Longnose Hawkfish

Maintenance difficulty:      The Longnose Hawkfish is easy to keep. Hawkfish are among the hardiest of all marine fish.

Maintenance:      The hawkfish are carnivores. They do well on a diet which includes all kinds of live, frozen, and flake foods. Best to feed small amounts several times a day. Brine shrimp, live or frozen is a basic staple of

Habitat: Natural geographic location:       Longnose Hawkfish are found in the Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and South Africa to the Hawaiian Islands, north to southern Japan, south to New Caledonia. Eastern Pacific: Gulf of California to northern Colombia and the Galapagos Islands . They swim at depths of 10 to 20 meters (33 - 60 ft). They inhabit steep outer reef slopes exposed to strong currents where they live in large gorgonians and black corals. Feeds on small benthic or planktonic crustaceans. Uncommon to rare in most areas,

Foods:      All kinds of meaty foods from small fish and invertebrates; crustaceans. The hawkfish are carnivores and do well on a diet which includes all kinds of live, frozen, and flake foods. We generally feed freeze dried krill, squid, shrimp (the same kind people eat), mussels, and all kinds of chopped up fish.

Social Behaviors:      Found singly on the reef with one male presiding over a territory that will include 2 to 7 females. In the ocean they are often seen perching on black corals or gorgonians. Pelagic spawning has been observed for this species from field observations. They are strongly territorial.

Sex: Sexual differences:      The male is usually larger. It is thought that the male has an extra black edge on the ventral and tail fins.

Breeding/Reproduction:      This is the only Hawkfish that has been reported to spawn in captivity. The female (in contrast to other Hawkfish) lays adhesive eggs. See general breeding behavior for Hawkfish in the Breeding Marine Fish page.

Light: Recommended light levels:      No special requirements.

Longnose Hawkfish

Temperature:        Hawkfish should be kept at temperatures between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Length/Diameter of fish:      Longnose Hawkfish adults can grow to 10.0 cm (4 inches).

Minimum Tank Length/Size:      A minimum 25 gallon aquarium is recommended.

Water Movement: Weak, Moderate, Strong      No special requirements.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom      Usually spends most of its' time on coral outcroppings near the bottom.

Availability:      This fish is readily available and is inexpensive.

Author: David Brough. CFS.