Will the flame hawk fish eat cleaner shrimp?

CyberGuy · Feb 4, 2021

OK, then I will try and add the flame hawk. My cleaner shrimp is pretty large. However, it is a 20 gallon tank so not much place to distance themselves.

LisaAP · Feb 5, 2021

I purchased a small scarlet hawkfish years ago and added him to a tank containing large cleaner fish, he still managed to eat them.

Never again.

Gordonm · Feb 5, 2021

You bet it will ! Choose .

jsbzcmcdaniel · Feb 5, 2021

My hawk fish ate a few small peppermint shrimp soon as I added them to the tank. Get bigger shrimp and you will have better luck.

CyberGuy · Feb 5, 2021

jsbzcmcdaniel said:
My hawk fish ate a few small peppermint shrimp soon as I added them to the tank. Get bigger shrimp and you will have better luck.

But in a small 20 gallon tank, I am not sure if the cleaner shrimp will have good hiding spots, especially when it molts. It is like the Hawk fish would be staring at his lobster dinner all day long.

MichaelReefer · Feb 5, 2021

I'm in the same boat. I want a Flame Hawk SOOOOO bad, but love my cleaner shrimp. Hes a cool dude with a funny attitude.

CyberGuy · Feb 5, 2021

OK, I just bought a really small Flame Hawk fish. Hope it would leave my large cleaner shrimp alone in my 20 gallon.

CyberGuy · Feb 5, 2021

Well, here is my new Flame Hawk fish. In the background is a medium/large cleaner shrimp.

lion king · Feb 5, 2021

Here's my hawk hanging with an Hawaiian leaf fish; they hunt ghost shrimp and guppies together. Good luck

ruegaroo · Feb 5, 2021

Yes!

CyberGuy · Feb 5, 2021

How can it swallow a large cleaner shrimp when it's mouth is pretty small? It is not a grouper, Jaw fish, or lion fish after all.

ruegaroo · Feb 5, 2021

CyberGuy said:
How can it swallow a large cleaner shrimp when it's mouth is pretty small? It is not a grouper, Jaw fish, or lion fish after all.

It can't swallow it but it can pick it apart

CyberGuy · Feb 7, 2021

Sad news folks. Today I found my large cleaner shrimp dead. Looks who the culprit is.

The cleaner shrimp is bigger than the flame hawk and it has been in the tank before the flame hawk.

So definitely do not add the flame hawk fish if you want to have a cleaner shrimp... no matter the size of the shrimp.

ASIN28 · Jul 26, 2021

CyberGuy said:
Sad news folks. Today I found my large cleaner shrimp dead. Looks who the culprit is.

The cleaner shrimp is bigger than the flame hawk and it has been in the tank before the flame hawk.

So definitely do not add the flame hawk fish if you want to have a cleaner shrimp... no matter the size of the shrimp.

Sorry old thread but following for my own research. Saw a flame hawk in my LFS today and immediately loved the fish, however I decided to do research before impulse buy and I’m glad I did. I have a coral banded and a cleaner shrimp. I want that fame hawk so bad but don’t want to sacrifice my shrimp. Granted I have a 120G so they will have a little more separation than in your 20G but still do not want to risk it. Sucks sorry about your cleaner shrimp

JGT · Jul 26, 2021

Hmm, will a flame hawk go after crabs? That could be a good thing.

Mywifeisgunnakillme · Jul 26, 2021

CyberGuy said:
Sad news folks. Today I found my large cleaner shrimp dead. Looks who the culprit is.

The cleaner shrimp is bigger than the flame hawk and it has been in the tank before the flame hawk.

So definitely do not add the flame hawk fish if you want to have a cleaner shrimp... no matter the size of the shrimp.

Rude!

Necrodaemus · Jan 1, 2024

Couldn’t help but laugh at the comments saying “add the flame hawkfish after the shrimp”. It doesn’t work that way with inverts and their predators. It’s not like adding certain fish before or after other fish where a pecking order and territories exists. Fish don’t give 2 craps about whether their natural prey is in the tank before or after they go in. So naive….