one of his books that he's only seen fifteen species for sale in North American stores; I can only think of ten off the top of my head that can be found with any regularity. So while something like Cirrhitichthys calliurus would be sweet to have, I'm not holding my breath.

 

[sirbooks]

Sweet. Liveaquaria has already gotten the two spot hawkfish in, so I went ahead and ordered it. It'll arrive tomorrow, and hopefully it will let me take a few pics.

 

[sedgro]

You might try Oldtown Aquarium in Chicago (www.oldtownaquarium.com , they ship). I have seen both a Golden Hawkfish (Paracirrhites xanthus) - very expensive, and a Nisus (Paracirrhites nisus) there at one time or another.

john

 

[sirbooks]

Wow, that's the first place I've ever heard of which has ever carried either species. They're supposed to be very difficult to get unless you have connections. Thanks, I can give them a call when I get another tank going.

 

[RGBMatt]

Two-spot hawkfish? Those guys are quite common here, but nobody really catches them. They're kind of bland looking, plus they're nocturnal and spend most of their time hiding under rocks. I imagine they'll probably be more outgoing in captivity, though.

It's neat to see people getting excited over some of these more obscure fish

 

[sirbooks]

Yeah, they're common in the wild but like you said, nobody goes after them. Scott Michaels's book "Basslets, Dottybacks, and Hawkfishes" even mentions that they are not often captured because they are more cryptic and less visually appealing than other hawks.

I'm getting all worked up over them because I'm a newbie hawk freak. I've done plenty of research, and a bit of looking around. I've only got the one aquarium right now though and it's pretty new, so I've definitely got a ways to go. Years from now I expect the situation to be way different.

 

[jmicky41]

I saw the yellow hawkfish at Old Town Aquarium, it was sweet indeed. That sure was a lot of money for a hawk though.

 

[blface]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8008067#post8008067 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jmicky41
I saw the yellow hawkfish at Old Town Aquarium, it was sweet indeed. That sure was a lot of money for a hawk though.

Awesome hawk in the pics on the website. How much was the yellow hawk??

 

[jmicky41]

If I remember correctly the one I saw was a Xanthus hawk labeled as "deepwater Hawaiian yellow hawkfish". It was over $1000. This was some time ago.

 

[sirbooks]

Well, this sucks. My flameback angel harried the hawkfish every time it saw the hawk, and I'm not sure it ever ate. It's disappeared without a trace. That really bums me out. I guess I picked too shy a species to add after the angel. It didn't help that the area with the most current was behind the live rock, so he hung out there and never got to see much for food.

I've decided on a pair of flame hawkfish instead. I added them earlier today, and so far they seem to get along quite well. The angel was bothering the male hawk, but I expected that and turned out the lights ahead of time. With luck, these two will fare much better than the other hawk.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

If you're really serious about Hawkfish put that Angelfish in a separate aquarium.

 

[sirbooks]

I don't have another tank, and won't be able to get one unless I break down a freshwater aquarium. I can't say whether that will happen in the near future, so for now, the angel has to stay. I'm banking on the flames being much harder to push around than the two spot was (Amblycirrhitus are known to be less gusty than other hawks). The flames should be more willing to stay out front where they can easily see food, I will test this tomorrow.