Longnose Hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus) Care Guide
A charismatic hawkfish with a distinctive elongated snout and a white body covered in a red checkered crosshatch pattern.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Oxycirrhites typus is a species in the family Cirrhitidae. A charismatic hawkfish with a distinctive elongated snout and a white body covered in a red checkered crosshatch pattern. Perches motionless on sea fans and branching corals, using its thickened pectoral fins as a support. An active and curious fish that closely watches everything happening in the tank. Reef-safe with caution around small shrimp.
Taxonomy
- Family: Cirrhitidae
- Genus: Oxycirrhites
- Scientific name: Oxycirrhites typus
- Origin: Indo-Pacific, Eastern Pacific
Habitat
Distributed across the tropical Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaii and from southern Japan to New Caledonia, and into the eastern Pacific from the Gulf of California to Colombia. Perches on branching black corals (Antipatharia) and gorgonians at depths of 10-100 m, ambushing crustaceans and small fish.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 120 L
- Temperature: 24-27 °C
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- GH: 8-12 °dGH
- Water flow: moderate
- Adult size: 8-13 cm
- Lifespan: 5-10 years
- Difficulty: beginner
Diet
Classified as carnivore. Recommended feeding frequency: 2x daily. In captivity, offer a varied diet appropriate to the species — quality prepared foods supplemented with frozen or live items of suitable size.
Compatibility
- Temperament: semi-aggressive
- Swimming level: middle
- Compatible tank mates: Clownfish, Tangs, Angelfish, Large Wrasses
- Avoid with: Small Shrimp, Small Gobies, Other Hawkfish
Reef compatibility
Generally classified as reef-safe with caution: may opportunistically pick at small ornamental shrimps, sessile invertebrates or, in some individuals, polyps. Suitability depends on the specific reef stock.
Breeding
- Breeding strategy: egg-scatterer
- Breeding difficulty: advanced
Longnose Hawkfish Breeding Guide
Overview
Oxycirrhites typus is a hawkfish of the family Cirrhitidae with an Indo-Pacific distribution from the Red Sea to Hawaii, reaching about 13 cm. It lacks a swim bladder and perches on gorgonians and black corals. Hawkfish are pelagic spawners and protogynous hermaphrodites, which makes the species essentially unbred in home aquaria.
Sex Change & Pairing
Hawkfish are protogynous hermaphrodites: individuals begin as females, and some later change into males, so a dominant female can become male if the male is lost. Many hawkfish live in harems of one male and several females, but the Longnose Hawkfish is reported to form distinct monogamous pairs to breed.
Spawning Behavior
Hawkfish are pelagic spawners that release many tiny buoyant eggs which drift with ocean currents until hatching. The spawning pair ascends into the water column, and spawning occurs at night, at or near the surface, where the eggs are released and fertilized.
Why Home Breeding Is Not Feasible
The pelagic, ascending spawning behavior produces minute buoyant eggs and planktonic larvae adapted to dispersal in open water. Rearing such larvae requires plankton densities and water volumes that a home aquarium cannot provide, so the Longnose Hawkfish is not bred by home aquarists.