🐠 Arc Eye Hawkfish (Paracirrhites arcatus)
An Orange Body With a Distinctive Blue-and-Orange Eye Arc • A Species That Perches and Hops Rather Than Swims • Bold, Hardy and Long-Lived Once Settled
 
📋 The Arc Eye Hawkfish, also known as the Arc-Eyed Hawkfish, has an eye-catching orange body with a white horizontal band across the rear half, and its namesake feature, a distinctive arc-shaped band of alternating blue and bright orange around the eye.
It comes from a wide range across the Indo-Pacific, from East Africa to Hawaii and the Line Islands, north to southern Japan, and south to Australia, inhabiting reef slopes and coral-rich areas, where it spends most of its time perched on rockwork and coral branches scanning for prey. Every Arc Eye Hawkfish we ship is feeding well.
A fascinating natural history detail: hawkfish lack a swim bladder, the organ most fish use to control buoyancy and swim continuously, which is why they perch and "hop" between vantage points using their strong pectoral fins, rather than swimming freely like most reef fish. This species is territorial and should be one of the last fish added to your tank, as it can harass new additions, including other hawkfish and even larger fish. In a reef tank, it will prey on small ornamental shrimp, crabs, and small fish, though it won't bother the corals themselves. It's hardy, bold, and long-lived once established with the right tankmates. It reaches up to 15cm, so a 115L tank suits it well.
 
💡 Highlights
🎨 Orange Body With Blue-Orange Eye Arc: A distinctive, easy-to-identify pattern
🦴 No Swim Bladder: Perches and hops rather than swimming continuously
⚠️ Territorial: Should be one of the last fish added to the tank
🌿 Reef Safe With Caution: Won't touch corals, but will eat small shrimp, crabs, and fish
🧠 Beginner Friendly: Hardy and long-lived once settled with suitable tankmates