🐠 Falco Hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys falco)
A Cream-to-Pale-Pink Body With Reddish-Brown Bars and Spots • A Bird-of-Prey Perching Behaviour • One of the Smaller, Calmer Hawkfish
 
📋 The Falco Hawkfish, also known as the Dwarf Hawkfish or Spotted Hawkfish, has an attractive cream-to-pale-pink body covered in reddish-brown bars and spots, with distinctive hair-like tufts, called cirri, atop its dorsal fin spines.
It comes from a wide range across the Western Pacific, from southern Japan through the Philippines and Indonesia to the Great Barrier Reef, inhabiting coral rubble, small coral heads, and rocky outcrops. Every Falco Hawkfish we ship is feeding well.
A charming natural trait defines the entire hawkfish family: like birds of prey, they perch motionless on rocks or coral, watching for passing food before swooping out to snag it, a behaviour reflected in the genus name itself. This species lacks a swim bladder, so it must rest on a perch between bursts of swimming. It's one of the smaller and calmer hawkfish species, making it well suited to nano reef tanks. It's considered reef safe with caution; it won't harm corals directly, though it may occasionally take a liking to one particular coral as a favourite perch, which can irritate it over time, and it will eat very small ornamental shrimp and crustaceans. It's also a capable jumper, so a secure lid matters. It reaches up to 7cm, so a 115L tank suits it well.
 
💡 Highlights
🎨 Cream-White With Reddish-Brown Spots: An attractive, distinctive pattern
🦅 Bird-of-Prey Perching Behaviour: Watches motionless from rocks before striking
📏 One of the Smaller Hawkfish: Well suited to nano reef tanks
⚠️ Reef Safe With Caution: Will eat very small ornamental shrimp and crustaceans
🧠 Beginner Friendly: Hardy and easy to care for