Cirrhitichthys aureus

Cirrhitichthys aureus, commonly known as the Yellow hawkfish, is a medium-sized hawkfish. They look very similar to C. aprinus in pattern but have a yellow to reddish-orange colour instead of cream and brown. This makes them blend in perfectly with many non-photosynthetic corals and sponges. They've many spots/patches on their body, which become smaller on the head and in the dorsal fin.The first few dorsal fin spines have tiny hairs on them called 'cirri'.

These fish usually pick one or a few spots on rocks or corals where they observe the aquarium. Although they can sometimes be seen in groups in nature, they mostly live solitary. So we recommond to only keep one hawkfish in a tank, unless a proven pair can be found. Most other fishes are ignored, but do watch out with small docile species though. In nature their main diet consists of crustaceans. They're not shy at all and will eat about any meaty food (preferable crustaceans like mysis, gammarus and krill) you offer. They can even be hand-fed after a short while in the tank. Except for resting on a coral, which some corals can't handle, they're reef safe, but do watch out with shrimps and crabs that fit their mouth!