Longnose hawkfish questions, how shrimp safe are they? how big they get?

lilleahseafreak · 05/30/2007, 10:50 PM

i plan to take all my rocks out and re-arrange the tank and while i am at it i am going to catch my more aggressive fish and trade them in as i have lost alot of fish over the years and wish to re-stock BUT i cannot add any new fish with them in there as the new fish would be torn to bits

one new fish i'd like to try is a long nose hawk fish

i have a falco hawk (he is leaving the tank) and he leaves my shrimp alone, my gold CB shrimp is small enough to eat but he leaves it alone and leaves the big CB shrimp and cleaner shrimp alone. (they were there first and i have heard hawks will leave shrimp alone if the shrimp were there first which may be true as i got a peppermint shrimp as big as my cleaner and he ate it!)

so my questions are

how big do long nose hawks get? one site says 2-3 inch one says 4-5 inch, 5 inches is too big for me....

how are they around shrimps? i mean are they rabbid shrimp hunters?
will it likley be like my current hawk and leave them alone if they were there first and are not too small???

is there anything else i should consider before switching my falco hawk for a long nose???

bkmorris · 05/30/2007, 11:23 PM

great fish. they do get to about 5 inches though. also, they are major jumpers. that's how i lost mine. mine never bothered any of my shrimp, large or small. never even looked at the other fish. they are very personable and entertaining.

HTH

GreshamH · 05/31/2007, 09:50 AM

Notorious shrimp eaters. Probably will stay away from larger, but they are known for eating smaller shrimp. Shrimp are one of their natural food sources in the wild.

Underwaterparadise · 05/31/2007, 09:58 AM

I'm with Gresham! IMO all Hawk fish are known shrimp eaters. If they are small they are toast if the shrimp is big you may be ok!

juaninsac · 05/31/2007, 10:59 AM

They have a small mouth, but boy is that deceptive. They do the same as lots of wrasses (like bird wrasses) if prey is too small. Grab it in their mouth and bash it against rocks until it fits. Pretty gruesome.

funman1 · 05/31/2007, 12:09 PM

I love my long nose Hawk. When people come over they are first to notice him.
He has eaten every shrimp we have put in there except for a large cleaner shrimp. He will leave large cleaners alone, but that's about it.

He even eats hermit crabs, when they try to switch shells.
The hermits don't fit in his mouth but he bashes them till they do.
It's kinda fun to watch him eat a $1.00 hermit.

Bottom line: SHRIMP EATER

05/30/2007, 10:50 PM	#1
lilleahseafreak Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Carmichael, Sacramento CA Posts: 911	Longnose hawkfish questions, how shrimp safe are they? how big they get? i plan to take all my rocks out and re-arrange the tank and while i am at it i am going to catch my more aggressive fish and trade them in as i have lost alot of fish over the years and wish to re-stock BUT i cannot add any new fish with them in there as the new fish would be torn to bits one new fish i'd like to try is a long nose hawk fish i have a falco hawk (he is leaving the tank) and he leaves my shrimp alone, my gold CB shrimp is small enough to eat but he leaves it alone and leaves the big CB shrimp and cleaner shrimp alone. (they were there first and i have heard hawks will leave shrimp alone if the shrimp were there first which may be true as i got a peppermint shrimp as big as my cleaner and he ate it!) so my questions are how big do long nose hawks get? one site says 2-3 inch one says 4-5 inch, 5 inches is too big for me.... how are they around shrimps? i mean are they rabbid shrimp hunters? will it likley be like my current hawk and leave them alone if they were there first and are not too small??? is there anything else i should consider before switching my falco hawk for a long nose??? __________________ see my homepage for my fantasy and anime fan art. the name's pronounced Lill-lee-uhh Current Tank Info: Fresh water:23 gallon planted tank. salt: 40 gallon reef, 23 gallon reef, 16 gallon reef with seahorses, and a 5 gallon with a hitchiker crab in it

05/30/2007, 11:23 PM	#2
bkmorris Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: davis, ca Posts: 452	great fish. they do get to about 5 inches though. also, they are major jumpers. that's how i lost mine. mine never bothered any of my shrimp, large or small. never even looked at the other fish. they are very personable and entertaining. HTH __________________ .:Brooke:. RIP, my little ones. you will be missed :( Current Tank Info: taking a break

05/31/2007, 09:50 AM	#3
GreshamH Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: SF Bay Area, CA Posts: 9,474	Notorious shrimp eaters. Probably will stay away from larger, but they are known for eating smaller shrimp. Shrimp are one of their natural food sources in the wild. __________________ Gresham _______________________________ Feeding your reef...one polyp at a time

05/31/2007, 09:58 AM	#4
Underwaterparadise Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Northern Cali Posts: 2,624	I'm with Gresham! IMO all Hawk fish are known shrimp eaters. If they are small they are toast if the shrimp is big you may be ok! __________________ Who needs fish in a Fish tank when you have corals! Current Tank Info: Taking a Vacation

05/31/2007, 12:09 PM	#6
funman1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roseville, CA Posts: 4,898	I love my long nose Hawk. When people come over they are first to notice him. He has eaten every shrimp we have put in there except for a large cleaner shrimp. He will leave large cleaners alone, but that's about it. He even eats hermit crabs, when they try to switch shells. The hermits don't fit in his mouth but he bashes them till they do. It's kinda fun to watch him eat a $1.00 hermit. Bottom line: SHRIMP EATER __________________ Professional Pyro: NO REALLY; I get PAID to blow stuff up!! ~Steve~ Current Tank Info: 12G NANO

05/31/2007, 10:59 AM	#5
juaninsac Moved On Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: San Francisco Posts: 336	They have a small mouth, but boy is that deceptive. They do the same as lots of wrasses (like bird wrasses) if prey is too small. Grab it in their mouth and bash it against rocks until it fits. Pretty gruesome.