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Flame Hawkfish

(Neocirrhites armatus)

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 Quick Care Facts

• Care Level: Easy   • Temperament: Semi-aggressive   • Maximum Size: 4"
• Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons   • Water Conditions: 74-82° F, dKH 8-12, sg 1.020-1.025, pH 8.1-8.4
• Diet: Carnivore   • Origin: Indo-Pacific
• Family: Cirrhitidae   • Species: Hawkfish   • Aquarium Type: Reef Compatible

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Native Habitat and Species Information

Flame Hawkfish native habitat, distribution, behavior & aquarium compatibility.

The Flame Hawkfish are known as very personable fish that display a lot of personality and tend to build bonds with their owners over time. While the Flame Hawkfish is not a very large fish, it is semi-aggressive and will eat small ornamental shrimp, feather duster worms and some crab and snail species. Flame Hawkfish are known to knock snails and crabs over and pull their bodies out of their shells and eat them. Despite its feeding habits, the Flame Hawkfish does make an excellent reef fish for certain reef environments.

The Flame Hawkfish is primarily red in color with only a black area along the top of its back running from the head all the way to its tail. Other distinctive features of this species are their eyes, which protrude from their head and their pectoral fins that they use to perch themselves on rocks.

Aquarium Care

How to successfully keep Flame Hawkfish in the home aquarium.

While Flame Hawkfish can be kept in nano aquariums, generally a 30 gallon or larger aquarium with plenty of live rock is required to provide a good habitat. While Flame Hawkfish are peaceful to most other fish species, they are aggressive to other similar sized bottom feeders (gobies & blennies) and small ornamental shrimp, crabs and snails. Flame Hawkfish tend to be more aggressive in smaller aquariums or ones with small amounts of live rock.

Larger aquariums with large amounts of live rock provide a lot of territory for this species, which helps make it more docile as it feels less pressure for feeding areas. Flame Hawkfish tend to hang out on rocky outcrops where they use their pectoral fins to prop themselves up. In reef aquariums the Flame Hawkfish is believed to have a beneficial to hard corals as their feces provide a source of nitrogen for coral tissue growth.

Feeding & Nutrition

How to feed and provide proper nutrition for Flame Hawkfish.

The Flame Hawkfish is carnivore and should be fed a diet which includes a variety of marine meaty foods; such as, frozen preparations, marine fish flesh, crustaceans and myssid or other live feeder shrimp. This species should be fed 1 to 2 times a day.

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