Opinions on Flame Hawkfish Bonded Pairs

Eva Rose · Nov 22, 2017

I am considering getting a flame hawkfish (Or a bonded Pair) for my tank. I had a 5 yr old Pixy Hawk that I really enjoyed but it died. I know some “bonded pairs” of fish can dislike each other once they mature. Is this true of Flame Hawks or do they usually stay tolerate of each other?
Also my Pixy hawk did not bother my bottom dwellers (YWG, jawfish & pink spot goby). Do Flame Hawkfish leave other tank mates alone?

Thanks for your input!

dbl · Nov 22, 2017

Can't answer the question about bonded pairs, but they are prone to enjoy shrimp! I lost my Flame Hawk to Irma but will eventually replace it...really cool fish in my opinion.

nautical_nathaniel · Nov 22, 2017

I've seen tanks with multiple same species hawkfish but they were huge tanks (350 and 500 gallons). Neither of those tanks seemed to have aggression issues between the hawkfish but it's not like I was watching them for extended periods daily.

Eva Rose · Nov 22, 2017

dbl said:
Can't answer the question about bonded pairs, but they are prone to enjoy shrimp! I lost my Flame Hawk to Irma but will eventually replace it...really cool fish in my opinion.

That's okay. No shrimp in my tank. I have a bluespotted puffer that likes shrimp. My pixy hawk was a favorite.

Eva Rose · Nov 22, 2017

nautical_nathaniel said:
I've seen tanks with multiple same species hawkfish but they were huge tanks (350 and 500 gallons). Neither of those tanks seemed to have aggression issues between the hawkfish but it's not like I was watching them for extended periods daily.

Thx. My tank is 300 gal. I was curious if anyone had experiences with Flame Hawkfish pairs.

eatbreakfast · Nov 26, 2017

Once they are bonded they seem to stay bonded. I have also added a new flame to an existing one. They didn't bond, there was chasing for a few days, but then they tolerated each other, that happened in an 80g.

Eva Rose · Nov 26, 2017

eatbreakfast said:
Once they are bonded they seem to stay bonded. I have also added a new flame to an existing one. They didn't bond, there was chasing for a few days, but then they tolerated each other, that happened in an 80g.

Good to hear. I really enjoy all the personality that a hawkfish adds to a tank, so a pair will be even more fun.