As one of only a few red coloured fish in the hobby, the Scarlet or Flame hawkfish is immediately eyecatching. Beyond that initial appeal, this is also an interesting fish to observe in captivity as it definitely seems to possess an air of intelligence. Over time it will likely become quite tame and come to watch you when you are near your tank. In nature this species inhabits fairly shallow waters of up to about 11m depth in areas subject to strong surging water movement, high oxygen content and with a dense cover of stony coral species such as Stylophora and Pocillopora. It can be great to include such corals in your system to recreate that natural behaviour but of course the corals needs must be met too, and they are typically demanding than the fish! While this is technically a predatory species feeding primarily on small crustaceans it usually isn’t too much of a threat in an aquarium but if it isn’t fed well it may kill ornamental shrimps, snails and small crabs. Luckily it is usually quick to take foods like thawed frozen mysis and transitions well onto flake too. It isn’t the cheapest fish though and you’ll need to make sure you have the tank completely covered as it is a known jumper! Growing to around 4 inches, a display tank of at least 150 – 200 litres should be provided.
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