When to add longnose hawkfish

[Jersh]

Reading Nina's gushing praise for her pair of longnose hawkfish, has convinced me that I should look for a pair. I'm wondering when I should plan on adding them. I've read that they can be territorial. Does this mean that I should plan on adding them towards the end of my stocking list?

I would like the freedom to be able to get them whenever they become available. I will be watching DD like a hawk, bad pun intended.

Here is my stocking list. 180 gallons


1 blue reef chromis
pair of ocellaris clowns
1 midas blenny
1 McCosker's flasher wrasse
1 carpenters flasher wrasse
1 linespot flasher wrasse
1 orange-back fairy wrasse
4 ignitus anthias
3 lyretail anthias
bonded pair of longnose hawkfish
1 tank bred orchid dottyback
pair of green mandarin
1 powder brown tang

 

[eatbreakfast]

Reading Nina's gushing praise for her pair of longnose hawkfish, has convinced me that I should look for a pair. I'm wondering when I should plan on adding them. I've read that they can be territorial. Does this mean that I should plan on adding them towards the end of my stocking list?

I would like the freedom to be able to get them whenever they become available. I will be watching DD like a hawk, bad pun intended.

Here is my stocking list. 180 gallons

I'm1 blue reef chromis
pair of ocellaris clowns
1 midas blenny
1 McCosker's flasher wrasse
1 carpenters flasher wrasse
1 linespot flasher wrasse
1 orange-back fairy wrasse
4 ignitus anthias
3 lyretail anthias
bonded pair of longnose hawkfish
1 tank bred orchid dottyback
pair of green mandarin
1 powder brown tang

The only fish on your list where I would worry about an altercation is with the midas blenny, and IME midas blennies are more aggressive than longnose hawkfish. So I would recommend getting the pair before the midas, and with your stocklist you can get them at any time.

 

[Nina51]

good for you! they're great fish!

fyi, i did not buy mine as a bonded pair. in fact, i added my second one several weeks after the first one.

not sure if i got lucky with them or if it's typical for them to be peaceful when not bonded. i rarely see them apart now, they perch together all the time and if one is swimming or hopping around, the other is right next to it.

 

[johnike]

I wonder who got the last pair on DD.
I had a Blue Midas Blenny in my cart and went to grab the Hawks, and they were gone.

 

[Nina51]

it's your own fault for not listening to the 2 wimmenz who kept telling you to JUST DO IT.

call eddie and tell him to get you a couple.

 

[Jersh]

I was looking at that pair as well, but I still have fish in the QT for a little while yet. Hopefully a few more pairs come up soon.

 

[Reef Frog]

Will an adult long nosed hawk eat "nano fish" like fire fish, royal gramma, yellow assessor etc? I guess something tiny & slow ike a yellow goby would be lunch, right? I know from reading "ornamental" shrimp are at risk, but what about big adult skunk cleaners, scarlet cleaners?

Even if they don't eat or even bother these types of fish & shrimp, do their mere presence strike terror into them where they all hide in the rock work & a previously harmonious tank becomes a high stress zone?

Are they fish eaters in a well fed tank? What's the risk?

 

[imkelz]

Dont add a tiny fish after a hawkfish, at least not the pygmy variety. It will end badly for the tiny fish

 

[Nina51]

i have added several small fish since i've had the hawfish and never had a problem. they are very peaceful. i've seen one of them dart at my new wrasse a couple of times but never made any contact and doesn't do it any more.

i do have one cleaner shrimp and they have never paid much attention to it. it was already established in my tank before i got the hawks.

 

[xtlosx]

I have a longnose who has been in our system for a while, and recently added a pair of leopard wrasses.. Leopard wrasses come out randomly throughout the day, but are bullied to high heaven at times by the longnose. He even chases around our female yellow wrasse at times. He's well fed, but just a jerk at times. Otherwise, he's fine and perches.

 

[Reef Frog]

Thanks for the first hand accounts. It seems kind of hit or miss - kind of like dwarf angels and coral nipping. I have room for one in a 65g and always wanted one, but things are just going too well now for me to risk it.