Coral Hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus)

Coral Hawkfish Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus
Name	Coral Hawkfish
Name Lat.	Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus
Family	Hawkfishes
Family lat.	Cirrhitidae
Order	Basses
Order lat.	Centrarchiformes
Origin	Indo-Pacific, Red Sea
Habitat	Lagoons, seaward reefs
Diet	Carnivore
pH	8.1-8.4
Hardness	8-10 °KH
Behavior	Semi-aggressive
Keeping	Individual, pair, harem
Reef Compatible	Yes
Care Level	Moderate
Life Span	4-7 years
Protection	No
Metric Units
Size	10 cm
Temperature	24-28 °C
Salinity	33-36 ‰
Aquarium	~ 250 l
US Units
Size	4"
Temperature	75-82 °F
Salinity	1.020-1.025 sg
Aquarium	~ 65 gal

Distribution and habitat

The range of Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus extends from the Red Sea throughout the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans to Panama. There they inhabit clear lagoons and outer reefs protected from the surf with rich coral growth.

Maintenance

They need a well-structured aquarium with a reef structure (hiding, resting and retreat possibilities) and with living stones that act like a biological filter as well as coral sticks. Only lime-rich, heavy metal-free sands, gravels, stones or sea sand may be used as substrate.

Filters, skimmers and heaters are necessary to ensure water quality, as well as pumps to simulate tides, swells and bottom currents. Lighting must be appropriate for the species' day-night rhythm

Salinity: 33-36 ‰	pH value: 8.1-8.4
Carbonate hardness: 8-10 °KH	Nitrate content: 2-8 mg/l
phosphate content: 0.01-0.1 mg/l	nitrite content: 0.0-0.05 mg/l

For salinity, an average value should be aimed for, which may only vary slightly by +/- 0.5 ‰. Ammonia and ammonium must not be measurable. Special attention must be paid to constantly good water quality.

Diet

They are voracious lurkers that prefer to eat shrimp, crustaceans and small fish. The change of food is unproblematic. The food supply should consist of a combination of live and frozen food, such as artemia, mysis, shrimp and krill, with chopped fish, mussel and shrimp meat or a commercially available frozen food mixture enriched with vitamins, supplemented with live food shrimp. It is recommended to feed larger portions 1-2 times a day.

Regular and varied feeding promotes health and increases resistance.

Behaviour and compatibility

They select hiding places (corals) from which they can overlook as large an area as possible. It is recommended to keep them in pairs or in a harem. The larger, dominant animal always develops into the male. They are moderately territorial and often defend only a certain area of a coral. Interspecific aggression usually occurs only through food competition. A socialization with other, not too small fish, is well possible.

Sex dimorphism

They are protogynous hermaphrodites, i.e. males develop from functional females when needed. No external distinguishing characteristics are known.

Reproduction and breeding

Spawning takes place in the evening or at night. The fish catapult themselves synchronously to the water surface and then immediately return to the starting point. A successful breeding in the aquarium has not succeeded so far.

Important

They are very jumpy, especially during spawning, so the aquarium should be well covered. As reef dwellers they should only be kept together with corals and not in a fish-only aquarium

If different species are kept together, care should be taken to ensure that the fish match each other in terms of water quality and temperature requirements and social behavior, and that the setup meets the needs of all species kept together. New fish to be introduced must be acclimated slowly to the water in the aquarium

Further literature can be found in your pet store.

References

Text: Werner Winter; Image: Franz Lowak 

Source: BAENSCH, DEBELIUS (2006): Meerwasser Atlas Bd. 1, Mergus Verlag; ENGELMANN (2005): Zootierhaltung - Tiere in menschlicher Obhut: Fische, Verlag Harri Deutsch

• Gemäß § 21 Abs. 5 Tierschutzgesetz idgF