Longnose Hawkfish

 Quick Care Facts

• Care Level: Easy   • Temperament: Semi-aggressive   • Maximum Size: 5"
• Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons   • Water Conditions: 74-82° F, dKH 8-12, sg 1.020-1.025, pH 8.1-8.4
• Diet: Carnivore   • Origin: Indo-Pacific
• Family: Cirrhitidae   • Species: Hawkfish   • Aquarium Type: Reef Compatible

Help Support AquariumDomain!      

• Your support keeps AquariumDomain advertisement free, lightning fast and fully optimized for both mobile and desktop browsing.

• Visit our Patreon page to learn about the exclusive benefits our Patrons receive!

The Longnose Hawkfish is a hardy fish species that is one of the most popular of the Hawkfish species found within the marine aquarium hobby. They are a very interesting fish to watch and have distinctive pattern and colorful markings. They are found throughout the western Pacific, including the Philippines, Japan and the Great Barrier Reef, where they are found in reefs ranging from 30 to 60 feet in depth. They spend their time hanging out on live rock outcrops and corals, where they look for food items. This species is equally suitable and at home in both the reef or fish-only marine aquarium and is successfully kept by beginner to advanced aquarists.

Longnose Hawkfish long cylindrical bodies that reach about 5 inches in length, with a distinctive pointed nose and mouth. Their bodies have a red and white hatched pattern that extends throughout the entire body. Like other hawkfish, the Longnose Hawkfish uses its pectoral fins to "sit" on rock ledges, almost as if resting on a pair of arms.

Longnose Hawkfish are known within the aquarium hobby for their interesting movements about the reef, even resting on coral or rock outcrops watching the happenings in the aquarium. They are also considered to have a lot of personality and are very inquisitive of their surroundings. Longnose Hawkfish are a very hardy fish species, that will get along well with other community fish species. They generally live singularly in the wild or will live in small groups, with a single male and 3 to 6 females. Generally they are kept singularly in the home aquarium, unless kept within a very large aquarium that is capable of supporting a group of them.

This species is equally at home in the community fish or reef marine aquariums and will not harm other fish, corals or most invertebrates (exceptions being very small shrimps). They are known for their bursts of speed when swimming and have been known to shoot upwards toward the surface of the water, thus the aquarium should be fully covered to prevent them from jumping out. Overall a very easy fish species to keep in either reef or FOWLR aquariums, providing distinctive looks and lots of personality.

Longnose Hawkfish are carnivores and will require a diet with plenty of live, frozen or flaked meaty foods. They will readily consume live foods like mysid and brine shrimp; as well as, copepods, plankton and small shrimps. Meaty fresh, frozen and flake foods will make up the majority of their diet, supplemented with live foods and small invertebrates that it will find living within the live rock in the aquarium.