How to catch Hawkfish

[Bolek]

I have bought Hawkfish (Falco) and it turned out he is really eating a lot of citizens in my reef tank. Today I saw him consume my shrimp, last week a yellowfin goby went missing. Also I cannot find fairy taile Wrasse but I guess it was too big for him, but who knows (the shrimp tail was still partly out of his mounth when I cought him).

So now I know it was a mistake to get him in, but the trouble is how to get him out. I cannot do much with nets as I have lot of corals and reef work, so I put in my glass trap. All my fish go there to feed, I have always cought the one i needed. But the Hawkfish ignores it. Tried even to put a nice frozen shrimp there but ignored.

Have anybody cought the Falco Hawkfish, and how?

 

[kylan_]

invest in a nice fish trap ive seen one where its like a bowl thats magnetized to the side then once they are in there release the magnet and the bowl raises to the surface with the fish

 

[kylan_]

 

[Slocke]

So I had the exact same problem (same fish and also a murderer of shrimp and gobies). I tried everything:

1. Fish trap for months
2. leaving a big net in the tank
3. The suddenly turn lights on tactic

Little thing refused to be caught. I had to remove every rock and catch it with a net the old fashioned way.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

The shrimp is a definite yes to consumption (don't ask how I know) he didn't eat the goby or wrasse, maybe bullied to death. Get a fish trap. Your not going to net it, unless you drain the majority of water, they are hell to catch. Starve the tank, the hawkfish will eventually get hungry enough to be trapped.

 

[Slocke]

The shrimp is a definite yes to consumption (don't ask how I know) he didn't eat the goby or wrasse, maybe bullied to death. Get a fish trap. Your not going to net it, unless you drain the majority of water, they are hell to catch. Starve the tank, the hawkfish will eventually get hungry enough to be trapped.

True about eating them but mine would grab a goby by the tail and swim around the tank with it. Truly horrifying.

 

[Piscans]

wrasse is probably in the sand. i had a hawk force my wrasse into the sand for months. try catching every fish then get an angler to eat the hawkfish or just get a trap

 

[Bolek]

Thanks for advices. I already tried the fish trap (the classical box shaped with falling door) - I was able to trap almost every fish I needed, but the hawk ignores it big time - whatever I put in.

I cannot put the rock work out - it is a biiig tank and my rockwork is glued with lots of large coral...

The bowl trap - i would buy it if I knew that would work - anybody have caught hawk with it?

Starving,... yes, first I have to wait till he kills and eats all the fish he can eat (there is one more shrimp hiding somewhere) and then I can start the starving strategy... feeding just pellets and nori which he ignores, no meat... and then the meat in trap.


If this does not work, anything else? I was even thinking I would brutally kill the fish, but no idea how...

It should be sold with big warning - i did some research, and I have hawking longnose, who is very nice mostly, no killing. No idea that the different type of hawkfish is so much more deadline,...

 

[Bolek]

wrasse is probably in the sand. i had a hawk force my wrasse into the sand for months. try catching every fish then get an angler to eat the hawkfish or just get a trap

) Nice out of the box idea)

 

[Bolek]

True about eating them but mine would grab a goby by the tail and swim around the tank with it. Truly horrifying.

and did the goby survived?
the shrimp - it was halfway out his mount for an hour... he was swimming with it around tank as well, with shrimp head inside and tail outside... baaad...

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have bought Hawkfish (Falco) and it turned out he is really eating a lot of citizens in my reef tank. Today I saw him consume my shrimp, last week a yellowfin goby went missing. Also I cannot find fairy taile Wrasse but I guess it was too big for him, but who knows (the shrimp tail was still partly out of his mounth when I cought him).

So now I know it was a mistake to get him in, but the trouble is how to get him out. I cannot do much with nets as I have lot of corals and reef work, so I put in my glass trap. All my fish go there to feed, I have always cought the one i needed. But the Hawkfish ignores it. Tried even to put a nice frozen shrimp there but ignored.

Have anybody cought the Falco Hawkfish, and how?

Theyre fast and theyre smart
Only two ways are strip the rock and net
OR
what I use:

 

[Slocke]

and did the goby survived?
the shrimp - it was halfway out his mount for an hour... he was swimming with it around tank as well, with shrimp head inside and tail outside... baaad...

I had two gobies one was killed the other lost an eye. It was when it got the second one that I decided to remove everything and net it. Though I kinda like the new look and the reset reduced aggression overall in the tank.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

This guy is a killer, lol. He ate a expensive fire shrimp and it almost had to go!

This guy ain't so bad... It is a stalker tho, literally will perch and lay/wait for prey. Too lazy for the most part.

 

[vetteguy53081]

This guy is a killer, lol. He ate a expensive fire shrimp and it almost had to go!

This guy ain't so bad... It is a stalker tho, literally will perch and lay/wait for prey. Too lazy for the most part.

Mine ate two cleaner, 2 coral banded of 3 years to me and one fire shrimp within 2 days.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Mine ate two cleaner, 2 coral banded of 3 years to me and one fire shrimp within 2 days.

It was crazy with the long nose. I've had it since I got back in the hobby in 2015. It had a light switch flip last year and did much like yours. Consumed 3 peppermint shrimp and the fire shrimp in a few days. I witnessed the death of the fire shrimp, it just chomped the shrimp in half. Had a cleaner shrimp hold out, it was just too big for it. After the cleaner passed, no more shrimp for me .

 

[Bolek]

Oh, so you say that the Longnose is also killing. Mine is so far super friendly, observing, playing, put his mount are too small to put anything bigger in it. Compared to Falco, he literally ate the whole (half of) shrimp in a second.

And I was able to catch Longnose, he is wandering around and is also a frequent visitor of my trap. But not the Falco he never goes in it.

So should I catch and get rid of Longnose as well, or you think I can have a friendly one? Or just too young and in a year he will become a killing maching?

 

[Bolek]

@kylan_
Did anyone catch with this innovative fish trap Hawkfish?

I already have a trap, the classical boxshapes, and I would by this innovative - but it is not cheap, so before buying would like to know if anyone had have success with this.


B.

 

[fisheriesdoc]

Might be worth trying the micro fishing method if it is a good eater. Just watch your hook set

 

[FishPureLuck]

Get a small fish hook pinch the barb flat, put it on some fishing line, bait the hook with krill/shrimp and only let him get hooked. If other fish get near it, pull it out of their way. I've caught a bunch of fish in my 300 this way. Once you kood him, don't let the line go slack or you'll lose him. By pinching the barb, the hook will come out easy and not permanently harm the fish.

 

[Piscans]

you will need a very small hook