Falco Hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys falco)

The Falco Hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys falco), also called the Dwarf Hawkfish, is a small perching predator with a big personality: a white body splashed with red-brown saddles, tiny feathery tufts on the tips of its dorsal spines, and a pair of red streaks running back from the eye. Like every hawkfish it spends the day propped on its thick pectoral fins on the highest rock it can find, swiveling its eyes to track everything in the tank, then darting out when food arrives. It stays around 3 inches, is one of the mildest hawkfish in the hobby, and is tough as nails. Browse the rest of our saltwater livestock and supplies to build around it.

Care Guide

• Tank size: 30 gallons or larger. It does not need much swimming room, but it wants a territory with several lookout points.
• Perches: build rockwork with ledges, peaks, and branching coral skeletons. A hawkfish without a good perch spends its time hiding instead of showing off.
• Water parameters: 72 to 78°F, pH 8.1 to 8.4, salinity 1.020 to 1.026. Very forgiving once the tank is stable.
• Feeding: carnivore. Offer meaty frozen foods like mysis and krill plus a quality marine pellet once or twice a day. It eats with enthusiasm and rarely needs coaxing.
• One hawkfish per tank: hawkfish are territorial toward each other, so plan on a single hawk unless the system is very large.
• Lid recommended: hawkfish can launch out of an open tank while lunging at food near the surface.

Specifications

Compatibility

Reef safe with caution. It will not bother corals, clams, snails, or most hermit crabs. Small shrimp are a different story: cleaner shrimp, peppermint shrimp, sexy shrimp, and small pistol shrimp look like food to a hawkfish, and many specimens will eventually hunt them. Tiny fish such as small gobies and firefish are also at risk. If your reef is built around an ornamental shrimp collection, choose a different fish.

With fish its own size or larger it is an easy neighbor. Good tank mates include the Ocellaris Clownfish, Scopas Tang, Lawnmower Blenny, Bicolor Dottyback, and Yellow Foxface. Keep it to one hawkfish per tank, so choose between it and our Flame Hawkfish or Arc Eye Hawkfish rather than combining them.

Recommended Foods & Supplies

• Piscine Energetics PE Mysis frozen food
• SFBB Mysis Shrimp Cube for everyday feeding
• Xtreme Marine Krill Flakes, a meaty dry staple
• Xtreme Marine PeeWee Pellets, slow sinking so it can pick them off mid-water
• Innovative Marine AccuDrip Acclimator for a slow, low-stress introduction

FAQ

Will it eat my cleaner shrimp?
It might. Many hawkfish ignore large, established shrimp for months and then take one. Small shrimp are at the highest risk. If shrimp matter to you, skip the hawkfish.

Why does it just sit on the rocks?
That is how hawkfish live. They have no swim bladder to hover with, so they perch on their pectoral fins and watch for food. It is normal, healthy behavior and half their charm.

Is it a good first saltwater fish?
Yes, as long as the tank has no small shrimp or tiny fish. It is hardy, eats readily, and handles beginner mistakes better than most.

Can I keep two hawkfish?
Not in a typical home tank. Hawkfish fight over perches. One per tank is the safe plan.