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Coral Hawkfish
Hawkfish

Coral Hawkfish

Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus

A small, stocky, cream-white fish blotched with red-brown spots that has no swim bladder, so it perches on rock and coral and darts out to grab food rather than swimming continuously. It is hardy, eats anything meaty and is easy to keep, which makes it a common first predator-type fish. Corals are safe, but small crustaceans are not: cleaner shrimp, sexy shrimp, tiny hermits and very small fish are all within its range. Keep one per tank unless the tank is large, and add it late so it does not claim territory before the more timid fish arrive.

Temperament
Aggressive
Max size
3.9"
Min tank
30 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Carnivore
Zone
Rockwork, Bottom, Caves
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
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Tankmates

How Coral 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.

Helfrich's FirefishSame ambush risk as the other firefish, and Helfrich's is the shyest of the group — it will simply stop leaving the rock.Yasha GobyThe Coral Hawkfish is a perch-and-pounce ambush predator on small gobies. Keepers report it parking above a goby's burrow and suppressing it until the goby starved rather than come out.Tailspot BlennyCoral Hawkfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tailspot Blenny and may harass it.Royal GrammaGrammas are on the Coral Hawkfish's documented list of preferred targets. The gramma's habit of hanging under ledges puts it right in the hawkfish's ambush zone.FirefishFirefish are named among the species the Coral Hawkfish will harass and may eat. It hunts from a perch, so an open-water hoverer has nowhere safe to sit.Yellow Clown GobyA Yellow Clown Goby sits on coral branches in plain sight and is small enough to swallow. That is precisely the Coral Hawkfish's hunting ground and prey size.Green Clown GobySame as the Yellow Clown Goby — a tiny perching goby living on the coral branches the hawkfish hunts from.Neon GobyCoral Hawkfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Neon Goby and may harass it.Threadfin CardinalfishCoral Hawkfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Threadfin Cardinalfish and may harass it.Flame HawkfishTwo hawkfish fight over the same perches. Coral Hawkfish are described as very territorial toward other hawkfish outside very large tanks with abundant rockwork.Yellow AssessorSmall, peaceful cave-dwellers are documented targets for the Coral Hawkfish, and the Yellow Assessor is one of the most easily bullied fish in the hobby.Hi Fin Red Banded GobyCoral Hawkfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Hi Fin Red Banded Goby and may harass it.Rainford's GobyHawkfish perch on the rock and pick at small bottom-dwellers; care guides name them alongside dottybacks as the fish that pester docile gobies like Rainford's.Talbot's DamselCoral Hawkfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Talbot's Damsel and may harass it.Springer's DemoiselleCoral Hawkfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Springer's Demoiselle and may harass it.Tangaroa Shrimp GobyCoral Hawkfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Coral Hawkfish.Scissortail DartfishAggressive hawkfish are ambush predators on small slender fish and are named as tankmates to avoid for dartfish; a coral hawkfish may harass or eat a dartfish.Wheeler's Watchman GobyHawkfish perch on the bottom and can turn predatory toward small gobies; an aggressive coral hawkfish may harass or eat a small shrimp-goby sharing the substrate.Citron Clown GobyCoral Hawkfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Citron Clown Goby and may harass it.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Kole TangCoral Hawkfish and Kole Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Sixline WrasseCoral Hawkfish and Sixline Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Melanurus WrasseCoral Hawkfish and Melanurus Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Springer's DottybackCoral Hawkfish and Springer's Dottyback both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Purple DottybackCoral Hawkfish and Purple Dottyback both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Midas BlennyCoral Hawkfish and Midas Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Longnose HawkfishHawkfish are territorial toward each other and compete for the same perches. Workable only in a large tank with well separated rock structures.Potter's AngelfishCoral Hawkfish and Potter's Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor BlennyCoral Hawkfish and Bicolor Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Coris WrasseCoral Hawkfish and Red Coris Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Saddleback ClownfishCoral Hawkfish and Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Cherub AngelfishCoral Hawkfish and Cherub Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Multicolor AngelfishCoral Hawkfish and Multicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Starry BlennyCoral Hawkfish and Starry Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Spotted MandarinCoral Hawkfish and Spotted Mandarin both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Rusty AngelfishCoral Hawkfish and Rusty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Emperor AngelfishCoral Hawkfish and Emperor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Regal AngelfishCoral Hawkfish and Regal Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Fourline WrasseCoral Hawkfish and Fourline Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Neon DottybackCoral Hawkfish and Neon Dottyback both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.