Hawks and the little guys

[new2us]

Anybody out there have experience with any of the hawkfish in a tank with shrimp, crabs, and snails??? I have gotten different info from different places. Saltwaterfish says to 'monitor with shrimp'. Some of the books say they are not safe for shrimp or crabs or snails, but I've seen the stores mix them....My husband really wants one, but we don't want to create any homicidal activity in the tank..............any advice?

 

[sula]

I've asked the same question - a friend of mine has a Flame Hawk, and I asked him whether it was a problem with shrimp. He said he's never seen the Hawk bother the shrimp, but on the other hand he doesn't expect his shrimp to be long-lived.
From his perspective, the Hawk is worth it because it's his favorite fish.

 

[joker_ca]

i have kept an arch-eye, and a flame hawk(not at the same time) they never eat any of my hermits or snails, also they never went after my CB shrimp but they can be very aggressive fish thats why i got rid of them, but they will go after smaller shrimp like the sexy shrimp
i used to feed them live glass shrimp and they would just tear them apart:happyfish

 

[duke13]

I think it's the luck of the draw. Sometimes you'll get a Hawk that will harm other inverts, sometimes you won't. It's like buying a lottery ticket and hoping you win, except the odds are much better

 

[michaelstern]

My flame hawk doesn't bother any of my crabs or snails, or my chromis(smallest fish in the tank) and is a really cool fish IMO

 

[new2us]

Thanks to all who posted replies for me - sounds like it's truly 'the luck of the draw' with the hawks then. I have seen some that are so ugly I couldn't stand to look at them but then we found the flame and another red one - "blood red hawk" I think it was called and they were really neat looking - might try my luck with one of those.
What do you do with a fish if it doesn't work out in your tank? Like if I try a hawk and he turns out to be a "bad draw" for the rest of my fish, what are my options? Please don't anyone be cruel and say to dispose of him. I mean, can you trade him back at some stores or just try to sell him over the net??

 

[sula]

It's probably a good idea to ask your LFS this question...

 

[bean 1]

Hawks are truly awesome fish and have alot of personality. They are probably one of my favorites. I have successfully kept several different species (flame, falco, spotted, arc eye) without any invert related problems. I've read that flames also pick on snails and hermits but I haven't seen any such behavior. I have them all in separate tanks, each tank having a wide array of inverts. I always make sure the inverts were established well before the hawks were inroduced. I only acclimate new inverts at night once the fish have gone to sleep for the night and have yet to lose any inverts. The only near miss was when I added my falco and my blue hamlet swallowed him and promptly spit him back out. They have been together for well over a year without any other problems but that may be because the falco is almost the same size as the hamlet now. Good luck with your hawk!
Bean

 

[new2us]

Thanks a lot, Bean! I feel very encouraged now after having received detailed advice from someone with as many tanks as you have!!! Wow! ...and you are an ER physician?? How do you find the time?
Anyway, I am definitely going to try it. I will just make sure to get one who is already in a tank with other fish (and maybe some inverts if I can find one that way), and make sure he's one of the last fish I add to the tank.
Thanks again for all your help!