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Falco Hawkfish
Hawkfish

Falco Hawkfish

Cirrhitichthys falco

The smallest and mildest of the commonly kept hawkfish — a stubby white fish freckled with red that perches on the rock and watches the tank like a little hawk. It never touches corals, so it is coral-safe, but it is an ambush hunter: sexy shrimp and other tiny ornamental crustaceans, and very small bottom fish, are fair game. Hardy and easy to feed, its only vices are a taste for shrimp and a habit of jumping, so it needs invert-free tankmates and a tight lid. Keep one per tank.

Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Max size
2.8"
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 Falco 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 FirefishA 6 cm firefish is a shy perch/burrow fish the Falco will harass and can eat.McCosker's Flasher WrasseFlasher wrasses are explicitly listed as fish the Falco abuses, especially in smaller tanks.Coral HawkfishFalco Hawkfish and Coral Hawkfish are the same genus (Cirrhitichthys) and will fight — keep only one.FirefishFirefish are timid and easily bullied off feeding by a semi-aggressive perching Falco.Yellow Clown GobyA perching Falco darts out at tiny bottom fish; a 3.5 cm clown goby can be nipped or eaten.Green Clown GobyA 3.5 cm clown goby is small enough to be harassed or taken by this perching micro-predator.Neon GobySmall gobies are named as victims of the Falco’s abuse; a 5 cm neon goby can be bullied or eaten.Longnose HawkfishTwo hawkfish from different genera compete for perches; friction is likely though the docile Longnose helps in a large tank.Flame HawkfishTwo small aggressive hawkfish of different genera at similar size/aggression tend to fight over the same perches.Carpenter's Flasher WrasseA small flasher wrasse is a named victim of Falco harassment in smaller tanks.Antennata LionfishAntennata Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Falco Hawkfish.Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Falco Hawkfish.Ignitus AnthiasSmall anthias are listed among fish the Falco bullies; a 9 cm anthias can be harassed off feeding.Arc-Eye HawkfishTwo hawkfish of different genera compete for perches; the bolder Arc-eye will harass the smaller Falco.Marine BettaMarine Betta has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Falco Hawkfish.Dragon WrasseDragon Wrasse has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Falco Hawkfish.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Falco Hawkfish.Zebra Dwarf LionfishZebra Dwarf Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Falco Hawkfish.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Falco Hawkfish.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Falco Hawkfish.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Kole TangFalco Hawkfish and Kole Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Sixline WrasseFalco Hawkfish and Sixline Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Melanurus WrasseFalco Hawkfish and Melanurus Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Springer's DottybackFalco Hawkfish and Springer's Dottyback both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Purple DottybackFalco Hawkfish and Purple Dottyback both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Midas BlennyFalco Hawkfish and Midas Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Potter's AngelfishFalco Hawkfish and Potter's Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor BlennyFalco Hawkfish and Bicolor Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Coris WrasseFalco Hawkfish and Red Coris Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Saddleback ClownfishFalco Hawkfish and Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Cherub AngelfishFalco Hawkfish and Cherub Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Multicolor AngelfishFalco Hawkfish and Multicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Starry BlennyFalco Hawkfish and Starry Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Spotted MandarinFalco Hawkfish and Spotted Mandarin both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Rusty AngelfishFalco Hawkfish and Rusty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Emperor AngelfishFalco Hawkfish and Emperor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Regal AngelfishFalco Hawkfish and Regal Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Fourline WrasseFalco Hawkfish and Fourline Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Neon DottybackFalco Hawkfish and Neon Dottyback both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Royal DottybackFalco Hawkfish and Royal Dottyback both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.