Hawkfish and blennies

[appaloosa1]

I read a book that said hawkfish should not kept with blennies and other long, thin fish because they will eat them. Is this true? I was considering getting a long nose hawkfish to put in my 24g with a bicolor blenny and a clownfish. Would this be too much for the tank?

 

[appaloosa1]

anyone?

 

[evanwv19]

Funny you should ask... I'd never noticed and problems with them but earlier today, at my LFS, I watched a bicolor blenny beat the crap out of a spotted hawk. The hawkfish didn't even attempt to fight back

 

[migston]

Originally Posted by Appaloosa1
I read a book that said hawkfish should not kept with blennies and other long, thin fish because they will eat them. Is this true? I was considering getting a long nose hawkfish to put in my 24g with a bicolor blenny and a clownfish. Would this be too much for the tank?
I agree that this combo is trouble but for the opposite reason. My Black Sailfin Blenny was one of the first fish in my tank and he was completely peaceful until I got a Flame Hawk. Now he chases him around everytime he sees him. It was pretty violent in the beginning but it's sort of settled down now.

 

[appaloosa1]

I'm wondering if I will have a problem. I have a bicolor blenny, but he has a couple holes that he stays in and they are in the back of the LR so I don't see him too much, I don't think he and a hawkfish would see too much of eachother

 

[migston]

Well the bright side is that I don't think Blennies are equipped to kill. Mine chases the hawk a lot but I never see any evidence of damage on the hawk. So I would think that he doesn't bite.
So at best, they'll stay out of each other's way. At the very worst, your hawk will get stressed out. Although keep in mind that stressed fish sometimes don't eat, so he might die that way. Thankfully mine eats likes a pig despite the harrasment. I'm actually starting to think that the hawk knows my blenny won't hurt him and has resorted to taunting him by swimming into his territory LOL