Paracirrhites forsteri
| Common Names: | Blackside Hawkfish Forster's Hawkfish Freckled Hawkfish |
| Synonyms: | Paracirrhites typee |
| Family: | Cirrhitidae |
| Category: | Percoids |
| Distribution: | Indo Pacific; Distributed widely from the Red Sea to Japan, Hawaii, and numerous other Indo-Pacific locales. |
| Main Ecosystem: | Reef; Normally found perching on corals or rocky rubble. |
| Temperament: | Territorial; The freckled hawkfish prefers to hold a large territory, and can be very protective of it. Very few aquariums provide enough space for an optimal territory, so the fish usually just claims the whole tank. Also, this species is a predator of fish and motile invertebrates which fit in its large mouth, including shrimp and certain crabs. Because of these two traits, the freckled hawk should be housed with larger, more aggressive fish and without almost all moving invertebrates. Add it to the tank last unless subsequent tankmates will be potentially more dangerous. |
| Diet: | Carnivore; It is fond of eating almost everything that moves. Smaller fish, crabs, shrimp, and brittle starfish are all fair game. Most frozen foods and many prepared (freeze-dried, flakes, and pellets) will be taken with gusto. This fish is very eager to feed, and usually learns exactly who does the feeding. When this person lifts the lid of the aquarium, the hawk is likely to swim towards the surface in hopes of a fast meal. |
| Care: | Very easy. This species will be happy as long as it has a few places to sit (such as large rocks or corals, and at least one should be elevated) and a regular supply of meaty food. The freckled hawkfish is extremely tough and can shrug off most illnesses. |
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| Potential Size: | Male: 21cm (8.3") Female: 17cm (6.7") |
| Water Region: | Middle, Bottom; This species nearly always sits on the substrate, whether at the bottom or partway up in the water column. |
| Activity: | Diurnal; Active only during the day. |
| Gender: | Each male grows larger than the females of his harem. Other gender differences are unknown, other than that females holding eggs may be slightly plumper than males. |
| Breeding: | Has not occured in the home aquarium, though wild spawning has been observed. Males operate a small harem which lives within his territory. On most nights at sunset, males will court and spawn with one or more of his harem members. Both fish rise into the water and release gametes. The fertilized eggs and later the larvae will become plankton, drifting until the animals become ready to settle on the reef. |
| Variants: | Many color variants exist. The majority of freckled hawks have red spots around the head, with a white underbelly, a brown stripe above, and a yellow or white dorsal stripe. The numerous variants can have totally different colors (including orange, gold, yellow, brown, red, and white) on the body, and may even lack the distinctive stripes. However, they all retain the red freckles. |
| Comments: | This is an intelligent and personable species of fish, which is also very easy to care for. However, its stomach can be responsible for severe loss of life. Provided it does not attack any of its tankmates, this hawkfish is a very enjoyable creature to maintain. |
| Main Colours: | White, Brown |
| Markings: | Striped And Spotted |
| Mouth: | Normal |
| Tail: | Not Specified |
| Search: | Show similar species Find compatible species |
| Image Credit: | sirbooks |
| Submitted By: | sirbooks |
| Contributors: | sirbooks |
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