Pixy Hawkfish (Asia Pacific)
Hawkfish are entertaining fish with outgoing personalities. They have do not have swim bladders so can only float in the water with effort. They prefer to spend their days perched atop rocks or coral surveying their surroundings. They are coral safe, but are predatory towards shrimp. It is possible for hawkfish to consume even a large shrimp by bashing it against a rock into bite sized pieces. They may also eat anything else that can fit in their mouths, including small or slender fish. They may bully other fish and we don't recommend keeping them with small wrasses, jawfish, dottybacks, gobies or blennies. They do well with angelfish, tangs, larger dottybacks, large wrasses, triggers and puffers.
Hawkfish are carnivores and their diet should include plenty of high quality meaty items, marine algae, Spirulina, and frozen Mysis shrimp. It is preferable to feed at least once a day. They are hardy and usually learn to eat dry foods.
The Pixy hawkfish is a lovely fish with a delicate pink body covered in large blotches of deep pink to red. Each spiked ray of it dorsal fin is tuffed with furry cirri. It is similar to the Speckled hawkfish but does not grow as large. It can be quite aggressive for its size, and is recommended to be the last fish added to an aquarium. Males and females are visually identical. It grows to 3.5 inches; we recommend an aquarium of at least 20 gallons.
