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Redspotted Hawkfish
Hawkfish

Redspotted Hawkfish

Amblycirrhitus pinos

A small, inexpensive and widely available Caribbean hawkfish that sits motionless on rock and rubble, bracing itself with thickened pectoral fin rays before ambushing passing prey by sight. Hardy and easy to keep, but a committed crustacean hunter — it will pick off small ornamental shrimp, crabs and their larvae, so it is not compatible with a live cleanup crew. It leaves stony and soft corals alone, making it a genuinely reef-safe choice for a coral tank that skips shrimp and small crabs.

Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Max size
3.5"
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 Redspotted 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.

Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Redspotted Hawkfish.Dragon WrasseDragon Wrasse has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Redspotted Hawkfish.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Redspotted Hawkfish.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Redspotted Hawkfish.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Redspotted Hawkfish.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Redspotted Hawkfish.Golden Dwarf MorayGolden Dwarf Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Redspotted Hawkfish.Rectangle TriggerfishRectangle Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Redspotted Hawkfish.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Redspotted Hawkfish.Miniata GrouperMiniata Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Redspotted Hawkfish.Panther GrouperPanther Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Redspotted Hawkfish.Six-Line SoapfishSix-Line Soapfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Redspotted Hawkfish.Painted FrogfishPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Redspotted Hawkfish.Blue-Leg Hermit CrabRedspotted Hawkfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Blue-Leg Hermit Crab is on the menu.Astrea SnailRedspotted Hawkfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Astrea Snail is on the menu.Cerith SnailRedspotted Hawkfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Nassarius SnailRedspotted Hawkfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Nassarius Snail is on the menu.Nerite SnailRedspotted Hawkfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Nerite Snail is on the menu.Bumble Bee SnailRedspotted Hawkfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Bumble Bee Snail is on the menu.Zebra Hermit CrabRedspotted Hawkfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Zebra Hermit Crab is on the menu.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Kole TangRedspotted Hawkfish and Kole Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Sixline WrasseRedspotted Hawkfish and Sixline Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Melanurus WrasseRedspotted Hawkfish and Melanurus Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Coral HawkfishRedspotted Hawkfish and Coral Hawkfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Springer's DottybackRedspotted Hawkfish and Springer's Dottyback both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Purple DottybackRedspotted Hawkfish and Purple Dottyback both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Midas BlennyRedspotted Hawkfish and Midas Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Longnose HawkfishRedspotted Hawkfish and Longnose Hawkfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Potter's AngelfishRedspotted Hawkfish and Potter's Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor BlennyRedspotted Hawkfish and Bicolor Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Coris WrasseRedspotted Hawkfish and Red Coris Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Flame HawkfishRedspotted Hawkfish and Flame Hawkfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Saddleback ClownfishRedspotted Hawkfish and Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Cherub AngelfishRedspotted Hawkfish and Cherub Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Multicolor AngelfishRedspotted Hawkfish and Multicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Starry BlennyRedspotted Hawkfish and Starry Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Spotted MandarinRedspotted Hawkfish and Spotted Mandarin both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Rusty AngelfishRedspotted Hawkfish and Rusty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Emperor AngelfishRedspotted Hawkfish and Emperor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Regal AngelfishRedspotted Hawkfish and Regal Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.