Flame Hawkfish (Neocirrhitus armatus)

brians_224 · 02/27/2006, 12:08 PM

Thanks for your time!

Tank is 45 gallon mixed reef. I have 65 lbs of Live Rock. Current residents include a pair of ORA False Percs - both ~ 2".

I was thinking about adding a hawk fish to my tank. I've read that they may pick on/eat ornamental shrimp. I have a Fire shrimp and a pep - is this gonna be trouble? Or are ornamental shrimp sexy shrimp and the like?

Live aquaria warns of gobies and blennies - thoughts? I wanted to add a Yellow Watchman Goby at the same time. The Hawk and goby would be QT'ed at the same time in a 10 gallon tank.

rich99rich · 02/27/2006, 12:11 PM

The Flame Hawk will eventually eat the shrimp. I had one that didn't touch my shrimp for a few months, then one day I saw the shrimp's antennae sticking out of his mouth. It was a cleaner shrimp.

74nautique · 02/27/2006, 12:19 PM

My hawk ate every shrimp and crab in the tank, the hawk had to go, I enjoy the crabs and shrimp more. Although I use to take a poker that I use and dig around in the sand and the hawk would follow my poker around and ate every bristle worm I dug up, which was fun.

clord · 02/27/2006, 12:57 PM

No mixing a hawk fish with a bottom dwelling fish they will attack the heck out of it and then its done with that it will eat all your shrimp.

brians_224 · 02/27/2006, 01:22 PM

{crosses Hawkfish off list}

hawkfish21 · 02/27/2006, 06:27 PM

I've had my flame hawk for almost four years. He's never touched a thing.

bureau13 · 02/27/2006, 09:34 PM

Yeah, I've had two...one died during the hurricane power outages, but neither one have ever bothered anything live other than feeder ghost shrimp that I occasionally give them. And, I've had various shrimp and crabs in there along with him.

jds

brians_224 · 02/27/2006, 09:52 PM

count is:
3 con vs 2 pro.

So now what? Should I assume it to be a hit or miss kind of deal?

Bret61081 · 02/27/2006, 10:19 PM

Ive had one since November with no problems. I have a cleaner, blood, CBS and several pepermint shrimp....mine is on the smaller side...and my pair of GSM clowns keep it in check! lots of personality though...loves any food I put in there...even little pieces of the nori that gets ripped off!!

brians_224 · 02/27/2006, 10:27 PM

Thanks for tying it Bret.

rich99rich · 02/27/2006, 10:39 PM

FWIW, the Flame Hawk is my favorite fish, so I decided to keep the fish rather than shrimp. Tons of personality, and he even plays with my dog everyday!

katlongo · 02/28/2006, 11:18 PM

I vote for Flame Hawks also! He's definitely my favorite fish. He's left my ornamental shrimp alone, although I'm missing a peppermint (not a huge loss as I never saw it anyway) and he does tend to eat snails.

So, we keep adding snails to the tank and enjoy the flame hawk.

BTW, mine plays with my dog every day also!

KEstep · 02/28/2006, 11:32 PM

Have had flames in a lot of tanks and even though they are one of my favorite fish, they will not go in any more reefs. I watched them play beat the snail, would knock the snails over then pick at them until they were dead. Also had tons of shrimp and crabs eaten.

brians_224 · 03/01/2006, 08:28 AM

I decided to pass on the Flame Hawk - but if my shrimp dies I know what I'm getting.

Thanks for all of your posts!

onereefnotenuf · 03/01/2006, 09:14 AM

they have a lot of personality. i have had mine for 18 months and i did lose 6 peppermint shrimp but i think it was my lionfish that ate them. i have lost a few crabs but i have never seen the flame do anything "fishy". their eyes follow you from one end of the tank to the other. it freaks my kids out but i think it is funny.

onereefnotenuf · 03/01/2006, 09:33 AM

double post. oops!

fantastic4 · 10/19/2006, 03:41 PM

Is the Flame Hawk safe with corals? Zoas, Xenia, other softies? Will he bother them? Also, will he eat big huge bristle worms (8"+)?

rich99rich · 10/19/2006, 07:08 PM

Yes, I believe flame hawks are safe with corals. I keep softies and he has never touched anything.

fantastic4 · 10/19/2006, 10:43 PM

Thank you rich99rich, what is everyones experience with them chomping down on bristle worms? Will they take on the large ones also (4-8 inches)?

DrBegalke · 10/20/2006, 02:05 AM

It depends on how much you like your shrimp, if you don't mind them coming up missing in the long run, then go for it.

donski · 10/21/2006, 02:28 AM

I have an arc-eye hawkfish and had a flame at one time. Shrimp of any type were dinner. After having cleaner shrimp grab food out of corals and walking all over them(keeping them from expanding) I would rather have the Hawkfish

zemuron114 · 10/22/2006, 01:27 AM

arc eyes are different... they are more aggressive and get much bigger.

my flame eats shrimp that i feed him. I had a cleaner in there with him that i THINK he ate (hawk was 2", shrimp was 1") and this was after i was feeding him live shrimp.. so i think i trained him to eat shrimp. lol

he now resides in a 29 with 2 clowns and a dwarf eel...

InvaderJim · 10/22/2006, 06:30 PM

Would a flame be alright in a 10g? I've heard mixed reviews about whether they would do ok in it.

fantastic4 · 10/22/2006, 08:23 PM

Just added a flaem tonight, now my large Maroon clown is really angry at this new addition, she chaises the flame, will she calm down?

Ocicat · 11/08/2006, 01:56 PM

Will a flame hawk eat hermit crabs, or just the crabs that don't have a shell to protect them?

02/27/2006, 12:08 PM	#1
brians_224 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Brookfield, WI Posts: 1,172	Flame Hawkfish (Neocirrhitus armatus) Thanks for your time! Tank is 45 gallon mixed reef. I have 65 lbs of Live Rock. Current residents include a pair of ORA False Percs - both ~ 2". I was thinking about adding a hawk fish to my tank. I've read that they may pick on/eat ornamental shrimp. I have a Fire shrimp and a pep - is this gonna be trouble? Or are ornamental shrimp sexy shrimp and the like? Live aquaria warns of gobies and blennies - thoughts? I wanted to add a Yellow Watchman Goby at the same time. The Hawk and goby would be QT'ed at the same time in a 10 gallon tank.

02/28/2006, 11:18 PM	#12
katlongo Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Ossining, NY Posts: 656	I vote for Flame Hawks also! He's definitely my favorite fish. He's left my ornamental shrimp alone, although I'm missing a peppermint (not a huge loss as I never saw it anyway) and he does tend to eat snails. So, we keep adding snails to the tank and enjoy the flame hawk. BTW, mine plays with my dog every day also! __________________ Kathy Longo Current Tank Info: 65 gallon rimless, Tunze 1073.05 return, ReefOctopus 110NW and MaxSpect LED lights

10/19/2006, 10:43 PM	#19
fantastic4 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 662	Thank you rich99rich, what is everyones experience with them chomping down on bristle worms? Will they take on the large ones also (4-8 inches)? Last edited by fantastic4; 10/19/2006 at 10:56 PM.

10/20/2006, 02:05 AM	#20
DrBegalke Go Buckeyes! Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Phoenix area, AZ Posts: 2,599	It depends on how much you like your shrimp, if you don't mind them coming up missing in the long run, then go for it. __________________ ~Jason Begalke Current Tank Info: Latest project: JBJ Cubey

11/08/2006, 01:56 PM	#25
Ocicat Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: St. Louis, Mo Posts: 1,049	Will a flame hawk eat hermit crabs, or just the crabs that don't have a shell to protect them? __________________ Everything floats down here. Current Tank Info: Entirely hypothetical

02/27/2006, 12:11 PM	#2
rich99rich Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Seal Beach, CA Posts: 307	The Flame Hawk will eventually eat the shrimp. I had one that didn't touch my shrimp for a few months, then one day I saw the shrimp's antennae sticking out of his mouth. It was a cleaner shrimp.

02/27/2006, 12:19 PM	#3
74nautique Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Georgia Posts: 172	My hawk ate every shrimp and crab in the tank, the hawk had to go, I enjoy the crabs and shrimp more. Although I use to take a poker that I use and dig around in the sand and the hawk would follow my poker around and ate every bristle worm I dug up, which was fun.

02/27/2006, 12:57 PM	#4
clord Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Langhorne Posts: 904	No mixing a hawk fish with a bottom dwelling fish they will attack the heck out of it and then its done with that it will eat all your shrimp.

02/27/2006, 01:22 PM	#5
brians_224 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Brookfield, WI Posts: 1,172	{crosses Hawkfish off list}

02/27/2006, 06:27 PM	#6
hawkfish21 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Thornton, Colorado Posts: 1,968	I've had my flame hawk for almost four years. He's never touched a thing.

02/27/2006, 09:34 PM	#7
bureau13 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: South Florida Posts: 1,936	Yeah, I've had two...one died during the hurricane power outages, but neither one have ever bothered anything live other than feeder ghost shrimp that I occasionally give them. And, I've had various shrimp and crabs in there along with him. jds

02/27/2006, 09:52 PM	#8
brians_224 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Brookfield, WI Posts: 1,172	count is: 3 con vs 2 pro. So now what? Should I assume it to be a hit or miss kind of deal?

02/27/2006, 10:19 PM	#9
Bret61081 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 2,078	Ive had one since November with no problems. I have a cleaner, blood, CBS and several pepermint shrimp....mine is on the smaller side...and my pair of GSM clowns keep it in check! lots of personality though...loves any food I put in there...even little pieces of the nori that gets ripped off!!

02/27/2006, 10:27 PM	#10
brians_224 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Brookfield, WI Posts: 1,172	Thanks for tying it Bret.

02/27/2006, 10:39 PM	#11
rich99rich Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Seal Beach, CA Posts: 307	FWIW, the Flame Hawk is my favorite fish, so I decided to keep the fish rather than shrimp. Tons of personality, and he even plays with my dog everyday!

02/28/2006, 11:32 PM	#13
KEstep Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 550	Have had flames in a lot of tanks and even though they are one of my favorite fish, they will not go in any more reefs. I watched them play beat the snail, would knock the snails over then pick at them until they were dead. Also had tons of shrimp and crabs eaten.

03/01/2006, 08:28 AM	#14
brians_224 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Brookfield, WI Posts: 1,172	I decided to pass on the Flame Hawk - but if my shrimp dies I know what I'm getting. Thanks for all of your posts!

03/01/2006, 09:14 AM	#15
onereefnotenuf Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Hamilton,Ohio Posts: 295	they have a lot of personality. i have had mine for 18 months and i did lose 6 peppermint shrimp but i think it was my lionfish that ate them. i have lost a few crabs but i have never seen the flame do anything "fishy". their eyes follow you from one end of the tank to the other. it freaks my kids out but i think it is funny.

03/01/2006, 09:33 AM	#16
onereefnotenuf Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Hamilton,Ohio Posts: 295	double post. oops!

10/19/2006, 03:41 PM	#17
fantastic4 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 662	Is the Flame Hawk safe with corals? Zoas, Xenia, other softies? Will he bother them? Also, will he eat big huge bristle worms (8"+)?

10/19/2006, 07:08 PM	#18
rich99rich Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Seal Beach, CA Posts: 307	Yes, I believe flame hawks are safe with corals. I keep softies and he has never touched anything.

10/21/2006, 02:28 AM	#21
donski Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: oakhurst CA Posts: 115	I have an arc-eye hawkfish and had a flame at one time. Shrimp of any type were dinner. After having cleaner shrimp grab food out of corals and walking all over them(keeping them from expanding) I would rather have the Hawkfish

10/22/2006, 01:27 AM	#22
zemuron114 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Pilgrim State (Mass) Posts: 4,039	arc eyes are different... they are more aggressive and get much bigger. my flame eats shrimp that i feed him. I had a cleaner in there with him that i THINK he ate (hawk was 2", shrimp was 1") and this was after i was feeding him live shrimp.. so i think i trained him to eat shrimp. lol he now resides in a 29 with 2 clowns and a dwarf eel...

10/22/2006, 06:30 PM	#23
InvaderJim Coral Junkie Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Gainesville, FL Posts: 1,163	Would a flame be alright in a 10g? I've heard mixed reviews about whether they would do ok in it.

10/22/2006, 08:23 PM	#24
fantastic4 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 662	Just added a flaem tonight, now my large Maroon clown is really angry at this new addition, she chaises the flame, will she calm down?