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Arc-Eye Hawkfish
Hawkfish

Arc-Eye Hawkfish

Paracirrhites arcatus

A handsome, stockier hawkfish named for the horseshoe of rainbow colour arcing back from each eye. It leaves corals alone but is a genuine predator of ornamental shrimp, small crabs and bite-sized fish, and it grows pushy with age — territorial toward newcomers and best added last. Hardy and long-lived once settled, it wants a coral-safe but invert-free tank, robust tankmates its own size, and a tight lid, as hawkfish jump.

Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Max size
5.5"
Min tank
30 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Carnivore
Zone
Rockwork, Bottom
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
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Tankmates

How Arc-Eye Hawkfish gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Coral HawkfishCross-genus perch competition; the aggressive Arc-eye and aggressive Coral hawkfish fight over the same rockwork.FirefishThe bold Arc-eye darts from its perch at smaller fish; a shy 8 cm firefish is a likely target.Yellow Clown GobyA 3.5 cm clown goby fits the 14 cm Arc-eye’s mouth; it picks off smaller fish from its perch.Neon GobyA 5 cm goby is small enough to be eaten or bullied by this aggressive perching predator.Longnose HawkfishThe territorial Arc-eye harasses other hawkfish; perch competition with the docile Longnose can be one-sided.Flame HawkfishCross-genus perch competition; the bold Arc-eye will pressure a Flame hawkfish for territory unless the tank is large.Scissortail DartfishThe arc-eye hawkfish is a predatory carnivore that eats small fish and turns territorial toward new additions; a small dartfish is at risk of harassment and predation.Barnacle BlennyA 6 cm perching blenny competes for the same rock perches and is small enough to be bullied or eaten by the Arc-eye.Zebra DartfishTimid dartfish are harassed by the bold, territorial Arc-eye and driven off feeding.Falco HawkfishTwo hawkfish of different genera compete for perches; the bolder Arc-eye will harass the smaller Falco.Blue AssessorA shy 6 cm assessor is easily harassed off feeding by this aggressive, territorial hawkfish.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Arc-Eye Hawkfish.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Arc-Eye Hawkfish.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Arc-Eye Hawkfish.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Arc-Eye Hawkfish.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Arc-Eye Hawkfish.Miniata GrouperMiniata Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Arc-Eye Hawkfish.Panther GrouperPanther Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Arc-Eye Hawkfish.Skunk Cleaner ShrimpArc-Eye Hawkfish hunts ornamental shrimp — your Skunk Cleaner Shrimp is on the menu.Fire ShrimpArc-Eye Hawkfish hunts ornamental shrimp — your Fire Shrimp is on the menu.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Kole TangArc-Eye Hawkfish and Kole Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Sixline WrasseArc-Eye Hawkfish and Sixline Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Melanurus WrasseArc-Eye Hawkfish and Melanurus Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Springer's DottybackArc-Eye Hawkfish and Springer's Dottyback both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Purple DottybackArc-Eye Hawkfish and Purple Dottyback both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Midas BlennyArc-Eye Hawkfish and Midas Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Green Clown GobyArc-Eye Hawkfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Green Clown Goby and may harass it.Potter's AngelfishArc-Eye Hawkfish and Potter's Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor BlennyArc-Eye Hawkfish and Bicolor Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Coris WrasseArc-Eye Hawkfish and Red Coris Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Saddleback ClownfishArc-Eye Hawkfish and Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Cherub AngelfishArc-Eye Hawkfish and Cherub Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Multicolor AngelfishArc-Eye Hawkfish and Multicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Starry BlennyArc-Eye Hawkfish and Starry Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Spotted MandarinArc-Eye Hawkfish and Spotted Mandarin both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Rusty AngelfishArc-Eye Hawkfish and Rusty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Emperor AngelfishArc-Eye Hawkfish and Emperor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Regal AngelfishArc-Eye Hawkfish and Regal Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Picasso TriggerfishArc-Eye Hawkfish and Picasso Triggerfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Fourline WrasseArc-Eye Hawkfish and Fourline Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.