Need advice on Hawkfish

I really want a spotted hawkfish--I have been watching one at work for three months and he is really healthy. I have read that they are a really good addition to a reef tank. However I also heard they eat small fish and shrimp. I have 2 large skunk cleaners that stay mainly behind the rocks. His mouth seems too little to eat the shrimp--Others say Monitor with shrimp--Does anyone have any experience with these??? I want to buy today so any quick response would be great!!!

 

bump

 

I wouldn't put one in with my shrimp but thats just my 2 cents.

 

Do you own one???

 

No and thats why I have shrimp but I have had a buddy who had one and no more shrimp in his tank. They say monitor with shrimp and all you can do is monitor them being tore up.

 

Hawkfish will even go after cleaner shrimp. They're fairly aggressive in that regard. I've never had a problem with them going after other fish but I did have a Falco Hawk that wanted to kill a dottyback once.

 

Thanks for the info I guess the answer is no!!!!

 

i owned one. i would not get one again. I expected to go after shrimp, what i didnt expect was it to go after its small tank mates specifically a sixline.

 

I had the advantage of having a fish store. Someone asked me if this hawk and that dottyback would get along. I said usually, but let's see so I put them in two cubes next to eat other......that hawk would have killed that dotty in a second if they were in the same tank. He wasn't sinking to the ground....he was swimming and had his nose pressed against the plexiglass. He wanted to kill that fish. I put him in with a 14 inch Queen Angel to teach him some manners.

 

Inwall- I'm glad you didn't run a daycare...!