Flame Hawkfish...

[tizzo]

OK, So I just "aquired" a flame hawkfish. The person who gave him to me did so because he is not red, he is more light pink (my belief is poor water conditions). So I temporarily put him in a 1.5 gallon tank until I can buy another tank from Wal-mart. My questions are as follows...
Will he be ok alone?
Will he be ok if I don't light the aquarium for a while?
Is a 10 gallon tank ok for him, since he "perches"?
Is he a jumper?
Does anyone know of any ideas that I can put with him to "clean house", since he eats snails & hermits?
Will he be ok in a non-reef setting??
I think that's all for now.
Thanx in advance...

 

[lion_crazz]

Hey, your flame hawk should be fine alone, and leaving the lights off will probably help him relieve some of that stress (discoloration, like you thought, is definitely usually from stress). A 10 gallon, maybe a 15, should be fine for him, definitely get some rock or decor for him to perch on however. He will not swim around the tank, he is definitely a "percher". This is because hawkfish lack a swim bladder. I do not have ideas for cleaning the tank, but, since you are doing a small tank, couldn't you just keep up on the water changes yourself for the gravel and use an algae pad for the sides of the tank? Lastly, he should be fine in a non-reef setting. I have seen many hawkfish in non-reef tanks. Just make sure that he is fed adequately. Good luck with him!!

 

[tizzo]

Thanx a mill!! This is definately going to be a rescue project. I have a 30 gal QT, but that's in the attic cause I am done adding fish to MY tank for a while. I didn't want to spend a fortune on a fish that I will probably give away soon. But good news, he ate like a pig!! He was in my 1.5 gal for about an hour and I thought, "what the heck, if he don't eat it, it would not be a prob to clean it out". So I put in some mysid shrimp, and he scarfed!!! If he is alive in the morn, I will have high hopes for this guy!! Keep your fingers X'ed!!!

 

[pufferman]

I think one needs something definitely bigger than 10 for any carnivorous fish. Space is not a really big concern here since flame hawk is relatively sedentary. But, you also need to think about the water quality. It is far easier to maintain a good water quality wih a bigger tank. But, as long as you make frequent water changes and control the amount of food you give him, I think you should be fine.

 

[tizzo]

It was only going to be a QT, until I found somebody else who might want him. But it's over now...he didn't make it through the night. I don't know how to feel

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