Do hawk fish hide for long periods of time?

[ReefKeeper666]

I’ve had my flame hawk fish for 2 months now. He was always perched on rock or swimming about. Today I can’t find him anywhere .... completely MIA . Looked behind rocks and all. No fish no corpse. Do they hide?

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

Not usually. They're known to be pretty peaceful and get along with everyone else, so they don't typically hide.

 

[El_Guapo13]

I’ve had my flame hawk fish for 2 months now. He was always perched on rock or swimming about. Today I can’t find him anywhere .... completely MIA . Looked behind rocks and all. No fish no corpse. Do they hide?

Just to be sure, do you have a lid on your tank? If not, he may have jumped out. And if you have a dog or a cat who found it before you did, well...

 

[Zionas]

I’d rather not suspect jumping( but does your tank have a cover? Is it fully covered?

 

[ReefKeeper666]

No lid/cover. No other pets gonna check around tank.

 

[ca1ore]

Any fish can jump, though hawks aren't particularly prone to it. MIA for one day isn't that big of a deal, but if it continues to be a no show then that's a bad sign. Novice reefers are always surprised by how quickly a fish corpse gets reduced, as well as how a dying fish can wedge itself out of sight. Check the floor … then fingers crossed!

 

[ReefKeeper666]

Just checked surrounding area no fish corpse/checked sump too. completely MIA. Saw him last night. My only cleanup crew are 3 turbo snails and 2 peppermint shrimp that are always hiding in rocks. Could his corpse dissapear that fast?

 

[Zionas]

What other fish do you have in the tank?

 

[ReefKeeper666]

What other fish do you have in the tank?

Pair of tomato clowns
Scissor fish
Leopard wrasse
Fairy wrasse
Fox face
Royal Gramma
Tomini tang
Cardinal

 

[Poof No Eyebrows]

I've had them slip into the overflow box but stay in the top and not make it down the drain. And as already mentioned the floor...

 

[ThRoewer]

I've had them slip into the overflow box but stay in the top and not make it down the drain. And as already mentioned the floor...

Yep, had that as well with some fish. The overflow box is always one of the places I inspect first if a fish goes missing.

 

[ReefKeeper666]

I've had them slip into the overflow box but stay in the top and not make it down the drain. And as already mentioned the floor...

Yeah I checked all those places. All my other guys look happy/healthy. Just fed tank, he didn’t come out. Completely MIA. My brother works from home and passed by the tank several times a day when I’m at work. He didn’t see anything. A red hawk fish corpse would stand out pretty easily on a white tile floor.

 

[ThRoewer]

Did you check under the stand and behind it? Jumpers often flop around for a while and may end up out of sight.
I usually use a stick or tube to sweep things out and more than once found dried up fish that way that had escaped visual checks.

 

[ReefKeeper666]

Did you check under the stand and behind it? Jumpers often flop around for a while and may end up out of sight.
I usually use a stick or tube to sweep things out and more than once found dried up fish that way that had escaped visual checks.

Yes also have a good quality maglite from work I used when looking under tank in overflow box etc. 100 pct missing. Not even a piece of a tail or something to indicate he’s gone.

 

[ThRoewer]

Yes also have a good quality maglite from work I used when looking under tank in overflow box etc. 100 pct missing. Not even a piece of a tail or something to indicate he’s gone.

How well can you inspect potential hiding places and tight spots in your tank?
I had fish getting stuck in the rockwork and die there so it may be a good idea to inspect every nook and cranny you can see with flashlight and mirrors.

 

[ReefKeeper666]

How well can you inspect potential hiding places and tight spots in your tank?
I had fish getting stuck in the rockwork and die there so it may be a good idea to inspect every nook and cranny you can see with flashlight and mirrors.

Yeah I can’t say I’ve covered every lil crack it def. most of them. I mean I can see my permit shrimp hiding in lil crevasses etc

 

[SPSlover]

Yeah I checked all those places. All my other guys look happy/healthy. Just fed tank, he didn’t come out. Completely MIA. My brother works from home and passed by the tank several times a day when I’m at work. He didn’t see anything. A red hawk fish corpse would stand out pretty easily on a white tile floor.

Yeah mine always comes out for food but he also wedges himself into some really tight spots. I have seen mine upside down under the top of an overhang many times before. He can fit in just about any spot.

 

[ThRoewer]

Yeah mine always comes out for food but he also wedges himself into some really tight spots. I have seen mine upside down under the top of an overhang many times before. He can fit in just about any spot.

Yep, I have seen fish hiding in spaces I wouldn't have thought them to fit in or them hugging a rock recess so tightly that they were not to be seen until you would take the rock out of the tank.

 

[ReefKeeper666]

Still no sign of him after 8 hours...

 

[Zionas]

Making me worried as if it were my own fish. I really hope he’ll come out again! The Tomato Clowns, are they aggressive at all?