Longnose Hawkfish w/ Shrimp?

[SoloChromis]

Anyone have any experience keeping this species with shrimp? I have always loved the look of them, but I also love my cleaner and blood shrimps, and would hate to see them become lunch. Thanks

[Kidd Reef]

Better off with one of the smaller hawks IMO flamehawk or falco. Bigger a hawk is more likely it is to eat your shrimp, Longnose hawks max out at around 5 inches whereas the aforementioned species are more around 3-3.5 inch's.

Not to say it can't be done but the bigger the hawk the worse the odds.

[starkii]

May be fine to start with but as they grow I'd think your in trouble. Adding new shrimps is a much bigger risk. Like everything you will find those that have mixed them fine but they are natural shrimp predators (maybe not cleaners in the wild but when they are bored in a tank they certainly do).

[SoloChromis]

Originally Posted by Kidd Reef

Better off with one of the smaller hawks IMO flamehawk or falco. Bigger a hawk is more likely it is to eat your shrimp, Longnose hawks max out at around 5 inches whereas the aforementioned species are more around 3-3.5 inch's.

Not to say it can't be done but the bigger the hawk the worse the odds.

I've actually heard of far more stories of falcos and *especially* flames, not only devouring shrimp, but also preying on smaller fish in the tank. It seems the longnose and swallowtail hawks are some of the safest

[saltyair]

I have a peppermint and 2 cleaner shrimp with a long nose with no issues. The cleaners are on the large side. Over a year together

[eatbreakfast]

I have seen them successfully kept together on many occassions. Even when adding new shrimp to a large established hawkfish has been fine if the cleaner shrimp can be place on the rocks and have just a couple of minutes where they settle down so they do not draw the hawks attention. Once they behave like they belong in the tank seldom do longnoses go after them.

[Robert M]

I've had my longnose hawkfish for almost a year and a half with peppermints and skunk cleaners. No issues at all. The hawk is pretty close to 5" now.

[Nina51]

my single hawkfish lived with a cleaner shrimp for many months. when i added a second hawkfish, all bets were off. my cleaner shrimp became lunch.

[snorvich]

Hawkfish are ambush predators. Expecting them to change their general food gathering orientation is risky at best, unrealistic at worst.

[Kidd Reef]

Originally Posted by SoloChromis

I've actually heard of far more stories of falcos and *especially* flames, not only devouring shrimp, but also preying on smaller fish in the tank. It seems the longnose and swallowtail hawks are some of the safest

Interesting i have read of stories bout larger flames on here but i own both a falco and flamehawk(not in the same tank) and have no problem with them eating even newly added inverts of bite size.Also never seemed to be a problem at the LFS i worked at. i also understood it's a risk and was prepared to lose inverts though. i agree there is no gurantee on any species and its likely more of a when than if.

Love that dude and hes my favorite fish so he gets that tank priority.

[aleok]

My cleaner shrimp recently disappeared, I suspect my long nose hawk, as i found body parts around the tank. got along together for about 6 months

[Kidd Reef]

Originally Posted by aleok

My cleaner shrimp recently disappeared, I suspect my long nose hawk, as i found body parts around the tank. got along together for about 6 months

some people say it has something to do with whether the shrimp was there first or the hawk. I dunno, i had a Bloodshrimp that was fine with my hawk(lost him when the air conditioner broke in the summer and the house hit 98 degrees.)
But they were only together for maybe 6 months as well and i made sure the shrimp was huge and added first. Might try another large guy down the road.